Gridiron Buffalos

They have the helmets and the pigskin, the turf and the bright lights. There are hard hits and break away runs. But in between the hash mark there is something at the heart of the St. Bart’s Buffalos football league that makes it stand out – family.

"My dad was a board member, and I and my brother both played. My oldest son who graduated this year played and my youngest is in the Junior Pee Wees. I also coach,” said James Wendell, a Township Councilman and long-time volunteer with the Buffalos.

St. Bart’s Buffalos has been around for more than 40 years and is open to youngsters between the ages of 5 and 15. With rosters made up of players hailing from East Brunswick, Milltown, Spotswood and North Brunswick, the league has a diverse roster of players. Practices typically begin in August, with players hitting the field five days a week for several hours an evening. In September, the season begins and so does the hitting.

“We get a lot of people who say they enjoy staying with us because of the family atmosphere and camaraderie,” said Wendell.

A prime example of that is the fact that many of the coaches don’t even have children in the system, the simply do it for the love of the game. In addition, many former players are encouraged to return to volunteer and work with the youngsters.

"We invide alumnni captains back, and a lot dcome back as students to demonstrate to the players," said Vice President Todd Young.

The league is built around five teams, flag football for the youngsters, the Mighty Mites, Junior Pee Wees, Pee Wees and the Midgets, with teams playing between eight and 10 games a season. Students in the program also must maintain a certain GPA in order to continue playing.

“At each level you get ready for the next team. The Midgets are when we really start to get them ready for high school,” said Young.

Young said clubs like the Buffalos are an excellent way to get players ready for the next level, and recommended that even teenagers who’ve never touched a football but are interested in playing come by.

“We need more players at the upper level, 14 and 15 years old is where you start to think about high school,” he said. “You should seriously start to think about a youth program if you’re interested in playing in high school. We have to play everybody and everybody gets to play in eight to 10 games a season. It’s where you get the fundamentals of the game.”

Those players will learn not only the fundamentals of football, but they'll get real game experience and learn the nuances of positions, and plays from dedicated coaches.

“It’s a regular job for the coaches,” said Young. It’s really is like a part time job for them.”

For more information on the St. Bart's Buffalos, visit www.stbartsbuffalos.com.