Area law enforcement officials and Lehighton Athletic Booster Club coaches battled on the gridiron Sunday to raise money for the youth sports program.

The second annual "Cops vs. Coaches" flag football game drew a large crowd to Baer Memorial Park, where the focus from both sides was on community engagement."This is a fundraiser for the booster club, but it's also a way to show our kids that the police are their friends and they are there to help them," said Jason Muffley, Lehighton Athletic Booster Club football director and vice president.The event raised around $1,500 last year. Funds were raised through concession stand sales and a basket raffle.A bake sale was also held to benefit the Gower family following the recent fire at their residence.Lehighton Borough Police Detective Matt Arner said the officers enjoy coming out into the community to show "they are regular people.""We live in the community too and help out when it is needed," Arner said. "The football game is secondary. A big part of these events is letting people know we are approachable."With police officers' schedules nearly impossible to coordinate, Arner said a lot of the training for this year's football game was done independently."Last year, we had some pretty intense practices," he said. "This year, we are kind of winging it."It isn't the first time law enforcement officials have put their athletic prowess on display.Many of the same officers who chucked around the pigskin played in a basketball game against the local fire departments to benefit Lehighton's 150th anniversary celebration."These events are working as many people have come up to us and said they remember us from the basketball game or the football game," Arner said. "Sometimes we play well and sometimes we don't, but it's a connection we can share with a lot of people when we talk to them."Represented in Sunday's game were Lehighton Borough Police Department, Mahoning Township Police Department, Franklin Township Police Department, the Carbon County District Attorney's office, Carbon County Court and the Carbon County Sheriff's office.Before the game, the Booster Club held a "Meet The Tribe" event, introducing members of its upcoming football teams and cheerleading squads to the audience.