Middle School Football Teams Kick Off Inaugural Season in Winchester

The inaugural season for the Melrose middle school football team kicks off Tuesday night in Winchester, fittingly on a new field and against the program that helped Melrose build its own middle school football program.

Two Melrose vs. Winchester games will take place during the 2010 Sachem Youth Football & Cheerleading School (SYFC) Pride Kickoff Night at Manchester Field. Winchester's decision to invite Melrose to play in the kick-off game at the newly renovated stadium was made even easier, according to SYFC President Paul Manganaro, since Manganaro and the Winchester coaching staff were some of the ones to help the Melrose program get started.

"I thought it was great when they first asked for our help," Manganaro said. "They have a great program and look at all those kids that signed up, that's a great turnout."

"Paul (Manganaro) goes above and beyond," said John Mercer, director of Friends of Melrose Football. "He likes having a big event every year and we were thrilled he called us."

Each year the SYFC tries to put on a main event that will be memorable for its participants. Last year they travelled to UMass-Amherst, where they saw the football team and played a game on campus. In 2008, the UMass marching band came to play a halftime show, and in 2007 they played at Harvard Coliseum.

Mercer said that Melrose hopes to reciprocate next year, when the community will be building its own turf field using the same company that Winchester hired.

Melrose's program already has 70 players and 24 cheerleaders in its first year. The program features strength and conditioning sessions and practices after school under the direction of nine coaches, who are all Melrose High alumni—including head coach Brendan Kent, an '04 graduate who teaches physical education at the middle school.

The kickoff event starts at 3:30 p.m. in a game between the "JV" teams, when Winchester Black plays Melrose White. At 5:30 p.m., the gates will open for the main show between the "varsity" squads, Winchester Red versus Melrose Red.

That game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a halftime show at the 50-yard line by Ernie and the Automatics, a band that primarily plays popular cover songs and features Ernie Boch, Sib Hashian, and Barry Goudreau from the multi-platinum band Boston. There will also be food vendors selling fried dough, pizza, hot dogs and more and the first 250 students will receive a SYFC super-fan t-shirt.

Admission to the second game is $5 for adults and $2 for students, with all the proceeds going to the Winchester Field Development Council, which is renovating Manchester Field.

Last year the council finished the football field, stands and scoreboard. Its next project is Phase 2, which includes a new track.

"We're crossing our fingers for good weather and there's a lot of buzz around both communities around the event," SYFC president Paul Manganaro said. "We hope to give the schools and communities an opportunity to show school and community pride."