Adult amateur football is not new to the Puget Sound area.

Since 1891, when the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club Winged-M’s took to the field against the Tacoma Athletic Club resulting in the formation of the area’s first league, the Pacific Northwest Amateur Athletic Union, amateur players have looked to prolong their playing careers past the boundaries of high school and college.

In the 118 years that have passed since that first Northwest game, many teams and leagues have come and gone in the area. Some have been great – such as the Auburn Panthers, who dominated the Northwest Football Alliance in 1984-87, putting together four titles and a record-breaking 49 straight wins.

Some have been bad – such as the Olympia-based Washington Cavaliers, who have yet to post a winning record in 11 seasons.

Despite the records, the teams keep coming and keep operating. For one simple reason. People want to play football.

Just ask Tim Reynolds, 26, owner and player for the South King County Colts.

This past year Reynolds, who played high school ball at Lakes in Lakewood and college ball at Shasta in Redding, Calif., started the Colts.

“This is my passion,” he said. “I always wanted to have my own team and be a general manager. I knew there were a lot of teams out here, but a lot of people just want to take these kids’ money.”

According to Reynolds, the Colts, who draw players mostly from Auburn, Federal Way and Kent, the team’s low cost – just $100 a player to cover insurance – helps keep his roster stocked with talent.

“We have great young athletes and fresh talent,” he said. “Our average age is 20-21 years old. They just have to be 18 and over. There are no real requirements.”

Players are responsible for their own gear – helmets and pads – and Reynolds lends a hand by acquiring gear off eBay.

They also have the option of selling season tickets or signing up sponsors to pay their $100 fee.

“They’re $20 for four or five home games,” Reynolds said. “I’m actually hoping to not even charge the players next year.”

So far this year, the Colts have made a splash in the Cascade Football League, posting a 5-2 record. They are currently in fourth place in the CFL with losses coming against the Kitsap County Bears, 40-20, and the first-place, undefeated Seattle Stallions, 21-6.

The team’s performance against the Stallions, who have outscored opponents 312-18 this season, is a testament to the team’s unity, head coach Warren Reynolds’ schemes and Tim Reynold’s approach to managing.

“Some of these teams take it way too serious and that’s why they struggle,” Tim Reynolds said. “I’ve seen them. They forget that it’s a game. I try to be different. And this team, they’re all friends on and off the field.”

Currently, Tim Reynolds spends the day at his job as a warehouse manager in Kent. At night, he helps supervise practices at Cascade Middle School and takes care of the business end of the organization.

Come Saturday, it’s game time, with the team playing its home contests at either Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner or Bonney Lake High School.

Despite the long hours, Tim Reynolds said the experience has been worthwhile by helping other players reach the next level or prolong their career.

“Me and my brother (Chris Reynolds) had a chance to play over in Finland and Germany,” Tim Reynolds said. “A lot of players don’t even know there is a chance to play football over in Europe. And this can give them another opportunity to get to college and play football there.

“Besides, I love football, I’ve been around it my whole life,” he said.

The Colts will close out their season against the Olympic Peninsula Eagles at 4 p.m. July 11 at Sunset Chev Stadium.

For more information visit the team’s Web site at www.skccolts.com.

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LOCAL COLTS

Auburn Players on the South King County Colts – Ryan Reynolds, defensive back; Chris Hamilton, defensive back; Greg Reynolds, defensive lineman/linebacker; Avon Carr Jr., defensive back; Tyler Buchholtz, linebacker/defensive back; Bill Grosso, fullback/linbacker; Cameron King, running back; Scott Nokes, wider reciever; Trung Nguyen, defensive back.

For more information about amateur and semi-pro football in the Pacific Northwest visit the Greater Northwest Football Association Web site at www.gnfafootball.org