The Lawrence Youth Football sixth-grade Gorillas got their first taste of a game atmosphere Saturday, when they took part in a scrimmage with the Blue Valley North Mustangs.

To go along with the real game atmosphere was some serious humidity.

For most of the players though, it was just good to be on the field.

“It was pretty hot,” Gorillas guard Arthur Bell said. “But it was a lot of fun.”

Although no one actually kept score during the scrimmage, Gorilla T.J. Cobbs ran like every single play counted. Cobbs had the only touchdown of the game for either squad when he broke through the Mustang defense for a 65-yard run.

Despite the fact the game did not count toward the standings, Gorillas coach Wade Walckner said his team still managed to learn a lot.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Walckner said. “It’s a little different hitting someone other than your friends.”

Walckner has 33 players on his roster, which is a pretty high number, but the kids are making it work.

“With that many kids, I thought it would be impossible to keep everybody happy,” Walckner said. “But they’ve come together as a big family. They have really nice camaraderie for this early in the season.”

Walckner said Cobbs and Dane McCullough had standout performances, and that the team played well for being only a few weeks into the campaign.

“We still need more practice,” Walckner admitted.

They have less than two weeks to practice as they kick off the season Sept. 10 against the Cougars.