Wardogs Football

A Mandatory Meeting will be held @ the Italian Working Men's Club. 947 Diamond Hill, Woonsocket, RI 02895. 7:00pm.New practice schedule will be discussed as well as game schedule. Player guidelines will be given out. All players should pay their $100 player fee at this time. New members are invited to attend.

Forget Adam Sandler, Christian "Sammy" Samuel, #66 is the reason why they made the great football movie. Proud to know you. Autographs are available at all Sentinel Events!!! Long Live Bobby Boucher!!!

The NEFL players challenged the players from the Free Agent Scouting Combine and came out Victorious!!! Hippo Goldsberg, #38 started as CB and let no one beat him. Captain, Jason Pearson #44, truly gained serious yards as fullback which punished the FASCO Defense. Christian Samuel, with a broken hand, held his own on the O-line. Captain, Ruben Costa, #59 started as an Outside Linebacker. Costa had a great fumble recovery on a kick-off which resulted in an NEFL TD, made by J.D. Brooks of the Boston Bandits!!! Congrats to the Sentinel players who made the "NEFL ALL-LEAGUE TEAM".

From the Minutemen to the Sentinels American History: Minutemen were volunteer soldiers who fought for the American Colonies against Britain at the beginning of the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). Just before the war, they were trained and organized into military companies. They were called minutemen because they were ready to fight "at a minute's notice." When the Massachusetts militia was reorganized in 1774, the Provincial Congress provided that one-third of all the new regiments were to be made up of minutemen. The most famous action of the minutemen occurred on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord, where they fought side by side with the militia. Minutemen groups disappeared when regular armies were formed. Team History: Just like the historical Minutemen, the N.E.F.L Minutemen resemble their icons through their patriotic beliefs, colors and a “Must Win” mentality. The Minutemen are a group of volunteer grunts ready for a football challenge at any given moment. The NEFL was growing and President, Tom Torrissi wanted to reach out into the state of Rhode Island and develop a solid, successful team. Not being from the area, President Torrissi would need some help in accomplishing that goal. Jack McCarthy, a highly successful businessman and former co-owner of the “Boston Patriots” would be the key. Jack, lived in the Tiverton, RI area and thought that with his influence, he would be able to create a team in his backyard. The Minutemen came from an idea that this long time lover of football had and would see that his dream would be a success. Jack has been involved with all levels of football from Pop-Warner to the Pro’s. He not only served as an owner of the Boston Patriots back in 1959, but as an administrator and a player scout. His involvement enabled him to know many of the New England Patriots players in latter years. His uncanny personality would create many long lasting friendships within the realm of football. With Jack’s well known status as a football figurehead in the New England area, it was no wonder that the NEFL President, Tom Torrissi contacted Mr. McCarthy to aid them in starting a team in the State of Rhode Island. The original hometown was going to be in the Newport/ Bristol area where the team would have been called the “1776 Minutemen” in honor of Jack’s favorite Professional team, The NE Patriots. (We all know that the Minutemen Militia were Patriots of yesteryear.) The team was having problems developing in that area and fortunately for them it didn’t. A group of well-known individuals came together with an idea of creating a Semi-Pro football team to an area where football was a well-known commodity. The town of Bellingham would serve that purpose because of its long line of high school football championships. The Bellingham Hawks have created an infamous notoriety for being “WINNERS” and that was appealing. This group of individuals would be bringing back the “Professional” into amateur football and into the town of Bellingham, Massachusetts. A long time friend and fellow Patriot fan, Roger Parenteau of Bellingham, MA, was contacted to find out the possibility of hosting a semi-pro team in his booming town of Bellingham. Roger was ecstatic about the idea and with the aid of his wife, Janet; they called in favors from town figureheads and started resurrecting the 1776 Minutemen as the Bellingham Minutemen. With a hometown secured, Jack brought in some big guns from the 1985 Superbowl NE Patriots. Hall of Famer, Quarterback, Steve Grogan#14, was to serve as the President of the team and Quarterback coach, Award winning Cornerback, Ronnie Lippett #42, was to serve as the Head Coach, and Record Breaking Fullback Mosi Tatupu #30, was to serve as the Offensive Coordinator. When the team went public, the Minutemen recruited Larry “Huck” Larsen as the Defensive Coordinator. “Huck” played football throughout his life and continued into college. Huck then began to use his football expertise as a coach and with the aid of some friends from the Chicago Bears, he was able to develop an incredible defensive scheme. Gary Stiffler, from Franklin, would become the assistant defensive coordinator and linebacker coach. Gary, grew up in Ohio, part of the Great Mid-American Football Belt, where discipline, strong will, and a desire