Hello Wildcats Family,

Week 1 is in the books and we are on to Week 2, as always there is a lot of information for Week 2 please read.

I want to start this off by saying how excited I am about the move to the Morris County League, it was a very difficult decision.  We were in a great league and change is hard, but change is sometimes needed to get better.  The main reason for the move was the ability to play in the Central Conference.  It is a lot more work for our coaches and parents, but wow last night was one of the best and proudest nights I have ever had being a part of this program (our coaches agree) and it leaves no doubt in my mind that we made the right move.  Two of our teams had a chance to compete last night and players who in past years only saw 4 plays a game had a chance to shine and boy did they do that.  This is what youth football is all about, the opportunity to develop and play ALL of our players.  I am so excited for our 7th and 8th grade teams to have the opportunity next week, Cornine was BUZZING last night!

Week 1 Recap

Our move to the new league sent us to Roxbury in week 1 and our teams were met with very stiff competition.  It is always better to play strong competition, the players benefit way more from a hard fought loss than an "easy" win.  Our 5th grade team opened the day with a 26-6 loss in the rain.  This is a very strong team who will rebound, this was the first game this team had been in 3 point stances, saw blitzing and had special teams...we knew there would be bumps in the road joining the MCYFL so we are excited to see them get out there again Saturday.  Next our 6th grade team played an instant classic losing in the final minutes 19-18.  Both the Roxbury and Morristown teams were extremely successful as 5th graders, this was an awesome game and hopefully will see each other again.  The 7th graders played next in what was the most physical game of the night in losing 16-6.  Roxbury brought physicality few teams did last year so it was great competition for our 7th graders in week one that will only make them better.  The final game we needed our 8th graders to step up to avoid the sweep and they did it in SPECTACULAR fashion.  The 8th grade team came out strong and finished strong leading the game wire to wire in a convincing 24-14 win.  Super proud of this team you could see all the hard work they have put in to have the best possible 8th grade year.    

As I mentioned above we had two Central Conference games last night, our 6th grade team looked amazing in a 26-0 win over Wayne and our 5th grade team went on the road and also pitched a shutout defeating Rockaway 6-0.

Our 4th grade team played its first tackle game ever on Sunday vs Roxbury and from all account had blast coming up from flag and playing a real game.  4th grade to our program is instructional, there are no standings or playoffs, so we don't talk wins and losses at this level.  Every team our 4th graders play this year have at least one and in some cases two years of tackle experience, I look forward to seeing them get better and better each week.

A huge shout out and thanks to our Cheer teams, I can't believe how much this program has grown!!!  We have cheerleaders at every level now for every game.  The girls braved the conditions on Saturday night and they looked and cheered awesome.

Our flag games kicked off this weekend as well with the most teams/players we have ever had.  All teams looked great, well coached and having fun.  

Just a great weekend all around and now we come home to Cornine, and I expect week 2 will be even better.

Week 2 Game Schedule

Saturday 9/14 all games at Cornine Field:

4th Grade vs Twin Boro 2:00pm

5th Grade vs Twin Boro 3:30pm

6th Grade vs Twin Boro 5:00pm

8th Grade vs Twin Boro 7:00pm

Our 7th grade team has a BYE this week.

All teams will wear their Maroon game jerseys

Monday 9/16:

7th Grade at Long Valley 6:00pm - Rock Spring Park (35 East Springtown Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853)) 

8th Grade at Long Valley 7:30pm - Rock Spring Park (35 East Springtown Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853) 

White jerseys for 7th/8th

5th Grade home vs Sparta 6:00pm

6th Grade home vs Rockaway 7:30pm

Maroon jerseys for 5th/6th

Reminders:

On game days NO ONE other than players or coaches are allowed inside the fence anywhere on the turf.  I don't want to have to lock the gate because then our tackle and cheer teams who play in the upcoming game have to walk through the sideline which is already packed tight.

We will need a number of volunteers on Saturday and Monday.  I will get a sign up genius out today or tomorrow, when sent please sign up ASAP, Saturdays are crazy so it's nice to know all spots are filled before the weekend.  

Please clean up after yourselves, there is no reason for the 8th grade volunteers and coaches to have 30 minutes of cleanup after the last game.  Throw out your garbage and if you see an empty bottle or can that isn't yours on the ground please throw it away.  

One last thing we will be honoring a very special team at halftime of the 8th grade game.  The high school class of 2025 were 4 time Super Bowl Champions as Wildcats and are a big reason our program is where it is today.  So hang around at halftime to cheer them and show them what they helped build.

Can't wait to be a Cornine this weekend, no doubt the best homefield experience in anywhere!!  Bring the noise. bring the cheers, and let's show the new league what our home games are all about.

Sorry for the length but thanks for reading.

