Children looking to hone their gridiron skills or learn a new routine this fall will need to find another squad or stay on the sidelines after a Downvalley organization scrapped its upcoming season.
The board of directors for the Riverside Junior Vikings Football & Cheerleading organization canceled the 2026 season due to a lack of participation and registrations, officials said. Families who already registered for the season will receive a refund.
“Basically, what it came down to is we don’t have numbers,” board member Nicole Borowski said. “We don’t have the kids to field teams and we don’t have girls to even field cheerleading squads. Around 2012, the organization was booming. Times were different. Kids weren’t on their cellphones and motorized scooters, and all that.”
Borowski noted football registrations have been declining for a few years. The organization, which serves Taylor and Moosic, would be unable to field enough teams to qualify for participation in the All County Conference Junior Football League this season.
“Last season, numbers were low,” she said. “We knew we were going to be struggling. We decided we’re going to take the year off — revamp it and figure out a different structure — and come back strong in 2027. Hopefully after people see we put blood, sweat and tears into this organization, and just couldn’t get it where we wanted, maybe the families will get a little more involved and try to help us build it again from the bottom up. At the end of the day, without bodies on the field, we can’t have a program.”
In addition to concerns regarding the registration cost, injury risks and rising overhead costs, Borowski noted a shortage of willing volunteers also contributed to the cancellation as support for the program has been lacking.
The board president has been on the sideline crew for home games, and board members work the concession stands due to a lack of parent volunteers, she said.
“You can’t make somebody do something, but all those little things add up,” Borowski said. “The people just aren’t there to help. Our registration fee ($100) did go up and that seems to be what the issue is.”
However, Borowski stressed the organization has offered a payment plan where families can make small contributions leading up to the season.
Borowski joined the board of directors in 2023 and noted officials took steps to implement improvements for the kids and devote a large amount of time and effort to the cause.
“The past three years, we purchased a new scoreboard and new cheerleading and football uniforms,” she said. “We would normally be there from now until November, prepping the field, getting the kitchen ready, repainting, and going through the bylaws. It’s a full-time job to run a youth sports organization on top of having a full-time job and having a family. Unless you’re actually involved in it, I don’t think people really understand the time and commitment that entails.”
Organizations offer support
Sabrina Santucci, secretary of the West Scranton Junior Invaders program, said the organization will try to accommodate as many Riverside youths as possible.
“We had a couple families reach out and we can definitely take on some of their cheerleaders,” she said.
Additionally, as of Tuesday, the Junior Invaders had also registered two of the Junior Vikings football players, Santucci said.
Historically, the teams offer support when of one their competitors faces any type of challenge, she added.
“I think that’s just the general mentality of these teams in the ACCJFL to have each other’s back,” Santucci said. “When our field was underwater a few years ago, and we couldn’t access it, we had so many teams reach out to us, offering us what we needed. Everybody’s in it for the kids and nobody wants to see anybody struggle. We don’t want to see any kids not be able to participate so when we can make something happen for one another, we do it.”
The Junior Invaders program has about 110 football players and 90 cheerleaders, strong numbers for the upcoming season, Santucci said.
“We have to cap out football teams at 30 kids,” she said. “One of our teams has a wait list for it — our youngest team is maxed out. We think West Side is thriving, actually.”
The organization charges a $125 registration fee, Santucci said.
“Some teams are higher, some are lower, but the overhead costs prevent us from making it lower,” she said. “There’s a lot of finances that go into running a football league like the cost of helmets and shoulder pads. We give our boys personalized jerseys they get to keep and our cheerleaders get personalized warmups. We do charge a little more than some of the leagues but our kids get something to keep out of it. We try to balance it that way. Football is an expensive sport and the economy definitely doesn’t help. The overhead costs are astronomical — everything is expensive.”
The work to make an organization successful extends far beyond a couple of months in the fall, Santucci said.
“Running a football and cheer league is definitely a year-round commitment,” she said. “We do a lot of behind-the-scenes work in the offseason — petitioning businesses, requesting donations, searching out the best prices for equipment.”
Support from the community — including local small businesses — also provides a boost for the organization.
“We have people who are willing to help and that’s what makes the difference,” Santucci said.
The Old Forge Junior Blue Devils noted there are limited spots available on the football teams for the upcoming season and invite interested families to an information meeting Sunday at 9 a.m. at the pavilion outside Old Forge High Schoolc.
Joe Pasqualichio, president of the Abington Junior Comets, believes interest in youth football has started rebounding after a decline over the past few decades.
“Cheer has always been strong and still is strong,” he said. “I think the numbers in football, in the last 20 years, definitely dropped but I think they’re starting to climb up again and move in a good direction now.”
While others believe flag football may be taking children away from traditional youth programs, Pasqualichio feels it may have contributed to the resurgence in the Abingtons.
“A lot of my players started in flag, did it for a year or two, realized they really liked football and they wanted to advance to tackle,” he said.
Advancements in safety gear have quelled some of fears, though Pasqualichio recognized parents may still worry about injuries, specifically concussions.
“Our teams wear Guardian caps for practice — an extra layer of padding that goes on the exterior of the helmet — and have the option to wear them during games,” he said. “I think people see the precautions we’re trying to take and I think it’s helping.”
The Junior Comets have nearly 100 kids signed up for football this year between the age groups of 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12, Pasqualichio said.
“It’s probably the strongest year we’ve had in the past few years,” he said. “Kids see their classmates wear their jersey to school on Fridays and a lot of the coaching staff are parents who once played and they want to get their kids into it. I think it’s just making a big turnaround.”
Pasqualichio called the cancellation of Riverside’s season surprising and “a sad situation” and feels fortunate to have support from both parents and the Abington Heights High School coaching staff.
“I know their numbers were down last year and I guess that’s the case again this year with players, cheerleaders and maybe volunteers,” he said. “I feel bad for everyone involved. I’m sure they didn’t want to do it and it was a tough decision on their part. Thankfully, in Clarks Summit, we have a lot of volunteers that are willing to step up and help out. It’s a big commitment for a lot of people. I think the biggest success of our program is we work together with the varsity program. They’re a really good group of coaches … they work with us and do mini-camps for our players.”
