Wolfpack Ready to Play for National Championship

For the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow Wolfpack's fifth-and sixth-grade football squad, the opportunity of a lifetime is here.

That's because on Saturday, Dec. 4 they will be leaving to play in the All-American Sixth Grade Tournament which will take place between Dec. 5-11 in Orlando, Fla. Should the Wolfpack became victorious, they would be national champions.

The ride to the tournament has been one that both villages have embraced.

"Our whole town is behind us," Wolfpack head coach Chris Hutter said. "All of the kids are saying that when they are walking down the street, people who they really don't even know are saying good luck to them. It's brought the community together."

The Wolfpack's first game will either be Monday, Dec. 6 or Tuesday, Dec. 7. That won't be known until the team gets down to Florida, Hutter said.

If the team plays Dec. 6, their next game would be Thursday, Dec. 9 or if it plays on Dec. 7, then it would play next Friday, Dec. 10.

Should the Wolfpack (10-0) win both games, they would be the national champs.

That opportunity is something that the Wolfpack cherish according to Hutter.

"From what I understand, its the first team in Westchester County to be invited to this tournament," Hutter said. "For us to bring home a national championship would be terrific for the community and obviously the kids on the team and even the coaches."

Since beating Staten Island 41-6 in Brooklyn for the regional championship on Nov. 21, the Wolfpack have been working hard on getting used to the rules in the tournament, which differ from those the Wolfpack have been playing under this year.

"In the national tournament, it's high-school rules," Hutter said. "In Westchester Youth Football, we kind of modify it a little bit. It's been a little bit of a challenge to try and teach our players in two to three weeks how to recognize different offenses, recognize different defenses but the kids have handled it pretty well."

They have handled it well because they have had a great attitude about it, according to Hutter.

"This group that we have is terrific," Hutter said. "They take pride in what they do. Ever since they beat Staten Island 41-6, they have picked up on what we have been teaching them. And not to blow our own horn or jinx us, our regional director said that this is the best sixth-grade team he's seen and he's been the regional director for 13 years."

Hutter feels that if the Wolfpack just continue to play like they have been all year, they will be in great position to win it all.

"We are very big up front and we have very good team speed," Hutter said. "If we just play our game, we will be very tough for any team to handle."

WOLFPACK ROSTER

Players

Christopher Acevedo, Angel Acosta, Matthew Bischof, Alek Bjokrland, Kevin Borden, Jared Carey, Aaron Cember, Travis Cowles, Matthew DeSousa, Kasper Endreny, Luis Manual Espinal, Brent Gamble, Juan Carlos Garcia, Damon Gaynair, Jonathan Gomez, Jahilas Gonzalez, Herschel Halesworth, Michael Hoffman, Kyle Hutter, Malik Jones, Owen Kelly, Aidan Krall, Will Loffredo, Michael Lopez, Nasheim Mackey, Michael Mauguin, Josef May, Theodore Morris, Isaac Newland, DJ Owen, Nighoel Rivera, Alejandro Rosero, Ryan Smith and Isaiah Walker.

Coaches

Chris Hutter (head coach) and assistants Mike Minerva, Steve Cowles, Dave Halesworth, Rob Bischof and Brent Gamble.