Clark Honors Champion Pop Warner Pee Wee Football Team

Clark Council took a moment out of their regular order of business to celebrate the Pop Warner Pee Wee football team at Tuesday night's council meeting.

The team of 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds won the Rahway Valley Conference Championship this year, beating out last year's winners, Metuchen. The team had a record of 7-1 in the regular season and 9-1 overall.

At the meeting, Mayor Sal Bonaccorso presented the boys and their coaches with certificates of achievement.

"This team was fantastic," said Head Coach Bob Turek. "These boys from August 1st were ready to play...Our only blemish on the season was a loss to Metuchen, but it actually worked out perfectly because that's who we played in the championship game and we beat them 22-6 to win the championship. We also outscored our opponents 141 to 18 this season, which says a lot about these boys playing defense."

Coach Turek thanked the township, high school football program and, most especially, parents and the Pop Warner Board for their support.

"Whenever we have an away game, there's no home field advantage, because we actually bring more folks than the home team brings," said Turek.

Councilman Pat O'Connor spoke about the "leaps and bounds" he's seen in the program since his years playing as a kid and now participating as a parent.

"At the end of the day, the goal for these coaches is that kids learn lessons about life," said O'Connor. "The things you learn in football will take you through life: commitment, depending on your teammates, a team atmosphere and learning that you can't do it alone, and most importantly, knowing that your family is behind you whether you play well or you don't play well."