LATEST & GREATEST
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
Well folks, it is finally here!
We had a few proverbial bumps and bruises for our first weekend but the outcome was still amazing. We got the kids out on the fields to showcase all of the hard work they have been putting in for the past 4 -5 weeks. The weather was absolutely beautiful and just proof that someone up there loves some football!
To the home teams this weekend, we thank you for your patience and support as we came through a last minute shift in game times. Unfortunately, we had to shift our schedule to accommodate the high school as they had a soccer game rained out on Thursday requiring the use of Bellamy in the early morning on Saturday. It's a tough thing to be near the bottom of the totem pole but it’s that resilience and mental toughness that we should all strive to instill in our players both on and off the field. We aspire to impart the ability to adapt and overcome challenges because just like the game of football, sometimes the call doesn’t always go your way.
The weekend in review:
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Dover White (Youth) set the bar high in the first game of the season by defeating the Portsmouth Clippers by a score of 25-6.
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Next up was the Junior Division taking a stand against the Tri Town Renegades. I have reports that the boys did a great job and fought till the end but never dropped their heads. They fought a fierce battle to end but unfortunately fell by a slight margin of a single touchdown with a successful conversion. Final score of 16-8.
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Our last at home game was our Dover Green (Youth) team. While the coaches are extremely proud of the distance these fresh faces have come, they ultimately fell to Merrimack by a score of 26-0. From what I gather, this was the first official game for nearly all of the boys and they still have plenty of games ahead. Now that the first game jitters are behind us we can expect great things to come.
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Last but not least was our Senior Division (Little Green) taking the road to face the Rochester Raiders. The senior team did Dover proud by bringing home the big W by a score of 42-22. Rochester Varsity team which had all fresh legs and enough subs to keep them fresh all night long.
The week ahead:
Friday September 17th: Dover Youth Appreciation Night at the DHS Green Wave Football game
Dover Green Wave vs Concord Crimson Tide
7pm at Dunaway Field, DHS
Admission is free to all Coaches and Players wearing their jerseys. The teams will meet up with coaches and run the field after the DHS band finishes their halftime performance as they are officially introduced to the community. This has always been a great pump up for the kids as they get a chance to preview the excitement of taking the field under the lights!
This year the Senior Division (Little Green) have been invited to warm up with the high school team.
Players should be in full gear and ready to run at 6pm sharp!
Parents: Don’t forget your cameras!!
Saturday’s Games, September 18th
(Youth) Dover Green is away @ Amherst Patriots (Souhegan High School) for an 11am Kickoff
(Youth) Dover White is home (Bellamy) vs. Winnacunnet Little Warriors for a 12 pm Kickoff
Junior Division is home (Bellamy) vs. Manchester Bears for a 2pm Kickoff
Senior Division (Little Green) is away @ Bedford Bulldogs (Bedford High School) for a 6pm Kickoff
Fundraising
I was asked a couple of times at the start of the season..”Hey Joe, what is my money actually used for when I pay for registration?”. I would love to say it provides all that we need to keep this program running but that wouldn’t be true. We rely heavily on our fundraising to do more than just keep the lights on. We strive to keep your children in gear that makes the game as safe as can possibly be. We belong to a league that values the safety and growth of your players; so much that it was easily a unanimous vote to ensure that all of our coaches are USA Football certified. We use these funds to pay for field use, referees, trainers, equipment maintenance, etc.. just to name a few things. Our next big fundraising venture is the Snap Raise program which will require a commitment from all of you to participate. We did some research and found that it has been a highly successful tool with local programs such as the DHS Lax booster club. Please do everything you can to maximize your effort. Thanks in advance!!
In the very near future we will be announcing more activities to participate which have not only been successful in bringing funds to the organization but also a ton of fun for the adults as well; I speak from personal experience when I say that Meat Bingo was a fan favorite two years ago.
Final Thoughts
We are just getting into the nitty gritty of our season. There has been a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to make all of this happen whether it comes to ordering equipment, attending league meetings, scheduling practice fields, fundraising, etc.. We are a small group of volunteers at this point but we all have high aspirations of growing this program into something to really be proud of. In the fall of 2019 the Dover Youth and Little Green program merged to create a stronger foundation for our feeder system program to grow these athletes physically and mentally to prepare not only for the game of football but as strong members of this community. If you like what you see, or especially if you think you see a place for improvement, feel free to reach out and volunteer. We would love to also beable to offer a concession stand for our home games at all of the youth and Junior level games but we are stretched too thin to take this on without additional help.
