Super bowl comes to Wareham: Tigers send two teams to championship
The Wareham Tigers Mites take the field. Photos by Bobby Grady
Amari Pires, left, leaps to celebrate his touchdown with August Pina.
Kayden Pontes reaches for the ball carrier.
Thadeus France stiff arms a Sandwich defender.
France reaches for a pass.
The Mites cheer team provides halftime entertainment.
The Mites hit their routine.
August Pina refuses to go down.
Kayden Pontes is ready for contact.
The Wareham Tigers Midgets team opens the game on defense.
Valentino Pina hits Jesiah Lopes for a touchdown.
Alister Warnica kicks off.
Kayden Morrison evades Hanson defenders.
The Midgets cheer team gets their show started.
The Midgets cheer team with a big lift.
Brian Cannon looks for space.
Chris Lariviere breaks through the line.
Jesiah Lopes catches a pass over a defender.
The Wareham Tigers Mites take the field. Photos by Bobby Grady
Amari Pires, left, leaps to celebrate his touchdown with August Pina.
Kayden Pontes reaches for the ball carrier.
Thadeus France stiff arms a Sandwich defender.
France reaches for a pass.
The Mites cheer team provides halftime entertainment.
The Mites hit their routine.
August Pina refuses to go down.
Kayden Pontes is ready for contact.
The Wareham Tigers Midgets team opens the game on defense.
Valentino Pina hits Jesiah Lopes for a touchdown.
Alister Warnica kicks off.
Kayden Morrison evades Hanson defenders.
The Midgets cheer team gets their show started.
The Midgets cheer team with a big lift.
Brian Cannon looks for space.
Chris Lariviere breaks through the line.
Jesiah Lopes catches a pass over a defender.
It was super bowl Sunday in Wareham as six teams, including two from the Wareham Tigers, hit Spillane Field Nov. 9 to try and claim their respective championships.
The Wareham Tigers Mites and Midgets teams both punched their tickets to the super bowl following strong regular seasons. While the Midgets fell just short of claiming their championship, the Mites completed a perfect season.
In the first game of the day, the Mites took on the Sandwich Bulldogs, a team Head Coach Joseph Silvia said his team has lost to twice in past super bowls. But this year was different, the Tigers took home the title, winning 28 to 8.
“I had a real good team and the hardest thing this season was keeping them from scoring too much,” Silvia said. “It’s a really solid group and everybody focused and committed to one common goal all season.”
The championship win concludes a perfect season for the Mites. The team finished with eight wins and zero losses in the regular season and tacked on another two playoff wins.
“I think our average margin of victory was 25,” Silvia said.
But the team’s success did not just include the offense. Silvia said his team only gave up 16 points all season, including the eight on Sunday.
“The hardest thing to do was keep the kids disciplined,” he said. “You’re constantly having to remind them the last game means nothing, it's the next game that matters.”
Silvia’s nephew Cy Bariteau coaches the Wareham High football team and Silvia is hoping his 7, 8 and 9-year-old players can eventually find their way playing at the high school.
“This is a feeder system for [the high school] so to get more kids involved would be great,” Silvia said.
Silvia added he hopes the success of this season helps increase the number of kids playing football in the future. He said this year’s numbers across the four Tigers teams are down from 105 last year to 95.
Eight-year-old Kotori Andrews said it felt good to complete the undefeated season, emphasizing the importance of defense.
“Defense wins championships,” Kotori said.
With Kotori was his dad Brandon who said it was great to watch his son’s hard work pay off.
“I knew he could do it,” Brandon said. “He plays hard, he goes to practice and he practices off the field.”
The Mites became the second Tigers team to win a championship and earn an undefeated record this season. The youngest team, the Mighty Mites, completed their perfect season Saturday, Nov. 1.
The second game of the day and last for the Tigers was the Midgets who took on the Hanson Warriors.
Despite the 12 to 24 loss, Head Coach Alan Monteiro said his team fought to the end and he’s “so proud of them.”
“I’m proud of my kids because they played hard the whole game and never quit,” Montiero said. “We had too many turnovers and that cost us the game.”
He added the loss, and the season where the team recorded 8 wins and 2 losses, serves as a learning opportunity for the 12, 13 and 14-year-olds he coached.
“They learned the importance of family, teamwork and to stick together no matter what,” Monteiro said.
Football is just one of the many sports the Wareham Tigers offer. Throughout the year kids can participate not only in football but in cheerleading, basketball and wrestling.
