MYAL team won second straight RVC crown
By: John E. Powers
With a strong core of skill position players returning to their lineup, the Manville Colts Pop Warner team figured to have another outstanding season this year. But the Colts, who began practice Aug. 1, still had to go out and prove it.
The Colts wound up proving a lot. They put together their second straight unbeaten regular season, winning another Raritan Valley Conference East Division title, then were awarded the overall league title by virtue of their regular season win against Kenilworth. The season ended with a loss to Union in the Garden State Bowl Tournament. Union went on to win the tournament.
"It was probably the best year of practicing we have had," said longtime head coach Bob "Bubba" Petrone, who celebrated his 100th victory during the season. "Very few of the kids missed practice. We had a group who wanted to learn. They were a very coachable group. I was very proud of them."
The team was led by veteran quarterback Mike Knitowski, running backs Pat Horner, Johnny Hardgrove and Anthony Martelli and all-purpose offensive player Jamie Levine.
"Mike’s a very skilled player with a great arm and speed," Petrone said. "Jamie caught passes, made sacks and Anthony was outstanding."
Linebacker Jack Calvo, who broke his leg and missed the last few games of the regular season and the playoff game, was also very instrumental in helping the team notch its second straight 10-0 record.
"It was a well rounded team most teams had one or maybe two players in the backfield we had six or seven kids who could start on most of the teams we played," Petrone said. "What helped us was that we had a roster that had more than 20 kids. We had competition for positions. They came to practice and practiced hard and then when it was game-time they played harder because they knew their position was up for grabs or they were out to get more playing time."
Petrone said that Martelli was a key leader.
"Anthony is a great kid, a very coachable kid who really cared and he’d point things out to the coaches," Petrone said.
The team got a big boost on offense from tailback Keith Miranda, receiver Kyle Sopko and tackle Anthony Palovic. Newcomer Billy Demeter, a defensive end and wide receiver, made key contributions. Dennis Petrone, the coach’s son, was a guard, defensive tackle and the team’s long snapper. Sopko was a backup to Knitowski, also played wideout and spent some time on the line. First-year player Jalil Williams, a seventh grader, made a successful jump from the Pintos to Colts and played outstanding defense.
"Jalil was one of our bigger surprises," Petrone said. "I thought it would be a tough transition for him from the Pintos, but he turned out to be a hard hitter, a good kid and a good player."
Eighth grader Robert Daniels, a linebacker, was a first-year player who made big plays all season long. Linebacker Mike Bezick and lineman Mike Bercik contributed along with Hernan Velasquez, Brian Rock, Jake Piscaldo, C.J. Schaefer and Shane Jurkowski. Linemen Jon Andrade, Billy Fisher and Dave Csontas saw playing time and lineman Jason Pfoutz had an emphatic sack against St. Cecelia’s. Adam Galasso and Billy Mazzucca also made plays during the season.

