By Rob Potter
FREMONT CENTER — September 27, 2005 – When the Fremont Center Senior and Junior Red Dog football teams began practice for the 2005 season a few weeks ago, the players and coaches were excited.
The Red Dogs were looking forward to again playing in the Hale Eddy Small Fry Football League, where they would compete on a weekly basis against teams from Deposit, Hancock and other area towns.
But soon after that first practice, the Red Dog coaches found out that the Hale Eddy League, which began in the 1960s, had folded.
After some phone calls to other area youth football teams, the Red Dog coaches managed to schedule four games each for the Junior Red Dogs and Senior Red Dogs this autumn. All of the games will be against the Hancock Junior and Senior teams.
“We had a couple of good years playing up there,” said David Franskevicz, who is one of the eight coaches for the two Red Dog squads.
While Franskevicz and the other coaches were disappointed about the Hale Eddy league’s demise, they were determined to make the best of the situation.
“We were able to put together a schedule,” Franskevicz said. “The kids are happy that they have four games to play.”
The Senior and Junior Red Dog teams hosted the Hancock squads back on Sunday, September 11 at the Fremont Center Ball Field. This past Sunday, Sept. 25, the Red Dogs traveled to Hancock for two games.
On Sunday, October 9, the Junior Red Dogs will host the Hancock Junior squad at 1 p.m. at the Fremont Center Ball Field. At 3 p.m. that day, the Senior Red Dogs will meet the Hancock Senior team on the Fremont Center gridiron.
On Sunday, Oct. 23, the teams will play in Hancock. The Junior Red Dogs and Hancock Junior team will play at 1 p.m. and the two senior squads will meet at 3 p.m.
Franskevicz and his fellow coaches have left a few Sundays in October open for the possibility of scheduling games with other opponents.
The members of the Senior Red Dog team are: Kenny Abplanalp, Kitt Borowski, Stas Borowski, Travis Brockner, Scott Erdman, Sawyer Erlwein, James Finn, E.J. Franskevicz, Anthony Grimm, Bradley Gruber, Bradley Hemmer, Scott Herbert, Ben Kline, Connor Lovgren, Richard Mirch, Thomas Mootz, Devon Muzuruk, Andrew Parsons, Matthew Pitz, Todd Roeder, Joseph Schroeder and David Schultz.
The members of the Junior Red Dogs team are: Jonathon Allen, Chance Bibbo, Joseph Campanelli, Nick Campanelli, Christopher Colton, Brody Copp-Hallen, Tyler Davis, Connor Ernst, Cody Franskevicz, Kaleb Gauthier, Ryan Graham, Joseph Horan, Siena Klaber, Christopher Mann, Nicholas Meyers, Devin Mirch, Eddie Moran, Elizabeth Nicoletti, Zachary O’Connor, Mitchel Paciga, Scott Pisall, Travis Roeder, Anthony Rydell, Shawn Schanil, Christopher Scott and Timothy Tonjes.
In addition to David Franskevicz, the coaches for the two teams include: Ian Ernst, Jim Finn, Chip Hemmer, Tom Mootz, Jim O’Connor, Brian Roeder, Brian Scott and Mark Schroeder.
David Franskevicz noted that three adult volunteers help the teams “behind the scenes.” Those dedicated helpers are Mike Leewe, Marilee Lynch and Phil Lynch.