Hillsborough Dukes! Championships on the horizon

The Hillsborough Dukes 2018 season is officially one for the record books.

Jr. Varsity Cheer

The Dukes Jr. Varsity cheerleaders competed in the Eastern Region Championship in Trenton, NJ on Saturday, November 3rd. These girls gave it their everything and proved to be one of the best teams in our Region of 6 States.

JV Cheer is advancing to the Pop Warner Cheer Championships in Disney World, Florida. They will compete for the National title on Monday, December 3rd. This team is having an outstanding season!

This is the first time in what may be forever, that the Hillsborough Dukes are sending two (2) cheerleading teams to perform on the National stage. Be sure to follow us on Social Media (instagram.com/hillsborough_dukes, facebook.com/hillsboroughdukes). Follow the hashtag #dukestakeoverdisney2018 to follow the girls journey at Nationals.

Both teams are fundraising to help offset the cost to travel to Florida in under 18 days! Our Jr. Pee Wee Girls are hosting a Ice Cream for Breakfast at Shakes N Scoops on Rt 206 in Hillsborough on Sunday, November 18th 10:30am - 12:30pm and the JV Cheerleaders are running a Super 50/50. Only $5 per ticket for a chance to win $5000. JV Cheerleaders will be around town selling tickets over the next few weeks. Look for them by Petrocks, Weis, Farmers Market, Star Diner, Sweetberry Bowls, Dunkin Donuts and Quick Check or reach out to corresponding@hillsboroughdukes.com to get your ticket today.

Jr. Varsity Football

Sunday afternoon under clear autumnal skies at Williams Field in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Hillsborough Dukes Junior Varsity football team defeated the North Jersey Conference Champions Rahway Chiefs, 20-19, to advance to the Pop Warner Eastern Region Championship. The Chiefs scored early, returning a Dukes punt for a touchdown early in the first quarter. On the subsequent drive, quarterback Michael Schmelzer found tight end Logan Press on a waggle pass and running backs Jackson Roberts, Zion Harrison and Antoine Hinton Jr. had strong runs to set-up a 9-minute Dukes drive deep into the red zone. On a third and long of that drive, Dukes quarterback Jack Moran connected with Schmelzer for a 14-yard touchdown pass. With less than 7 minutes remaining in the second quarter, running back Hinton, Jr. scampered into the endzone on an 18-yard draw play to give the Dukes a 13-7 before halftime. The Dukes offensive line of Billy Meszaros, Doug Toth, Nathan Downey, Brady Post and Brandon Amoafo dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon.

Defensively, the Dukes were buoyed by tenacious performances from Chris Spinelli, Luke Scott, Schmelzer and Meszaros who led the team in tackles. Zion Harrison continued his contribution to the Dukes highlight reel, registering a number of supersonic running plays and tallying over 80 yards in kickoff returns. With the Dukes trailing 13-19 late in the fourth quarter, Moran connected with Scott on a 25-yard touchdown pass and Luke Scott punched in the extra point to give the Dukes the advantage with less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a Dukes football team advance to the Eastern Region finals,” said Dukes Commissioner Jay Scott after the game. “Next weekend we’ll be playing to decide the best Junior Varsity team in all of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and DC. We couldn’t be happier for these boys and everything they’ve accomplished this season.”