Lancaster, CA — The AV Alta Soccer Stadium came alive on November 13 as students with disabilities from across the Antelope Valley took center stage for the Primetime Soccer Finals, culminating a season dedicated to inclusion, friendship, and athletic achievement. Primetime is an after-school program that provides students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports while building meaningful relationships with their peers. The students wrapped up its eight-game season with an all-star championship that brought together participants from schools throughout the district.

The finals featured two all-star teams: the Blue Team, representing Highland, Palmdale, Littlerock, and Pete Knight high schools, and the Orange Team, composed of students from Lancaster, Eastside, Antelope Valley, and Quartz Hill. Student volunteers or “Peer Coaches” worked alongside Primetime athletes throughout the game, while cheerleaders energized the crowd and a halftime parade circled the field. Each goal was celebrated with special animations on the stadium’s giant monitor, adding to the festive atmosphere.

“Everyone deserves a chance to feel welcome in anything they want to do.”

Tieler Williams, head coach of the Blue Team and speech pathologist at Highland High School, described the program’s ripple effect throughout campus life. “This has been a phenomenal thing because a lot of these students get to connect with these kids throughout the day,” Williams said. “Anytime they see them on campus, they yell out to them, they run to them and sometimes chill with each other at lunch. So it’s just been a great personal thing that all the kids have been able to work on just, you know, community.”

Williams, who works extensively with special education students, said his decision to coach came naturally from his commitment to the students. “Honestly, I work with a lot of these kids because I work with special ed, so they asked me like, hey, we want you to coach, and I was like, man, let’s do it,” he said. “I’m passionate about just helping these kids out and making them feel like they have the same abilities just like any other kid.”

For the student volunteers (peer coaches) who make Primetime possible, the experience has been equally transformative. Jayden Dymally, a 10th grader at Highland High School, emphasized the importance of creating an authentic competitive environment. “Well, basically we’re helping the students at our school have a fun time and be in a great environment while, making them feel like they’re in a real sporty environment, have a competitive feel and have a good time.” Dymally said.

Christian De Guzman, also a 10th grade volunteer from Highland, said witnessing the joy of Primetime athletes inspired his involvement. “What encouraged me was seeing the kids smile and knowing that they could do what everyone else is doing, there’s no difference between us,” De Guzman said. “I feel like everyone deserves a chance to feel welcome in anything they want to do.”

“The program works because it’s simple. It works really well in the Antelope Valley because the Antelope Valley is committed to seeing it be successful.”

Peter Straus, executive director and founder of Primetime, explained that the program’s success lies in its unique structure and the relationships it fosters. “Primetime is an after-school program. We initially started for inner city middle school students, academics, athletics. The Primetime Games grew out of the need for a leadership program where these kids could see themselves as being a contributor as opposed to a potential liability community-wise,” Straus said. “I created this program because sports was a medium they understood. So we wanted sports to be the vehicle where their sense of worth would be elevated.”

The program runs on a seasonal calendar with soccer in the fall, flag football in winter, and basketball in spring. However, Straus emphasized that athletics are merely the framework for something deeper. “It is a social and leadership program masquerading as a sport,” he said. “So there’s a lot of modifications to the rules. For instance, we play soccer 8 on 8, and the reason being you have 4 peer coaches and 4 kids with disabilities playing together at all times. The peer coaches have an athlete, 1 person that they are responsible for, and the athletes have one person who knows them, who they trust, who’s committed to their success, who facilitates for them, and that bond is the secret to the program.”

Straus commended the Antelope Valley community for embracing Primetime and making it thrive. “The program works because it’s simple. It works really well in the Antelope Valley because the Antelope Valley is committed to seeing it be successful. It’s an amazing community,” he said. “The schools are invested, so the best version of what we do is right out here. We do this everywhere and this is the gold standard, 100%, no question.” As the final whistle blew at AV Alta Soccer Stadium, it was clear that Primetime had achieved its mission, not just to provide athletic opportunities, but to build a community where every student feels valued, supported, and capable of success.