Galloway Mustangs Youth Football, Cheerleading Teams' Auction is Friday

As the citizens of Galloway Township sneak out one last week of vacation before hitting the stores for back to school sales and temperatures drop from the record highs over 100 degrees to something a little more reasonable, it becomes more and more obvious that summer is coming to an end.

Soon, the leaves will be turning colors, and the boys of fall will engage in the annual ritual of colliding forces known as a game of football.

These boys of fall come in all ages, and locally, the Mustangs of the Galloway Township Athletic Association have already begun preparation for their season, which officially begins Sept. 3.

Practice is already under way, and this Friday, Aug. 26, at the Gabriel Field Log Cabin on Duerer Street and Zurich Avenue, the Mustangs football and cheerleading squads hold their fourth annual Penny Auction, from 6-9 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 and admission is $3. Proceeds benefit the entire organization, including the baseball, softball and wrestling teams.

“Last year, we had over 300 items,” said GTAA President Christine Kessleski-Waszen, who estimates the association made about $4,800 last year. “It does help, especially for football, when you need to have the helmets reconditioned and recertified every year. That costs $8,000, but it’s for the safety of our children. We need to make sure the kids are protected.”

Waszen said items are still coming in for this year’s auction, and traditionally, most of the items come in during the days leading up to the auction.

In a Penny Auction, bags of 100 tickets are available for purchase for $1. Raffles are then held for each of the items. All items are brand new and are donated by members of the community. Items can be just about anything that’s donated, and for larger items, such as MP3 players, cameras and appliances, raffle tickets are $1 each.

Those who participate also receive bracelets.

“We also have a beef and beverage scheduled for Oct. 1 to offset the costs,” Waszen said. “We try not to raise fees, but costs keep going up and we own property (Gabriel Field) where most organizations don’t.”

She said despite the tough economy, the GTAA hasn’t seen much of a drop off, and any drop off in football and cheerleading can be attributed to a spike in the interest in soccer in the area. She also said raise in cost is minimal, and the association works with parents who may not be able to afford the cost to register their children to play.

The Mustangs play in the Atlantic County Junior Football League in four age groups:

Maxi: 6-7 year-olds, 113-pound limit

Pee-Wee: 8-9 year-olds, 113 pound limit

Junior Varsity: 10-11 year-olds, 140 pound limit

Varsity: 12-14 year-olds, no high school, can’t be 15 before Dec. 31, 175 pound limit.

Check out the four videos from Galloway Mustangs football games from past seasons attached to this story. These and Mustangs videos are available at youtube.com.