Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Big win for the Hillsborough Dukes Pee Wee football team as other teams conclude their exceptional seasons.
Pee Wee Football
Saturday afternoon in Watchung Hills, the Hillsborough Dukes Pee Wee football team battled Newark’s South Ward Bulldogs in the first round of the Eastern Region Pop Warner Football Championships.
South Ward scored early in the first quarter but on the ensuing kickoff, Hillsborough’s Zion Harrison bolted 70 yards for a touchdown to tie the score and Tyler Oram’s PAT gave the Duke’s a 2 point advantage. With the exception of a 24-yard touchdown pass from Jack Moran to Jack O’Donnell late in the second quarter, the Duke’s offense struggled to find traction during the first half and the Bulldogs took a 20-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter began with Hillsborough forcing a Bulldog punt, whereupon the Dukes initiated a systematic dismantling of the Newark Conference champions. Harrison, Luke Scott, Chris Spinelli and Jackson Robert had punishing rushes and the third quarter drive concluded with Moran finding O’Donnell on a 10-yard roll-out pass and Oram again splitting the uprights.
The Dukes defense was nothing short of exceptional during the second half with Brady Post, Philip Unangst, Doug Toth and Justin LeBron relentlessly swarming the Bulldog’s ground attack.
Late in the fourth quarter Moran found O’Donnell for the third passing touchdown of the afternoon and Oram’s PAT gave the Dukes a 10 point lead. With less than two minutes in regulation, Dukes cornerback Kyle Kolans administered the coup de grace with an over-the-head interception during a Bulldog Hail Mary attempt.
“These boys played like lions this afternoon,” said head coach Mike Spinelli after the game.
“Special teams were phenomenal and being able to consistently pin a team like the Bulldogs deep in their territory as well as collect 6 points on Oram’s PATs gave us a huge advantage this afternoon.”
Next weekend the Hillsborough Dukes Pee Wee team will take on Henlopen Delaware conference champ, Woodbridge Raiders, in the quarter finals of the Eastern Region playoffs
Mighty Mite Football
The Dukes Mighty Mite football team concluded their season Sunday, Nov. 5 with a tough loose in the first round of the Garden State Games against an impressive Orange Bengals team from the North Jersey Conference. The Dukes end their season with a successful 7-2 record.
On Mighty Mite, these boys learned the fundamentals of tackle football as well as the importance of team work. We can’t wait until the 2018 season.
The Mighty Mite team included: Peter Anderson, Aiden Boyle, Matthew Deville, James Esposito, Gavin Glazewski, Quinn Hayden, William Hayes, Kevin Jones, Cooper Karsay, Shaun Keker, Shaan Lodhia, Sanjay Mills, Dylan Perkins, Tyler Pirog, Lucas Rollan, Jon Sciarrino, Ryan Spinelli, Adam Vandermeer, Caden Walinsky, Alex Zysk.
Jr. Pee Wee Football
Sadly, the Hillsborough Dukes Junior Pee Wee 2017 season ended on Nov. 4 with a loss to the Newark Conference Champions the Ivy Hill Broncos. The final score was 40-6.
The players, coaches, parents and entire Dukes organization rallied together week after week to watch the kids play with heart. It was a fun, dedicated, and memorable year. The Jr Pee Wee team ended their season with a final record of 7-3.
The Jr. Pee Wee team included: Brenden Barker, David Dewberry, James Grohe, Alexander Groza, Cole Hayden Jackson Jankowicz, Joshua Malek, Logan McDermid, Heath Miller, Mitch Miller, Edryn Morales, Jamel Powell, Jason Roser, Austin Sieberg, Peter Sorbera, Jason Strachan, James Wagner, Alexander Wildgoose, David Yacka.
Cheer
The Jr. Varisty Cheer squad concluded their season at the Eastern Region Competition on Sunday, Nov. 5. They performed beautifully against nine other teams in the region. They fell just short of securing the bid to compete at Nationals. The Dukes are already looking forward to next season.
The Pee Wee cheerleaders will compete for the Regional title in their division on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton.
Be on the lookout for 2018 Dukes registration information and events.
