By Maxim Almenas
Staff Writer | Sept. 5 2008

As summer starts to fade, memories of the Giants winning last year’s Super Bowl begin to resurface. And now that the Jets acquired legendary quarterback Brett Favre, New Jersey residents are experiencing symptoms of football fever again.

In Fort Lee, no one could be more excited about the upcoming gridiron season than the young athletes that make up the Fort Lee Junior Bridgemen Football League. The teams recently started practicing. And the coaches are ready to embrace new challenges.

The league is made up of three divisions. The pee-wee division ranges from 7 to 9 years old. The juniors are 10 and 11, and the seniors are 12 to 14 years old.

"Every year is a different," said the senior team coach, Mario Jacovino. "We need to put in a system that works best with the talent level that we have. Conditioning is also always a factor."

Jacovino described players who made a great impact last season.

"Dashaun Washington, our tailback and starting safety, was a ‘highlight reel’ waiting to happen every time he touched the ball," Jacovino said. "Josh Ford, our starting fullback and linebacker made plays on both sides of the ball."

Jacovino said other major players who contributed to last year’s success were Shaun Cunningham, Taj Huggins, Joseph Stabile, Dave Sandness and Sal Corales.

The pee-wee division made the playoffs four of the last five years. A big contributor was running back JoJo Robinson, who scored more than 20 touchdowns and dominated the league at his position.

The senior team had a successful season as well.

"Head coach Chris DePalma, who has been involved in the league for the past 18 years, has won the championship two of the last three years," Jacovino said.

Competition

"We defeated Cliffside Park, our biggest rival in the championship game two years ago, Jacovino said. "And our senior team defeated Englewood and Palisades Park in the playoffs."

At a time when some sports are seeing a decline in enrollment, the football league has grown from 60 to more than 100 players in the last five years. Jacovino said that one of the biggest misconceptions is that football is a dangerous sport.

"Our injuries are basically bumps and bruises," Jacovino said. "I have coached every sport for the past nine years, both boys and girls and I probably have seen more injuries in basketball than in football."

Maintaining the balance between school and sports continues to be a challenge for some athletes. The league is adamant players keep their grades up during the season.

"If you have bad grades you cannot play," Jacovino said. "We do the best we can with the help of the parents and the school to stay on top of their grades. Most kids during the season get their best grades because they are so regimented. They have football, schoolwork and then sleep. There’s not much time for anything else."

Expectations

Senior co-captains quarterback Mario Jacovino Jr. and wide receiver Charles Simons look forward to a good year and are expected to be make the playoffs. The junior team is also stacked and should make another run at the title. And the pee-wee division is expected to make the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Many players eventually play for the high school team. But for Joseph Surace, president of the league for the last 30 years, it’s always been about more than just teaching young athletes how to play football.

"We stress that you have to be good with your family, in school and on the field," Surace said. "If you can do the three correctly, you can be a good football player. We like to take young boys and turn them into responsible young men."