Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
On Sunday, October 8, the Hillsborough Dukes Pop Warner football and cheer program hit the road to play on a rainy and humid day in both Metuchen and Bridgewater. Dukes Flag, Mighty Mite and Jr. Pee Wee teams took on the Metuchen Bulldogs while the Pee Wee team traveled to Bridgewater to take on the East Orange Jaguars.
Flag
The Hillsborough Dukes flag football team played a messy game in the rain in Metuchen. Bryce Hayden and Aaron Feath both scored touchdowns for the Dukes and John Billings had nice 30-yard run that to get the Dukes into scoring position on the 5-yard line.
All Flag players did had an exceptional game in the early morning rain storm. The 2017 Dukes Flag team, John Bilings, Harry Bugal III, Aaron Feath, Matthew Fedora, Aidan Glennon, Bryce Hayden, Jack Hayes, Logan Jankowicz, Jake Jones, Jackson Karsay, Jaxxon Lugo, Josiah Malek, Tommy Silagy, Tyler Zysk.
Mighty Mite
On Sunday, the Dukes Mighty Mite football team played an intense game against the
Bulldogs of Metuchen. The Dukes pulled out a 12-0 victory increasing their record to 5-1 with Quinn Hayden and Kevin Jones both reaching the end zone.
Defense played a strong game in the rain with William Hayes recovering two fumbles and Sanjay Mills grabbing a slippery interception. The Dukes defense proved superior with Quinn Hayden, William Hayes, Lucas Scott and Cayden Walinsky on defense with key tackles and keeping the Metuchen Bulldogs out of the end zone.
The offensive line, Lucas Rollan, William Hayes, Cayden Walinsky, Shaun Keker, Adam Vandermeer, Tyler Pirog and Gavin Glazewski controlled the line of scrimmage all day and converted on two key fourth downs.
The Dukes Mighty Mite team will return home on Sunday, October 15 to take on the Watchung Hills Wolverines.
Jr. Pee Wee
On Sunday, October 8, the Hillsborough Dukes Junior Pee Wee team took on the Metuchen Bulldogs and came up with a wild win of a 27-0.
Leading the way on offense was Heath Miller with a 10-yard touchdown run, Logan McDermid with a 40-yard touchdown run, Cole Hayden with a 30-yard touchdown run, and Peter Sorbera with a 10-yard touchdown run. Also running the ball well was Edrin Morales and James Grohe with an added extra point run. The Dukes had big blocks from Josh Malek, Austin Sieberg, and Mitch Miller.
On defense the team came through with a big shutout. Led by Brenden Barker, Edrin Morales, Mitch Miller and Cole Hayden. Other players to be recognized are Jamel Powell, Jimmy Wagner and Jason Strachan for big plays on defense and offense.
The “Road Warriors’” last regular season road game ended with a shut out win, bringing the team’s overall record to 5-1. We’ll be home this week against the Watchung Hills Gold.
Pee Wee
Under blue-gray October skies and unseasonably warm temperatures, the Hillsborough Dukes Pee Wee football team battled the East Orange Jaguars Sunday afternoon on the neutral ground of John Basilone Memorial Field in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The out of conference matchup, the Dukes second of the season, was against an undefeated Jaguars team whose organization earned two North Jersey Pop Warner Conference championships last year.
The first two quarters saw strong runs by Zion Harrison and Luke Scott, as well as pass completions by quarterback Jack Moran to Kyle Kolans and Jack O’Donnell, and at halftime the Dukes trailed the Jaguars by a score of 6-0. However, the full might of the East Orange offense was on full display during the third quarter when the Jaguars hung three additional touchdowns on the Dukes.
A 65-yard touchdown pass from Moran to O’Donnell late in the third quarter represented the Dukes only points of the day as East Orange would go on to win by a score of 32-6. Veterans O’Donnell, Scott and Chris Spinelli led the Dukes defense in tackles, and Philip Unangst also had several tackles for negative yards during the second half.
“East Orange is a heck of a team,” Dukes Head Coach Mike Spinelli said after the game. “This is exactly the kind of challenge we need as we move closer to post-season play.”
Next week the Dukes Pee Wee team concludes regular season play as they host the undefeated Watchung Hills Wolverines in what should be an epic battle between conference perennials.
Cheer
On Saturday, October 14, the Hillsborough Dukes Cheerleaders will compete for the Jersey Valley Conference title at Montgomery High School beginning at 4 p.m. Come out and support Dukes Cheer.
Also, the Dukes are hosting their first Annual Cornhole Tournament on Saturday, October 21. Visit www.cornhole.hillsboroughdukes.com for more information for entry fees and being a board sponsor.
