by Sherry Bowman-Kluck
In mid November, Noah Grandjean of Grafton and Joshua Kluck of Petersburgh celebrated their last year of football. Both boys played a total of seven years for the Brunswick Bulldogs in the Northeast Youth Football League. They each started playing in the Bulldog Flag Division at age four for three years. Then they played two years in the Junior Tackle Division, and, finally, finished their two years of Senior Tackle Division this past year.
Noah, a fierce competitor, made many touchdowns as one of the fastest running backs in
the league, while Joshua held a solid, leadership center position hiking the ball for most of his youth career. The boys also had the opportunity to play various offense and defense positions within the Bulldog team.
It was both a joyous and sad accomplishment for the boys; joyfully celebrating their long, seven year commitment while sadly knowing that few options exist for their future football aspirations. Other football players like Dylan Insero of Grafton, a promising and upcoming second-year senior for next season, will be faced with the same dilemma. Should players want to continue their football careers, options might include moving to another school district where a football program exists or advocating for busing to a nearby district only after the possibility of trying out and making another school’s team.