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massdee
Moderator
4240 Posts |
 Posted - 11/22/2007 : 08:36:40 AM
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The Boston Globe
Malden and Everett teams earn Pop Warner berths
Email|Print| Text size – + By Julian Benbow
Globe Staff / November 22, 2007
The Malden Cyclones Midgets came within two minutes of reaching the Pop Warner Super Bowl last year, and spent all of this season scrapping to make it back. The Everett Huskies Junior Midgets made the trip to Florida last season, only to melt in November heat.
more stories like this
Both teams punched their tickets to Florida Sunday in Worcester with lopsided wins in their regional final matchups - Malden with a 36-0 victory over the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Bulldogs and Everett with a 35-12 triumph over the Franklin Chargers - setting up trips to the nationals Dec. 1 in Orlando.
"They're thrilled to be back," said Huskies head coach Frank Cafarella. "The kids that won [the regional title] last year know what it's all about, and they're just happy to get another shot at a national title."
The Midget division is for players ages 11-15, while Junior Midgets are 10-13; weight limits apply in each group.
Everett played four games in 10 days just to get to the regional final. First, the Huskies pounded the Everett Eagles, 22-0, then edged East Lynn, 14-13. They beat Melrose, 28-12, then the Boston Raiders, 43-12. After that, they had a week to prepare for Franklin.
The Huskies got five rushing touchdowns, one from quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso, plus scores from fullback Steven Ho and Benny Griffin and two from running back Matt Cafarella.
Frank Cafarella said he believes this year's team is stronger than the one he took to Florida last year. Even though they lost, 24-6, to Santa Ana, Calif., the team will benefit from the experience this time around.
"It won't be so new," Cafarella said. "We won't be standing around waiting to see what we have to do. We know the system now. Last year, it happened so fast, we weren't prepared. Now I think we'll be a little better prepared."
The Malden Cyclones A team, which has never been to the nationals, has been thinking about making it to Florida since last year, when a late-game Hail Mary cut their season short in a 6-0 loss to New Haven in the regional final. "I told a Pop Warner International official if I come back next year, we're going to go down to Florida," head coach George Paone said. "And we did it."
He came through on the prediction Sunday, as Malden scored three first-quarter touchdowns to bury Brooklyn early and let its defense take over from there.
Paone watched game tape of the Brooklyn squad and saw that its most dangerous player was the kick returner. "I said, 'I ain't kicking the ball to this kid,' " he said.
Instead, Paone ordered three onside kicks in the first quarter. The Cyclones recovered all three and turned them into scoring drives. An eight-play, 65-yard drive was capped by David Console's touchdown run. A long pass by quarterback Kevin Valley set up a touchdown run by Kyle White. Then on the third drive, Valley hit Jake Pelligrino for a touchdown pass, giving the Cyclones a 21-0 lead without ever letting Brooklyn throw a punch.
"I think this is so important to the city of Malden," said Paone, who lives in Everett and is formerly a coach with the Huskies and the Everett Eagles. "I came over here, and I knew there were a lot of good athletes. Just like Everett. They're city kids. They're tough kids."
Malden's and Everett's Florida opponents have yet to be announced.
Both teams will spend the next two weeks raising money. Paone said his squad is looking to raise about $50,000 for the trip, while Cafarella said the Huskies need about $20,000.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
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SolidSnake
Member
70 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2007 : 12:31:43 AM
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| Everett High School is the best football team in the state with the worst field in the state ! |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2007 : 3:11:55 PM
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The article is about the Pop Warner team, not the high school. I agree we need a new stadium.
Sally |
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SolidSnake
Member
70 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 11:22:40 AM
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Yes, I was aware of the article being about Pop Warner football ,I was just showing my frustration with the dump we have for a field that Pop Warner and EHS play on.
We used to have the best Stadium in the state and now we have one of the worst. |
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SolidSnake
Member
70 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 11:24:33 AM
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| MIAA Playoffs---Everett takes on an undefeated BC High football team tonight in Lowell at 7 PM--GOOD LUCK CRIMSON TIDE ! |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 11:31:50 AM
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I agree the stadium is a mess. I hope they start working on it soon.
