Valley Mustangs look to community for support

ST. JOHN VALLEY - The Valley Mustangs are looking to residents on both sides of the border in the St. John Valley for some revitalization and support for their organization.

A lot of minds are focused on the sport of football this time of year, especially with two teams from the northeast in the Super Bowl for what some are calling the rematch game of the century. In fact, Mustang players Josh and Zack enjoy watching football as much as playing. During a recent interview, the two gave their predictions for which team will win the Super Bowl this Sunday, saying in unison, "The Patriots."

With the national championship game looming, organizers for the Mustangs said this would be the perfect time to let people know that there is football in the St. John Valley and the teams need support at all levels for the organization to continue.

"I need help," said Mustangs coach Mark Daigle. "I need coaches, refs, players."

The Valley Mustangs are part of the Aroostook Football League, competing with teams from Caribou/Presque Isle, Houlton, and Milo.

The Mustangs organized in 2006 and joined the Aroostook League. The league began in 2002 with a group of volunteers responding to the lack of high school football programs in the County. According to the mission statement on the league's website, many youths gravitate to football and non-school sponsored programs who would otherwise find themselves in "at risk" categories.

The Mustangs welcomed co-ed players from all over the St. John Valley from both sides of the river, making the organization unique in its international composition. In the six years they've been organized, kids from Edmundston to Clair, New Brunswick have played alongside boys and girls from Eagle Lake, St. Francis, Fort Kent, Madawaska, and nearly every town in-between.

"If they want to play football, girl, boy, it doesn't matter as long as they can pass a physical," said Micheline Epstein, one of the volunteer coordinators for the Mustangs.

Two of the reasons football works so well as an intervention in the lives of kids who may feel unaccepted in conventional school programs is the level of commitment the sport requires from both players and the volunteers that work to keep the program running, and the level of respect teammates and volunteers show towards one another.

"Everyone plays. They walk off the field feeling like royalty," said Epstein. "It makes them feel good about sports."

The boys and girls who play for the Mustangs tend to learn all positions and play for most of the game due to a lack of players making up the team. Epstein says that people in other parts of the Valley may not realize that this team is for them too.

Mustang organizers are primarily parents who volunteer their time for fundraising activities as well as to coordinate practices and games. Epstein says they are a tough group of committed individuals, demonstrated by their dedication to the sport. The team practices in Madawaska and, lacking a bus, they caravan to games in Milo.

"We go to games with skidoo suits. We have extra blankets in the car. We have thermoses of coffee. We carpool," said Epstein.

Football is a sport that requires teamwork, and volunteers in the league work extra hard to foster that spirit both on and off the field with fundraising efforts and community service projects.

"We're non-profit, and every year we have to refurnish," said Epstein.

"This is all-volunteer," said Daigle. "We don't get paid nothing. That's not why we do it."

Since there is little support from local schools in the County where the major fall sport is soccer, Epstein says there's a lot of work involved for the kids to continue playing the sport they love. The team, both the volunteers and the players, attend local events all year selling their signature dough boys and other items to raise money to purchase the equipment needed and trying to make a name for themselves in the community.

For the most part, the team plays on soccer fields around the school sports schedule. Despite all of the work to keep the program running, the boys and girls who play football for the league still find time and energy to do work in the community.

"We have a really good relationship with the [Madawaska] Fire Department," said Epstein. "They let us use their fryers and we help them with their chicken barbecue."

The Mustangs also work to help with the clean-up after events like the tradeshow and the Acadian Festival. On a cold day this past October, a group from the Mustangs spent hours at the Mizpah helping clear brush.

This coming football season will see some of the original players who began playing when the Mustangs formed six years ago graduate. On the field, the upcoming seniors have shown impressive stats. Sam Thomas ran for 1077 yards in his junior year, scoring nine touchdowns. Nick Daigle ran 629 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Junior Gab St. Germain played quarterback and earned eight touchdowns and one safety.

If anyone is interested in volunteering for or playing Mustangs football, then please contact Micheline Epstein at 316-3332 or Mark Daigle at 728-7809.