to win superceded raw natural talent. Gary played years of football and other sports and attended Ohio State University. Ohio State just breathes victory which aided Gary’s passion for sports and winning. That led him into a life of coaching. A long time semi-pro coach, Joe Calzaretta, a past head coach for several Semi-Pro teams, became the assistant offensive coordinator. With the team growing in popularity and being so close to Rhode Island, Jack was able to recruit 2 more valuable members to his staff. Nelson Lucca, from Cumberland, RI and a former member of The Army Football Team and several Semi-Pro teams, would become the team trainer and Line Coach. Lucca, with past experience as an intern trainer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NE Patriots, would soon prove to be invaluable to the team. The other member would be a well-known local native, Ruben Costa, a high school standout from North Smithfield, RI. He served as a team captain from junior high all the way until his Senior year of high school football. Costa, currently from Woonsocket, is a Personal Trainer at WHR Fitness, the official health club of the team. He has studied sport specific trainings sponsored by Nike, Reebok, and Brown University. As a past-president of the local and state Jaycees, Costa would provide a valuable community resource. He would bring his natural leadership abilities and athletic background to the aid of the Minutemen. He would be named the team’s first Captain and with his desire to bring the team to new heights, he was named the team’s Vice President. The Minutemen started their inaugural season in a depressing fashion. They lost their first two games. One being a season home opener. They soon bounced back to a winning record of 3-2 with one tremendous victory over the York County War Chiefs, 34-6. The Minutemen would prove to be a contender despite its record of 3-7. The Minutemen proved that despite it’s youth; it would flourish on and off the field. The NEFL teams would respect the playing ability of the Minutemen and the community would have respect for this new group. The Minutemen developed strong relationships with the local media. The Call, a local newspaper, would become the official newspaper of the team. Sports editor, Dan Decataldo, and Photojournalist, Scott Weider, would be sure every game would receive coverage. The local cable and radio stations would also provide coverage and actual airtime for the games. During the off-season, the Bellingham Minutemen would also participate with local youth groups and local charities. Team Captain, Ruben Costa organized a fundraiser for a local charity called the “Milk Fund” and with the help of All-Star, Christian Dunbar, aided the Special Olympics with their goals. The team also utilized their official health club, WHR Fitness, to prepare its players for the upcoming season. Team trainer, Nelson Lucca attended another Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp and would provide the team with new and exciting training programs. Coach Larsen attended a similar training camp with the Chicago Bears. The 2001 Minutemen prepared themselves for their second season in the NEFL. Some staffing has changed. Gary Stiffler will be the new Offensive Coordinator and Nelson Lucca will be the Offensive and Defensive Line Coach besides being the teams #1 Trainer. Brian Johnson would assist Costa with the team leadership as the Defensive Captain and Player Representative. Peter Canuto would be Co-Captain. Vernon James as well as Quarterback, Glenn Johnson, would be the leaders of the offense with power full backs, Damien Edwards and local star, Jason Pearson assisting. Many players from the 2000 squad returned. Costa, would not only be the teams Captain, he served as the Teams Representative and Manager. He was also voted onto the NEFL’s Board of Directors as the Director of Marketing. Ronnie Lippett with the aid of team President, Steve Grogan, trained their players in a professional manner to ensure the success of the Bellingham Minutemen. Enter the Woonsocket Sentinels...After some staffing changes and roles in management, the Bellingham Minutemen decided to make a critical change. Move to Woonsocket, Rhode Island and continue with the organization's success. The decision to move was simple, Costa the team manager, wanted to bring the taem to "A City on the Move" and what better choice but the nearby city Woonsocket. A city with approximately 50,000 people, an active football team, a community full of exciting yearly events, and people who support their community. They have 2 local Newspapers, The Call and the Valley Breeze, and 2 AM radio stations, WOON 1240 and WNRI. 1380(will continue....)

Congrats to the Minutemen who were selected by the New England Football League as 2001 All-Stars!!! Selections were made from the coaches and players of the league. Nominations were sent in by individual teams and then were voted on. The Minutemen were lucky to have several selections: 1. Jay Pearson: #44-FB 2. Christian Samuel: #66-OT 3. Jim Cournoyer: #89-TE 4. Ruben Costa: #59-LB 5. Ray-Shawn Link #82-WR 6. Hippo "Goldsheets" Goldsberg: #38-DB Members of the Metro/Inland Squad defeated the Suburban Division with a 14-0 shut out!!! Hippo Goldsberg secured the shut out with a game ending INT!!! Hippo has also made the NEFL All-League Team!!! Best of luck!!! A trophy will be made in your honor!!! Way to go Hippo!!! Awesome Job!!!!