Football season came early this year for a special group of 10 Houston-area foster children who attended Deshaun Watson's Youth Football Camp over the weekend.

During the event, 250 children spent four hours learning and practicing football skills and leadership under the Houston Texan's quarterback's guidance.

Foster families do everything they can to provide for their children, but oftentimes experiences like camps and extracurricular activities aren't possible. Through its  Foster Kids program,  Mattress Firm hosts annual drives to fund foster kids' participation in activities, like this sports camp, that allow them to do what they do best: be kids.

The Playbook for Reaching the End Zone

On a morning fit for football in Katy, Texas, Mattress Firm invited 10 Houston-area foster children to attend Deshaun Watson's Youth Football camp. With footballs flying through the air, children practiced offensive and defensive plays with expert guidance from one of the best in the game.

Camp attendees learned more than how to properly throw and block, though. Watson covered everything from drills to making good grades and choosing the right role models. He credits his success on the field just as much to what he has achieved off of it.

As Watson knows, it takes more than tackles and touchdowns to succeed in life. The decisions we make growing up impact our future – whether it's asking a question in class when we don't understand or surrounding ourselves with the right people for encouragement. They say practice makes perfect, but really it is early practice that makes all the difference.

A good night's sleep is one factor to achieving success, but we at Mattress Firm also believe that an active lifestyle, leadership and mentoring lead to victories on the field, in the classroom, and out in the community.