A youth football coach is throwing up a Hail Mary, hoping to find a new home for his team.
He's forced to find a new location after police unexpectedly kicked the Garfield Heights Knights off their practice field.
For the last seven weeks, more than 120 children have been using the grassy area behind a former elementary school at East 139th and Christine Avenue. Now it sits empty.
"This is where it all starts at with the young youth," said Coach Mark Thompson.
They're youth that these coaches tell News 5 desperately need to stay active when school lets out.
"Trying to make sure they have a safe place to go for the summer," said Coach Dwayne White.
Tuesday, during practice, Garfield Heights police kicked coaches and players off the field.
"I was very upset, disappointed," said Thompson.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District owns the property.
“They didn't want to make us leave, Garfield has our back and we appreciate Garfield, but Cleveland doesn't want to give us this field, nobody has used it in years," said White.
A spokesperson for CMSD told News 5 the team, up until this point, had been using the practice area illegally. Due to liability concerns, they cannot continue to use the field.
"Number one, we've got insurance. And then, the parents are backing us with their insurance if anything happens," said Thompson.
It's not just the school district that wants to see the team find a new home.
"It's disturbing, believe me," said Sammie Montgomery, who lives in the area.
Montgomery said he has noticed the increased noise each night.
"You've got to close your door up to watch the news in the evening time,” said Montgomery.
These frustrated coaches have a message for those neighbors upset about noise.
"Ya'll worried about the kids around here breaking out windows, breaking into houses and selling drugs in front of your house, but here we are trying to stop all that that's going on right now," said Thompson.
They also have a message for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
"Kids are getting killed every day, every day they're getting killed. People are saying it's sad but they don't want to help us out with the kids, for the community," said White.
There is a public park nearby the Knights can use, but the coaches tell me they are worried because of recent shootings and crime in that area.