Sally |
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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 2:42:29 PM
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| I hope they start working on the stadium too....after they fix what's wrong with the education system. |
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H1ghCh4r1ty
Advanced Member
967 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 7:03:41 PM
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Court, don't worry about a thing, Hanlon will fix the stadium when he starts at Community Development.
The Pup and Emile Schoeffhausen
_____________________________
"Time to make the donuts" |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 7:21:55 PM
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Everett is leading against BC high 14-0 Boston.com has a high school sports blog and people are posting the scores.
Sally |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
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massdee
Moderator
4240 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2007 : 10:15:19 PM
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| Everett won 26 to 6. |
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Hallowed Dreams
Senior Member
107 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2007 : 08:59:19 AM
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Another great article for the football players. I dont know how they keep doing this after all these years. Good Luck in the superbowl.
Full steam ahead
Everett shows off the latest link in its chain of command
By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Columnist | November 28, 2007
LOWELL - It is never about just one football game at Everett. There have been too many years of excellence to possibly isolate just one play, one game, one season. When you have won 88 games and lost just four in the 21st century, it's no wonder your players feel an obligation to keep on winning.
"We take it very seriously," explained linebacker Brian Nuzzo. "My brothers played here. My father played here. My grandfather played here. I understand what this is about."
Last night at Cawley Stadium, it was about the same thing it has been for 11 of the past 12 seasons: getting to the Division 1 Super Bowl. Everett punched its ticket by trouncing BC High, 26-6.
It was a thorough beating, administered by an offense that seemingly scored at will in the first half and a defense that simply would not give BC High's offense any chance to establish itself.
Everett coach John DiBiaso Jr. said the goal from the beginning of training camp was to earn a trip to Gillette Stadium, where his team will play Dartmouth Saturday in hopes of snagging a seventh Super Bowl crown in 12 years.
Yet the Crimson Tide will be playing without one of their most loyal fans in attendance. Everett alumnus Arnie Boardman, who according to DiBiaso rarely if ever misses a game, was not present at Cawley Stadium in Lowell last night, either. Boardman, who is 80, is battling some serious health issues and will undergo surgery tomorrow.
His condition has weighed heavily on the coach, who has committed the history of his program to memory. DiBiaso will rattle off that Boardman was a member of the 1945 Everett state championship team whose exploits earned it a cameo appearance in Look magazine. He will point out Boardman is the author of a book on the history of Everett football.
And his players will identify Boardman as the kindly gentleman who faithfully drove down from his home in New Hampshire to each and every game.
In an emotional pregame talk with his team, DiBiaso mentioned Boardman's illness, and asked his players to keep him in their prayers. Then he asked them to go out and play for all of the Everett football players, as far back as Boardman and as current as the players on this roster.
"It's the first time I've ever mentioned something like that," DiBiaso confessed. "I normally try not to dwell on those things. But Arnie has been such a huge part of our program. I want him to know we're thinking of him. I want him to know we're pulling for him."
Had Arnie made the trip to Lowell, he would have barely settled in before Boston College-bound running back Isaac Johnson broke free for a 47-yard scamper that gave Everett a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Johnson struck again when the Crimson Tide regained possession at midfield, this time scampering in from 2 yards.
By halftime, Johnson had rushed for three touchdowns, and his team had vaulted in front, 26-0. Johnson now has 26 touchdowns on the season, and well over 2,300 yards rushing.
"He's one of the best ones we've had," lauded DiBiaso. "We've had many, many kids come up big in Super Bowls over the years, and now it's Isaac's turn. That way, 15 or 20 years from now, when we come back and watch a kid put in a great performance, we can compare him to Isaac."
