The Hillsborough Dukes 14U football team was recognized by Hillsborough Township officials for a successful 2019 season.
The Hillsborough Township Committee commended the 2019 Hillsborough Dukes 14U Football at a Feb. 25 meeting for having earned multiple achievements this past fall. The team finished the year with a 6-0-2 regular season record in its first year in the Central Jersey Pop Warner football conference.
The team also captured the Central Jersey Conference Championship with a, 20-8, victory over the Bridgewater Panthers and earned an invitation to the Pop Warner Eastern Region Football Tournament.
Hillsborough Township Deputy Mayor Shawn Lipani acknowledged the team for its accomplishments with a statement at the February meeting.
“The township committee commends the Hillsborough Dukes 14U Football Team, the coaches and parents, for the honor they have brought to themselves, their organization and our community,” Lipani said.
Upon receiving an honorary proclamation from the township deputy mayor, Dukes’ coach James Moran commended the team’s accomplishments as well as the program’s cheerleaders for their successful 2019 seasons.
“We are just ready to open the books on 2020. Our registration is already open, and we have already got a lot of cool things out there for cheerleaders, football players and flex football in the spring,” Moran said. “Before we get onto 2020, I think it’s really cool that we can stop and look at all the great things our cheerleaders accomplished during 2019.
“These girls racked up conference championships and awesome showings in regionals. Both teams went to nationals and finished second place. That’s great competition, and these girls really knocked it out of the park. The boys’ 14U team had a great year too. They won a conference championship in the largest pop warner conference in New Jersey, so that’s no small accomplishment. We are really honored to be here, and we thank the township committee for this proclamation,” Moran said.
The 2019 Hillsborough Dukes 14U Football Team consisted of the following young athletes: Jonathan Roman; Rich Freitag; Brady Post; Joseph Biviano; Thomas Walega; Heath Miller; James Conover; Jorge Barsa; Julian Brunelle; Donovan Miller; Michael Fate; Zachary Schick; Zion Harrison; John Lawler; Jared Carter; Timmy Schwarcz; Michael Schmelzer; Alex Wildgoose; Mario D’Agostino; Joseph Reyes; Peter Sorbera; Nelson Santos; Orlando Roman; James Grohe; and Jack Moran.
The team was led by coaches James Moran; Phil Grohe; Joe O’Donnell; Michael Schmelzer; Adrian Barsa; and Peter Sorbera.