Disney bound

Two youth teams in Fla. tourney

By Cary Shuman, Globe Correspondent, 12/2/2001

ou've seen the television commercial. A professional sports star, who has just helped his team win the World Series, a Super Bowl, or an NBA title, looks in to the camera amid the postgame hoopla and says, ''I'm going to Disney World.''

Youth football players from the Everett Eagles and Chelsea Junior Red Devils were emulating their sports heroes after winning New England championships last Saturday in Coventry, R.I.

''Where are you going?'' Eagles A team coach George Paone asked his jubilant players after their 20-14 win over Chariho, the Rhode Island state champions. The players stood up as one and roared, ''Disney World, Disney World.''

Paone's Eagles and Chelsea coach Brian Jeffrey's Junior Red Devils have earned the chance to compete in the National Pop Warner championships in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., this week. Regional winners are invited to the tournament, which will be played inside Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Everett is vying for the Division 1 Midget (ages 13-15) title. Dan Klim, director of communications for National Pop Warner, said that the Division 1 Midget championship game will be videotaped by NFL Films and shown on ESPN during Super Bowl weekend. Highlights of the other games will be shown during that broadcast.

Chelsea is competing for the Division 2 Midget crown. Divisional alignments are based on a team's win-loss record for the past three seasons, according to Alan Perella, the New England region Pop Warner president and an Everett resident. Klim said that more than 8,000 football players and cheerleaders and 17,000 parents will be at the nationals.

Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash said late last week that $43,000 was needed to send the team to Florida, and ''currently we have commitments that exceed that.''

Ash said some of the funds raised were from local businesses, but also that people unconnected to Chelsea were pledging money because they wanted the youths to be able to play in Florida.

''I hope the players see from this that hard work does pay off,'' Ash said.

Everett and Chelsea both are hoping to become the first team from Massachusetts to bring home a national title since Disney started hosting the event in 1995.

''We're very happy to be sharing this wonderful experience of playing in the nationals with the Chelsea team,'' said Paone. ''Just getting a team to Disney World makes everyone a champion. This is a dream come true for inner-city kids who otherwise couldn't afford a trip to Disney World.''

Paone has guided Everett Eagles teams to three straight appearances in the nationals. Last year his team lost to the eventual national champion from Sunniland, Fla., in the opening game.

Even though he had 10 players back from last year's New England championship team, Paone never expected his team to be in the hunt once again. But his team has rolled to a 14-0 record this season.

''Last Saturday's victory was the sweetest one of all,'' Paone said. ''This group never stopped playing hard throughout the year. It was a team that no one thought was going to be a good team. And they proved that if you work hard, you get great results.''

Everett Pop Warner president Tom Abruzzese said Paone and assistant coaches Robert Hart, Gino Borgonzi, Ernie Soule, Steve McLaughlin, James Wiener Sr., and James Wiener Jr. have done an admirable job this season.

''This has been an incredible season,'' Abruzzese said. ''The players have learned from their coaches that if you work together for a goal, anything is attainable. These coaches are tremendous.''

Peter Forte, an eighth-grader and a two-way lineman for the Eagles, is looking forward to playing in the nationals. ''This is our second chance, but even if we don't win it all, it's a lot of fun just being down in Florida,'' Forte said. ''We play teams from other states. The weather is warm, and Disney World is a blast.''

Jeffrey, 37, a graduate of the Chelsea Pop Warner program and a former Chelsea High football player, said he never envisioned back in August that his team would be heading to the nationals.

''I thought we had a shot at the Greater Boston League title and maybe a little farther because we had 16 players back from last year's team,'' said Jeffrey. ''I asked the boys to believe in themselves and the coaches, and they believed.''

The Junior Red Devils wrapped up the New England title last Saturday with a 32-6 victory over Newington, Conn. Running back Mario Joseph, an eighth-grader, scored four touchdowns to bring his season total to 28.

''Mario is one of the best football players I've ever seen in this age group,'' Jeffrey said. ''I think Mario can step into a high school program next year and help that program immensely.''

Jeffrey credited his assistant coaches, Joe Rinaldi, Mike Rinaldi, Darren Moore, and Joe Smith, for their dedicated efforts on behalf of the team.

A third local Pop Warner team, the Beverly Panthers B team, just missed qualifying for the nationals, losing to Seymour, Conn., in the New England final.

''We're very pleased with our season,'' said coach Michael A. Nardella. ''The team won two state titles the past two years and a New England championship last year. They gave it the best they could. We're proud of this team and what they've accomplished.''

This story ran on page 1 of the Boston Globe's North Weekly section on 12/2/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.