The only thing more impressive than the Crimson Tide's offense was their dominating defense, which repeatedly thwarted any momentum BC High tried to muster. At halftime, the Eagles had amassed just 23 total yards against a defense anchored by, among others, Nuzzo, senior Patrick McGrath, and Mike LaRochelle.
They repeatedly hit the BC backs behind the line of scrimmage and prevented them from establishing any momentum. BC High quarterback Billy Kiley was under pressure throughout, and was picked off by Justin Spinelli early in the game to set up a Johnson score.
"It was almost like we knew every single play out there before it happened," Nuzzo said. "Our coaches prepare us so well. There are never any surprises."
BC High ventured into Everett territory only once - during a 72-yard drive that ate up 8:07 of the clock and finally enabled the Eagles to get on the board with a 5-yard pass from Kiley to Tom Conley. By then, there was less than seven minutes to play, and the Crimson Tide simply controlled the line of scrimmage and ran out of the clock.
Asked which side of the ball Everett dominated more, Johnson replied, "Both."
"We've worked really hard to get to this point," he said. "And we outworked them today."
The Crimson Tide, who have won 24 consecutive games, are still not done. They will not rest until they win another Super Bowl, for Arnie Boardman and every other Everett alumnus who has established a legacy of excellence, to be shared by each and every generation.
Jackie MacMullan can be reached at macmullan@globe.com |
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arthur
Senior Member
209 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 05:28:37 AM
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Athletes seek benefactors to make dream trips come true
By Maureen Mullen, Globe Correspondent | November 29, 2007
A trip to a national tournament - playing against the best in front of a full house for the right to call yourself the best - could be every young athlete's dream.
But for those who must pay the bills, financing that kind of a trip can be a nightmare.
The sputtering economy also has put a stranglehold on the lifeblood of youth sports - financial donations. At least those that would help two local Pop Warner organizations get their teams to the national championships in Florida this weekend.
"It's crazy," said Ray Grace, president of Everett Huskies Pop Warner. "It's actually really poor compared to past years, very weak. Corporate donations are really next to nothing. Private donations are pretty much dried up completely. And all you hear is, 'Geez, gas is so expensive, the heating oil, electricity. My bills are going through the roof. My profits are down.' That's all that we're hearing.
"We're hoping somebody comes through," Grace said. "But one way or another, they're going to get there. There's no way in the world they're not going to get there. Hell or high water, we're going to make it."
The Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., are the culmination of nearly five months of practice and competitions for football players and cheerleaders.
The Everett Huskies Junior Midget football team, made up of 10- to 13-year-olds, earned the trip to Florida by beating the Franklin Chargers, 35-12, on Nov. 18 for the New England title. Everett will open play against Pacific Northwest champion Vallejo, Calif., on Sunday. The Huskies, who also qualified for the Super Bowl last year, are sending 23 boys and five coaches to Florida this weekend. Grace already has been hit with a bill of $29,029.63 for the 13 hotel rooms the team will need for its nine nights at the tournament.
The Malden Cyclones squad has an even bigger financial challenge. The Midget football team, with players ages 13 to 15, earned a trip to the tournament by trouncing the Brooklyn Bulldogs, 36-0, in the New England final to become the first Cyclones team to make the trip to the nationals since 2000. Malden will play Garden Villa, the Southwest champs from Houston, in its Sunday opener.
Last weekend, two of the league's cheerleading teams won the regional competition, so they also are Florida-bound.
In addition to the 24 boys and 10 coaches on the football team, the league also must finance trips for the 33 cheerleaders and four coaches with the Midget cheer team, and 34 cheerleaders and four coaches with the Junior Pee Wee team.
"I had to pay $26,600 for the boys' and coaches' rooms, and another $10,000 for flights" last Friday, said Helen Kipnis, Malden Cyclones president. By yesterday, she said she would have to pay for the girls, "which will probably be over $40,000, not including their flights."
Kipnis is finding fund-raising in Malden as difficult as Grace is experiencing in Everett. Before the cheering competition, Malden had been hoping to raise $30,000 to fund the football team's trip to Florida. With the addition of two cheering teams, the league is now trying to raise almost $90,000.
