December 4, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 13 Joint football team to play for sectional championship The Waldwick/Midland Park high school football team advanced to the Division I finals with an easy victory over North Warren on Nov. 22 and is now headed for the sec- tional championship against Westwood High School on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. at Kean University.. The two outstanding athletes propelling the win to vic- tory were both from Midland Park High School. Junior Ron Kruis and Senior Evan Pagliei each playing a strong game. Quarterback Pagliei scored three touchdowns on the ground and a touchdown pass. Kruis scored two touchdowns, one on a 75-yard punt return. The Waldwick Warriors team, which has included players from Midland Park since the fall of 2005, defeated North Warren 39-7 in the North 1, Group 2 semifinal game. “This is the first time since 1988 Waldwick has played in a sectional championship game for football, and the first time for Midland Park,” commented Waldwick High School’s Athletic Director Michael Clancy. “It has been a Total Hearing Care hosts seminar, lunch Total Hearing Care will conduct a free Community Seminar & Complimentary Luncheon at Rosario’s Trator- ria & Pizzeria on Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. Specialists will dis- cuss how individuals can make intelligent decisions about hearing loss. The general public is invited. To make a res- ervation, call the Midland Park office at (973) 939-0028 today. Elizabeth W. Cook, M.A., FAAA, Chief Audiolo- gist, NJ Hearing Aid Supervising Dispenser Lic. #697. great year for the Warriors posting a 9-2 record up to this point. Each week of the season, the team has gotten better and has been more consistent with its high level of play. As a result, we’re playing for a sectional championship. We look forward to a good game and a great outcome for the Warriors.” Midland Park’s AD, Michael Gaccione, echoed that pride in the joint team. “We are extremely proud of our Warriors football team thus far. We knew all season that we had a very good team. Now, with this playoff run, we have been given an opportunity to show everyone else in the state just how good we are. Saturday’s final we’ll be a tough match-up against Westwood, but we feel as though we have just as much a chance to win as Westwood.” There are 45 athletes on the varsity roster, 22 from Waldwick High School and 23 from Midland Park. Last September a parent asked the Midland Park Board of Edu- cation to take steps to establish a more visible identity for Midland Park on the team, and trustees said they would look into it. Currently, captains are selected from both towns, newspaper listings name both towns, and cheers are sensitive to the team makeup. The associate head coach and two assistant coaches are supplied by Midland Park High School. “We are very proud of our Midland Park student-ath- letes, but we work hard at maintaining a “Warriors” iden- tity for the team. It’s not about Waldwick or Midland Park, it is about the Warriors Football team,” Gaccione noted. “The co-op has been great for both schools. We need each other in order for the football program to survive and be successful,” said Clancy. “The kids are great. If you watch them at practice, on game day, or as they are hang- ing around in the locker room, you would never know they are from different schools. Everything seems to mesh. It’s even great to see the parents form new friendships with each other and bond at the team’s pasta dinners and after games.”