By Kim J. Harmon

Our baseball teams are back from Rhode Island and Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Their trophies are on the mantle somewhere, still shiny and reflective of all those marvelous memories of home runs and strikeouts and – well – championships.

But it’s time to file those memories away – time to put the baseball bats and balls, gloves and cleats, and uniforms into storage (unless you’re into fall ball, that is) – because now it’s time to concentrate on football.

Oh, yeah.

The Newtown Pop Warner football program has been hard at practice for a couple of weeks now. The Hawley School field has rung out with the sounds of helmets clashing together and far more muffled sounds of bodies crashing into tackling pads.

This week, the Junior Pee Wees were treated to a visit by former New York Giants running back Joe Morris, who was able to say a few words and offer some encouragement. Morris played for the Giants from 1982 to 1989 and in 1986, when the Giants won their first Super Bowl, he rushed for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns. The year before, when it was the Chicago Bears and the Fridge dominating the league, Morris rushed for 1,336 yards and a league-high 21 touchdowns.

Morris finished his career with 5,585 yards and 50 touchdowns.

Maybe a little of that success will rub off. Of course, the 2002 campaign was very successful for Pop Warner … with the Junior Pee Wees capturing a Candlewood Valley League championship and the Midgets and Pee Wees finishing as runners-up.

Folks around here are hoping for a little more of the same in 2003.

Pop Warner opens the regular season on Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7.

Now, the Newtown High School football team started its conditioning practices on Monday at the Oakview Field in preparation for its season opener on Friday, September 12, in Stratford (kick off is at 7 pm).

The Nighthawks, who stumbled through an inconsistent 5-6 campaign in 2002, will be boasting a much different type of team in 2003. There is a lot more size up front, for one thing, as coach Ken Roberts estimates the average size of his lineman at around 260 pounds.

A new quarterback (John Collins) and a lot of amazing talent in the under classes could make the ‘Hawks an exciting team to watch.