Prior to the last playoff game for the Lincolnwood Marlins, Assistant Coach Bill Pabst asked me if I was interested in the Niles West Junior Football team. I immediately said, “Absolutely,” thinking he had seen some athletic potential in me based on my season as a “Paper Marlin” with the Marlins Little Leaguers.
As it turns out, I was half-right. Bill was interested in my work as a Paper Marlin, but the emphasis (actually the totality) was on the “Paper” part. Like some of the other parents, Bill enjoyed seeing coverage of the Lincolnwood Marlins on the Patch.com. As Niles West Junior Wolves Director and Coach Bill was hoping I would do the same for the Junior Wolves. While I was disappointed that I would not be putting on a helmet and pads, I was intrigued.
My goal as a Paper Marlin was to finally appear in a Little League game; however I also have other unfulfilled goals from my youth. My once-promising journalism career was cut short due to a jerk of an editor on my high school newspaper. Of course, the Mt. Carmel Caravan won the state title that year and I missed out on the opportunity to cover them.
It would be many years later, when I informally resurrected my writing career with a few random columns for (the now defunct) Lerner Newspapers. Then came Global Traveler magazine, JohngysBeat.com and most recently, the Patch.com. I have worked in the pressbox at Major League Baseball parks and for the Chicago Rush, but I have never covered a school’s football team…until now.
My first order of business is to spread the word about registration. There is no football team without the football players.
Registration is in full swing as the Niles West Junior Wolves Football program readies its 2013 gridiron squads, consisting of five teams of 4th through 8th graders. Registration is open until August 1 via www.juniorwolvesfootball.com. The website also answers most questions parents have about the program. Players do not have to be District 219 residents.
Other key dates for Niles West Junior Wolves Football:
August 1: Early Registration Ends, no guarantee of being placed on a team after August 1.
August 12: Equipment handout begins
August 19: Practices Start
September 8: First Game!
Coach Bill promises one thing for the 2013 season and that is fun. The fun does not end on the field though. Coach Bill and I plan on making this coverage fun, too. We will have behind-the-scenes stuff, interviews, pictures, game results and more.
Keep checking back here for more coverage of the Niles West Junior Wolves and enjoy the season with us
