The Mount Washington Valley Mountaineers make it official today and announce that their program has been accepted into the New Hampshire Youth Football & Cheer Conference of American Youth Football. "The Mountaineers will be every bit the same by name, team colors and coaching staff," says Coach Andy Pepin, "but in order to keep football in the Mount Washington Valley healthy, we think that this is the best choice for all of us." The Mountaineers had previously considered joining the Granite State Football League. However, the GSFL requires two individual teams for acceptance into the league. Pepin also added that their affiliation with New Hampshire Pop Warner was instrumental in helping them establish a top-notch organization. "But, due to weight restrictions and lower numbers of students wanting to play, we realized that we needed to move or risk perishing altogether," added Pepin.

"The Mountaineers will be fielding one team in the 8th Grade division of NHYFSC. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are eligible to play with the Mountaineers," adds board member Mark Sandman of Bartlett. "By only fielding one team, however, it’s possible for us to take a ton of pressure off other football programs in the region. We all agree that as many kids as possible should be able to play football if they want to. So instead of competing for numbers, we’ve made a choice that ensures students from Bartlett and other outlying towns will have that opportunity for many years to come." 

The NHYFSC currently has fifteen teams in their eighth grade division, so competition will be every bit as tough as what they’ve experienced with Pop Warner in the past. In AYF’s All-American Division, there are no weight restrictions. Eligibility is based on grade alone. While the Mountaineers will compete in the 8th grade division, younger players are encouraged to sign up. As always, the Mountaineers guarantee playing time for every student, regardless of ability or experience. There will be an eight game regular season, NH state playoffs, regional playoffs, and, beyond that, a national championship in Florida each year in December.

Registration is currently OPEN. For more information please contact Thom Pollard at thom at eyesopenproductions.com, or Andy Pepin at 603-344-1446.

Please pass the word: The Mount Washington Valley Mountaineers will be holding information and registration session on Sunday March 4 from 9:30 to 11:30 at the North Conway Community Center, for any sixth through eighth grade students in the area. There are no weight restrictions. All interested players are encouraged to attend and register. No registration fees will be due at the time of sign-up.

If you have any questions contact us here.

Thanks

Thom Pollard – Vice President

In addition to recognizing each individual player many player awards were given out.

Scholastic Award (to players with 90 or higher GPA): Dominic Knox, Will Pollard, Nicholas Sherwood, Garrett Brown, Hunter Bousquet, Benjamin Kelly, Adam Martinese  

Special Teams MVP Kherry Rober

Offensive MVP Will Pollard

Defensive Co-MVP Theodore Scarlett & Kyle Bennett

Hardest Hitter Devan Bynoe

Mountaineers Award Nicholas Armstrong

Leadership Award Garrett Brown

Versatility Award Hunter Bousquet

Most Improved Award Benjamin Kelly

Coaches Award Ryan Stevens  

Also given awards at the banquet was:

President’s Award Jason Patch

2011 Volunteer of the Year Award Paige Wales    

Congratulations MWV Mountaineers on an outstanding season, and thank you to all players, families and fans. See you in 2012!!!

As of this writing, the Bobcats are one of two teams left in the entire USA, vying for a national Super Bowl title in the Unlimited Weight division.

The Mountaineers have built a strong program in the Mount Washington Valley, offering students near and far the opportunity to compete at a much higher level than can be offered by most school programs in the northeast. Pop Warner Football has a rich tradition, and hundreds of thousands of athletes worldwide benefit from their commitment to academics and sportsmanship. That this little team from Mount Washington Valley could step onto the field with the depth and broad recruiting radius of a team such as the Brookfield Bobcats is a significant accomplishment.

From our humble beginnings, this year the Mountaineers provided busing to away games, gathering together students from several different school systems throughout Maine and New Hampshire, and ‘entered the elite of Pop Warner’, as said by the president of New Hampshire Pop Warner. We are proud to say that very few schools can offer what we offer our players, from the depth and experience of our coaching staff, to the level to competition, to the opportunity to go to Disney World and compete for a Super Bowl championship.

Here’s to the parents, fans and players for making this a phenomenal season! We hope to see everyone in the 11-14 year age bracket, from seventh grade to ninth grade, come back to fight for another New Hampshire State Championship!!!

SEE YOU THERE BOYS!!!!!!!

Mountaineers will play for the New England Regional Championships on Saturday, November 26th in Worcester.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES!!!

CONGRATULATIONS MOUNTAINEERS!!!

Players, please meet the bus at 8:30 on Sunday morning at Kennett High School…the usual bus fee applies.

Mapquest says that from North Conway the drive takes 3 hours and 23 minutes…PLEASE LEAVE AMPLE TIME TO ARRIVE AT THE GAME ON TIME!!!!!!

If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact Coach Pepin at 603-344-1446.

GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!!!!!!

The Mountaineers will face the Seacoast Titans, who beat the Southern NH Steelers 6 to 0 last night in Bedford.

The Mountaineers played their very first game ever at Memorial Field. It’s fitting that we now prepare to go claim the state championship on Wednesday
evening.

GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!

Because of the ripple effect, our playoff game – originally slated for Sunday the 6th – is now being moved to Wednesday, November 9th, to a yet-to-be-determined field. The game time will most likely be at 7:30pm. 

We understand any frustration you may feel with the changes. But, the league has done everything possible to accommodate the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. They are looking to schedule the game at a field a bit closer to us. Either way, it might require many students to get early dismissal from school to catch the bus for the game…(probably won’t hear too many objections on that one!).

As always, we move forward and remain stoic and determined in our preparation for the championship match. The winner of Sunday’s playoff between the Titans and Steelers will be going on TWO DAYS REST, so imagine how THEY are going to feel when they meet a fully rested and anxious bunch of beasts from the Mount Washington Valley?

We will update you with all the information as soon as it comes in. 

-Thom Pollard