The New Hartford Youth Football Program excelled in the Tri County Central Football League by winning an unbelievable 58 of 60 games played. The three tackle teams were undefeated with a 27-0 record. Two of the four flag teams were also undefeated with records of 8-0 and 9-0. The other two flag teams posted 7-1 records. This is the first time three tackle teams from the same organization won all three titles since the 3rd division of play was started in 1994.
The football season for all teams began on August 3, and did not end until November 7, when the New Hartford Jr. Cubs defeated Marcy-Deerfield 31-14 to close the season with a 9-0 record and the Jr. PeeWee division championship. Head coach Rick Zegarelli, Vinny Sorce and Tom Wadas who continuously emphasized basic skills and football fundamentals coached the team.
The New Hartford Sr. Cub Team won the Tri County Central PeeWee division title for the 3rd consecutive year. The coaching staff was Head Coach Bert Gliona, and assistant coaches Carmen Esper, Dan Goldman, Dick Timpano, Vito Sinsisgalli and Ed Dauphin. The team has played 32 games without a loss. Their record is 30-0-2 dating back to September 18, 1996
The Bears closed the season on November 6 with a 37-14 victory over the Dolgeville-West Canada Shockers and a 9-0 record to win the Midget Division title. Head Coach Bill Nevits and assistant coaches Tom Brown, Mike Denz, Tim Deyo, Mike Deon and Dick Hensel coached the team. This team’s "never give up" attitude helped them to achieve four come from behind wins. The Bears trailed in games against Mount Markham 0-12, North Utica 6-7, Frankfort 6-7 and the Utica Panthers 0-6. The 14-12 victory over the Mount Markham Colts was the most exciting as the Bears rallied from a 12-point deficit late in the 3rd quarter. See 1999 Season in Review.
If you drove by the New Hartford High School on a Sunday morning this past fall, you probably saw at least one of the four flag football teams playing a game. The coaching staff did an excellent job of dividing the 60 players into 4 closely matched teams. Phil DiPerna and Peter Desens coached the 9-0 Polar Bears. Dan Robertello, Sam Mott, and Brian Boyle coached to 8-0 Grizzly Bears. Steve Gannon, Brad Jones and Fred Pal coached the 7-1 Brown Bears and Terry Hoffman, Greg Costello, Nick Maggio and Trey Murphy coached the 7-1 Black Bears.
The program also had, four cheerleader squads, one for each level of play. Rain or shine you could count on the cheerleaders being on the sidelines encouraging the players to do their best. Cheer coordinator Gail Harrington and her staff did an excellent job of teaching the cheerleaders basic skills and sportsmanship.
Tri County Central conducts team scholastic competitions for the three divisions of tackle football. The New Hartford teams excelled in the classroom as well as on the field. Each team won 1st place and is now competing for scholastic honors at the Mid Atlantic Region and National levels. Who ever said football players were dumb never met the players on these teams.
Commissioner Regina Brown and program coordinator Bill Nevits would like to acknowledge the many volunteers, sponsors, parents, and fans for all their support this season. Without them, the accomplishments of the 1999 season would not have been possible.