"We haven't really raised anything," Kipnis said. "We got a $2,500 donation from the 'Choppa' Fund [the Mark Chopelas Youth Benefit Fund, named in memory of the Malden native who was killed in a construction accident at Brandeis University in 2003]. It's still new, so everybody's out there trying to do what they can and just getting out there. I sent letters out to the businesses trying to see who could donate. Now, I'll send the kids out as a follow-up. Another company purchased [the football team's] sweat suits."
"I guess I'm surprised that other people or businesses haven't been able to help more," said Tom Chopelas, Mark's brother and one of the administrators of the fund that aids Malden children. "My brother was a big football fan. He wasn't involved in coaching or anything. But it's a way to help and to have his name carried on. He didn't have kids, but he loved kids and he loved sports and this is just something for the kids in Malden. It's a special thing for them to be able to go on this trip."
According to the national Pop Warner website, "Teams must purchase the Pop Warner National Championship Week Hotel Package and stay at a select Walt Disney World Resort for the duration of the trip."
Although the package also provides admission to Disney parks, a cursory Web survey of hotels in the area revealed rates for one adult and three children of $36 per night for a two-star hotel 3 miles from the park to $179.10 per night for a five-star hotel 6 miles from the park.
With competitions starting Sunday and culminating with the championship events on Dec. 8, even if the teams are knocked out of the tournament early, they would not receive refunds. Flights and hotel rooms are booked and paid for through the championship competitions. Parents in both communities are being asked to pay their child's way if they have the means. So are the coaches.
From funds set aside to support various youth sports leagues, the city of Malden gives the Pop Warner organization $2,000 annually for operating expenses, according to Debbie Burke, a spokeswoman for Mayor Richard C. Howard. The City Council, which last year kicked in $3,500 for the Florida trip, was scheduled to discuss helping out again at its meeting that was to be held Tuesday.
The Everett Huskies will have to rely on donations. "Unfortunately, as you can imagine, we can't really allocate taxpayers' dollars to Pop Warner's efforts," said Marzie Galazka, Everett's director of community development.
"The rooms cost $500 per person for the week," Grace said. "Then the airfare of approximately $350. So just the room and airfare is $850 per person, not including meals for the nine days or any souvenirs they would want to buy. You have to remember, we have kids that were not born [in the United States] and can't imagine what Disney really is.
"Ideally, if we could raise $30,000 for the boys, that would pretty much take care of their rooms and the airfare. Not leave much for spending money, but if we could get that, that would take care of their airfare, their hotel, and that would be great. Right now, we've probably got a 10th of that.
"It's not like we're not banging on doors. We're hitting the corporate community in Everett. Everett's only 2 square miles, but you have the big corporations, ExxonMobil, Distrigas, . . . You have these global corporations who don't even donate to the youth in the city. ExxonMobil, we've been trying to get a hold of people over there and it's just one brick wall after another, which is unfortunate."
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Tails
Administrator
1755 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2009 : 08:58:08 AM
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This was disturbing to read. Shame on Lynn, they should be removed from the GBL.
Lynn vs Everett: Fight breaks out at Pop Warner game
Updated: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2009, 7:41 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 26 Oct 2009, 6:35 PM EDT
Frank
Mallicoat
EVERETT, Mass. - A fight broke out between players during a Pop Warner football game in Everett. It happened between East Lynn and Everett on Sunday.
A parent shot video. He told FOX25 Lynn was already winning 25-0 when they scored again. That's when tempers flared and punches were thrown.
The league president says the incident is being overblown.
As you might remember, some of the boys from the Lynn team practiced earlier this summer with GPS monitoring bracelets.
Six players are charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating a homeless man last summer. They have been kicked off the team.
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Fran
Senior Member
233 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2009 : 11:26:11 AM
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| I say shame on the Lynn parent who shot the video and broke it out for the world to see. It didn't do any justice for either football program. |
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Football
