River Vale Raiders’ Mighty Mites are small but mighty cheer and football athletes

RIVER VALE, N.J. — The River Vale Junior Football Association boasts more than 50 years in existence in River Vale. Our town of River Vale is able to field almost 2 teams at each level of tackle football. We also have a strong Flag program for our Kindergarten through second grade athletes. We have 5 levels of cheerleaders with over 125 cheerleaders participating in the 2021 season. We are a proud, strong and successful organization. There is one team that deserves mention as the newest addition to our tackle program.

The Mighty Mites level of football and cheer is open to first and second grade athletes. It is the first year of tackle football that is offered and, if you ever catch a game, you will undoubtedly leave with an ear-to-ear grin.

Mighty Mite Cheerleading Squad

The Mighty Mite Cheerleading Squad is coached by head coach, Kristen Sutter. Kristen also has 4 assistant coaches, Elizabeth Katzman, Michele Ortiz, Ashleigh Totten and Marnie Zansitis. The Mites squad is lucky to have 3 of our Senior cheerleaders to help as junior coaches. Sophia Vaughan, Emilie Ciancio, and Danielle Sigona devote their time to helping our mites learn their cheers and halftime routine. It would be remiss not to mention that our Mites Cheerleaders are 36 members strong! This is our largest cheer squad this season and they are an absolute joy. When speaking with our head coach, Kristen said, “I was a little nervous about the size of our squad. I wasn’t sure what to expect with 36 1st and 2nd graders but by the end of the first practice, I knew we had a special group. The girls come to practice with big smiles and genuine excitement for the season ahead. Their energy, patience and spirit are remarkable. We are so excited to watch them grow!” You can see them perform at games on Saturdays at Mark Lane and also at River Vale Town Day.

Mighty Mite Football

The Mighty Mite Football team is in its 5th season and is coached by head coach, Jack Ward. Jack also has 3 assistant coaches, Bob McMorrow. Lawrence Fantauzzi, and Rich Kabobjian. All of our Mite coaches are no strangers to the RVJFA. They have several years of coaching experience among the 4 of them collectively. Mighty Mite football is about introducing the game of tackle football in a safe and supervised way. The goal each year is for the players to get more comfortable being on the field in pads and to learn the fundamentals of the game while having fun.

Head coach, Jack, gives an awesome perspective on the season. He clearly beams, “This team gives meaning to the phrase ‘small but mighty.’ We are a small team with only 13 boys on the roster, but the great part about having a small team is that these boys all get a ton of playing time which helps to develop their skills more quickly. The improvement we see week over week is amazing and the camaraderie they are building as a team, both on and off the field, is what you hope to see with every team. Our focus at the mighty mite level is really on learning the game and developing the basic skills, all while highlighting the importance of being a team player and demonstrating exemplary sportsmanship. We’ve come out really strong in the first couple of games and these boys are giving 100%. The hard work, discipline, and commitment they put into practice pays off in the games and I couldn’t be prouder of them.  Seeing them celebrate every great play with smiles and high fives and knowing they are learning, developing and most importantly having fun makes me know this ‘small but mighty’ team is destined for great things.”

We could not agree more. Watching our Mites learn and grow brings a great source of pride. We will look back when they are Marathon players in just a few short years knowing that they learned not only the fundamentals of football and cheerleading but what it means to be a part of the River Vale Raiders family. Let’s hear for our anything but small Mighty Mites!

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