GO WILDCATS!

Mike Achilarre

President

Hello Wildcats family,

What a weekend...what a season!!!   

Saturday our program had its most successful day in its history winning 3 Super Bowls!!  Congratulations to our 5th, 6th, and 8th grade teams on bringing home the NJSYFL Championships to Morristown.

The day started with an all-time classic 5th grade game between two great teams.  Morristown and Bridgewater traded scores and battled back and forth to a 13-13 tie at the end of regulation.  Morristown got the ball first in overtime and scored to make it 20-13, and then stopped Bridgewater on 4th down to capture the championship.  Congratulations to our 5th grade champs!

Up next was our 6th grade team looking to defend its 2022 Super Bowl Championship.  Our squad raced out to an early lead and never looked back en route to a 26-14 victory over Old Bridge.  Congratulations to our 6th graders who now have 2 championships in 2 years!!

The big game was last as Morristown and Old Bridge lined up against each other for one last time.  Our Wildcats were looking to win their 20th game in a row and be the only team at any level in the NJSYFL this year to finish the season a perfect 10-0.  Another dominating performance by this special team as they defeated Old Bridge 22-0 to bring home their 2nd straight championship and 2nd straight perfect season, closing their Wildcats career winning 20 games in a row.  Congratulations to them one last time, and the next step for this crew is a Morristown HS State Championship!!

Below is a link for highlight videos from each game, enjoy:

2023 Morristown Wildcats NJSYFL Super Bowl highlights - shgsports (wistia.com)

I truly believe the Wildcats are the premier program in this league and it's not just because of winning Super Bowls.  It's all of our tackle teams who have upwards of 40 kids on every roster, it's our awesome coaches, our amazing cheerleaders, but what really makes this program so special is the family we have become.  We are not always going to win Super Bowls, but I know this family is here to stay and grow every year regardless of wins and losses!  I am equally proud of all our teams, our 5 tackle teams, flag, and cheer.....we have great kids and great parents who support and cheer for each other.  I love our flag Friday Night lights, packed stands at our tackle games, our cheerleaders great halftime routines, all of it, and all the posts on social media celebrating our awesome program.

I can't thank all of you enough....all of the coaches for all the time they put in, and to all the parents for driving your kids to and from games and practices from the middle of August until the middle of November and being the best fans in the league by far.  Thanks to all the volunteers as well who make our home games the best around.

Two special thanks I have to mention, one to Ryan Flynn who I could not run this league without, he is ALWAYS there by my side and would do anything for the Wildcats, and to my wife Kristina, she couldn't be more supportive of my time away needed to run this great program and is our biggest fan.  Not to mention a super talented photographer, who was out there at every playoff game capturing these great moments for all of us (Super Bowl links to come).

We will begin equipment returns next week, I will hand out the pictures on those nights, stay tuned. 

I think we are all looking forward to some time off now, but we will be back at it early in 2024 to keep this program moving forward!!

All my best,

Mike Achilarre

President  

2023 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

2023 REGISTRATION 

LINK TO REGISTER: Registration (morristownwildcats.org)

Please see the Tackle/Flag/Cheer tabs above for much more information.

Wildcats Family,

Not sure where to begin, after more than 4 months the Wildcats season has come to a close and it did so in great fashion yesterday in Old Bridge.

Huge congratulations to our 5th and 7th grade teams for winning their respective Super Bowls. Our 5th grade team beat Chatham 18-0 and a few hours later our 7th took home the title with a 12-7 comeback victory over Old Bridge. This is the first time the Wildcats have ever won two Super Bowls in the same season, quite an accomplishment (only town with multiple Super Bowls). Our 7th grade team finishes a perfect 10-0 and our 5th grade team closed the season on an 8 game winning streak ending it with a shutout in the Super Bowl! All 7 of our teams had something to be proud of this year, it truly was our best season yet. 

Like I have said all along it is great to win but there is just so much more than just winning to be proud of right now with the Wildcats. Huge crowds at the game yesterday and all season, our awesome cheerleaders, our huge number of participants, our Friday Night Light flag games, and our great coaches and players. We truly are a family and it showed all season.

So many people to thank, most notably my VP Ryan Flynn, I don't think anyone realizes how much Ryan does for our program. He is there every minute I am and more. Thanks to all our tackle, flag, and cheer coaches, it is a HUGE time commitment and you ALL do an amazing job. Thanks to our amazing fans, no other town even comes close the gameday experience we have at Cornine, we even bring it better than anyone else when on the road. Just a big thanks to everyone who is a part of this program top to bottom. We have only begun to get where I think we can, and I look forward to future with all of you!

We will now take a few weeks off but we will be in touch in early 2023 with updates and news.

All the best and on last time Go Wildcats!!

Mike Achilarre

President