Welcome to the home of the
NORTH HUNTERDON
JR LIONS!
1999 Mercer County Heavy Weight Runners Up
2002 Mercer County Heavy Weight Runners Up
2004 Mercer County Heavy Weight Champions
2007 Jr Skylands Champions
2007 NJUWYFL NJ State Runners Up
2007 Patriot League Champions
The Jr Lion Program is the premier Football Program in the NHHS sending district. Our program works very closely with NHHS Head Football Coach John Mattes and his staff to make sure that our players are ready to play football at North. The plays we run, the terms we use, the formations we run offensively and defensively are the same as those used at the Varsity level. This way our players are comfortable and prepared when they move on to play football at North.
The program was started 11 years ago when NHHS Head Football Coach Dennis Haughey and GM Mark Saharic got together with Clinton Township Mayor Mike VanTassel and NHHS Athletic Director Robert Hopek to find the funding and facilities to run a feeder program for the NHHS football program. They then approached Mike Moreland and asked him to run the program and be its first Head Coach. Coach Moreland has spent 10 years at North Hunterdon High School as a coach at all levels including a Varsity assistant and the Freshman Head Coach. With all of their support, under the guidence of Coach Moreland and his staff, the JR LIONS were born.
The first season started with 45 youngsters on 2 teams; a LIGHT Team and a HEAVY Team. They played in the Mercer County Football League With teams from Trenton, Hillsborough, Ewing, Princeton, Hamilton and Lawrenceville. Our program continues to grow and we expect to have over 160 football players for the 2009 season.
The program was started to give players that do not fall into certain weight categories, a chance to play football when they had no where to play before. There are NO weight restrictions in our program. We do not believe that cutting weight or holding down your weight is conducive with playing the game of football! The age and maturity of a youngster is a very important factor in putting a football team together. At no time in the Jr Lion program will you find a 15 year old playing with or against a 12 year old or an 11 year old with/against an 8 year old JUST because that younger player is big for his age!
Another major reason was to give youngsters in the NHHS sending district an opportunity to learn how to play football the way they do it at North. Our players have proven over the years that they can be very successful with what they have learned at the Jr level.
The Jr Lions are now run by Head Coach Mark Saharic and are members of the The Jr Skyland Football Conference, formed in 2005, and the New Jersey Unlimited Weight Football League formed in 2007! The season starts in mid August and runs through the end of November finishing with the opportunity to win a NJ State Championship.
We have 3 different levels:
VARSITY 7/8 GRADE
JV 5/6 GRADE
NOVICE 3/4 GRADE
Inside the VARSITY and JV level, there are multiple teams.. So if you are not playing on the Varsity or JV Skylands team, you can play on the Varsity or JV Patriot league team. So many opportunities to play football!! Jr. Skylands teams play home games on Saturday nights under the lights on the turf of NHHS's Singley Field. Patriot League teams play home games on Saturday afternoons on our new home field at the Round Valley School in Clinton Township and players on the Patriot League teams are guaranteed playing time! All practices are held on the practice field at NHHS.
Games are played against other schools from the Skyland Conference, the same conference that NHHS plays in. So our boys are playing against many of the same players they will meet when they play at North.
Currently the teams in the Jr Skyland conference are; Hunterdon Central, Hillsborough, Watchung Hills, Voorhees, Ridge, Bridgewater, Philipsburg, and Somerville with teams from Montgomery and Franklin entering the league this season.
The season runs through the end of November. Our annual banquet for the 5/6 and 7/8 graders and their families is held the Sunday before Thanksgiving in the banquet hall at the beautiful Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, NJ
