Midget Football Teams Have Award-Winning Seasons

The 2012 Bridgewater-Raritan Jr. Midget Football Team had an outstanding season with a final record of 12-2.

The team also captured the Garden State Bowl Championship held at Rutgers University on Nov. 18.

After finishing the regular season with a 6-2 record, the Jr. Midgets entered the Garden State Bowl Games, beating Hillside, Staten Island and Freehold to get to the championship game.   

The later match-up between Bridgewater-Raritan and Newark North Ward was a tough battle, with Bridgewater-Raritan coming away with the win. The final score was 29-18. 

Coach Kevin Johnson said he could not have been prouder of his players as they demonstrated toughness and perseverance, and showed great character on and off the field all season long. 

The 2012 Jr. Midget players were Mark Bieda, Kevin Sawtell, Andrew Murrello, Tommy Bartocci, Justin Bryant, Trevor Herbst, Brock Gandarillas, Matt Lynch, Dylan Mercogliano, Thomas Van Doran, Braden Mygatt, CJ Hewitt, CJ Hall,  Brandon Myers, Chike Nwankwo, Nick Celli, Mike Polonco, Danny Ramirez, Jeremy Vazquez and Allen Choy. Coaches were head coach Kevin Johnson; and assistant coaches John Bieda, Scott Clifford, Jeff Kaden, Tom Herbst, Matt Lynch, Bobbie Bryant, Anthony Celli and Joe Defilippis.

As for the Midget team, they finished the season with an 8-3 record. 

After a rocky start (0-2), the Bridgewater-Raritan Midgets went on a six-game winning streak and battled their way to a Garden State Championship game at Rutgers. 

The team—a combination of young men from Somerville, Watchung, Hunterdon and Bridgewater—came together and became a family despite some early injury setbacks. Several players stepped way out of their comfort zone by playing positions they had never played before. 

—Karen Hawkins