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Mooresville midget football ready for season

By Larry Sullivan | Mooresville Tribune

Published: August 29, 2008

It's kick off time, and this time, it's for real.

A weekend after engaging in glorified preseason scrimmage contests against fellow programs from elsewhere in Iredell County, the Mooresville Midget Football League gets its season underway in full-fledged Southland Football League play as of this weekend.

And to make matters more appealing, all eight MMFL teams make that official regular-season debut at home.

The turf carpet will be in full form in the Mooresville Stadium, when the local youth football organization in general and one of its four programs in particular serve as the host of one of the two opening-day affairs taking place throughout the SFL circuit come tomorrow.

Games will fill the local field to overflowing all day, with the first contest kicking off at 10 a.m. and the eighth and final one not stepping on the field until approaching the 6 p.m. hour. Of the games on tap, a total of six of them will involve MMFL entries.

Both the Pee Wee and Midget division squads representing the Mooresville Warriors, Mooresville Terminators and Mooresville Hornets will be in action against SFL foes in games taking place on each of their respective home Mooresville Stadium facility. As a result, only two of the day's featured contests will not include direct MMFL participation.

The remaining local teams hailing out of the Mooresville Cougars camp will be kicking off their seasons on the site of the other remaining opening-day games taking place at a second SFL host site.

MMFL teams warmed up to the task at hand by playing host to area Iredell County youth teams during a full day of play held on the stadium site last weekend. All eight MMFL teams on the field emerged as winners in games used to strengthen ties between the two youth grid organizations. Plans call for the two to also get together in a similar early-season setting on a yearly basis.

For the local teams, though, the real business starts tomorrow.

Helping mark the arrival of the Labor Day holiday, MMFL teams will take to the field in a full day of play in which all eight will be engaged in opening-day play.

Of the local groups, the one being housed by the Hornets will be serving as the day's official hosts. As a result, both the Pee Wee and Midget Hornets will be appearing in the final two games of the full slate.

Both Hornets will be squaring off against counterparts representing West Lincoln in games that carry 5:30 and 6:45 starting times, respectively. Game times are tentative in hopes that all previous games follow the day's schedule as well.

The two teams of Mooresville Warriors will be the ones taking to the home field first among the MMFL crew. They will do so in Pee Wee and Midget games opposing squads from Pumpkin Center that feature game times of 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m., again respectively.

The Mooresville Terminators will also be in action in the stadium, hitting the field at approximately 3 p.m. for the Pee Wee crew and 4:15 for the Midgets when taking on countering crew representing East Lincoln.

The only MMFL team not christening play on the home field will be those Cougars. They will be taking care of initial business on the Lincolnton High School field, doing so against opponents representing Dallas.

Tomorrow's play begins an eight-week regulation season for all MMFL and SFL teams. During that time frame, games will be held on the Mooresville Stadium a total of four times, with each of the local organizations taking one turn each serving as an official game-day host.

At various times throughout the season, the schedule will be highlighted by games taking place only against MMFL teams.

At the conclusion of the regular season, Bowl Day contests will take place involving both Pee Wee and Midget division teams. The MMFL will be taking its turn in the rotation serving as the host of Bowl Day play in the Midget Division ranks when those games pitting teams from the West Conference against those from the East Conference take place also in the Mooresville Stadium Nov. 1.