It was not a stellar year for Oakland Football, but every great sports franchise has seasons that could have been better. The high standards the players and coaches set for themselves make every year a challenge, and Oakland continued to live up to them with competitive play throughout the season which still has one more weekend of play. The Pee Wees play away in Wayne on Saturday November 8th at 7pm, and the Juniors & Seniors play away in Fair Lawn at the same time.
The Oakland program is part of the North Jersey Junior Football League, founded in 1964, which is structured into four divisions with 16 teams.The township has Pee Wee, Junior and Senior teams with ages 10 and under,12 and under and 15 and under respectively. Each town in the league is required to field an “A” team which is the most competitive, but there are also “B” and “C” teams which provide playing time for all participants and are geared to being more instructional. All teams play a schedule of 9 games played on an 80 x 40 yard field.
The Oakland Cheerleaders, 150 strong, displayed their own athletic abilities during the season as they emboldened the players and buoyed the fans. Football, like all sports, is part talent and practice, and part inspiration. The cheerleaders played an important part in keeping team spirit up, motivating the players to keep their head in the game, and inspiring spectators to support the home team.
As the season was winding down, there was no letting up on drills and practice down at the Rec fields. Night started falling sooner, the air got a chill, but the sounds of drills being barked out by coaches could be heard across the fields. It might be the very end of the season, but players were practicing with the same intensity as if it were the beginning. But even the last game does not mark the end of the season as awards and recognition will offered later on. For the 8th grade players and cheerleaders, this will involve a gala dinner at Portabellos.
The Oakland program for football and cheerleading, like all sports in the town, is run completely by volunteers. Well over 300 kids participate in this program alone. Chris Maragulia, a coach and Rec Commissioner, commented on the good effort of all the players and the volunteer coaches. He is especially looking forward to honoring the recipients of the Iron Man awards which are given to veteran players with 6 years in the program.
The cheerleaders and football players did great this season!