History of the Sharks

The very first “organized” football to be played in Somers Point was in 1957.  The team’s name was the “Shamrocks”.  This team was active in the Atlantic County Youth Organization until 1959.  The Shamrocks’ colors were green and gold.

In 1960 the Somers Point team merged with the Linwood Panthers to form the Linwood-Somers Point Panthers.  This team stayed strong for the next twelve years.

On December 15, 1971, it was printed in the AD-Visor “that for the first time in the history of Somers Point a charitable organization known as the Somers Point Football Association, Inc. has been organized to instruct in football, good sportsmanship, discipline, and physical well being for the young people of Somers Point.  Many boys and girls could not participate in the Panthers organization due to the limited amount of children carried on the teams and cheerleading squads.”

The Somers Point Association was accepted into the County allowing only the Pee Wee squad to play so not to interfere with the Junior Varsity and Varsity levels which were currently the Linwood-Somers Point Panthers.  The Pee Wee team would then advance into their own teams as they grew.  The coaches of this first Pee Wee team were Mr. Don Juzwiak and Joe Pimpinelli.

The President of this huge expansion was Mr. George Kesnig.  David Platt was the committee coordinator, Dr. Andrew Dwyer was the athletic director, and Joe Sawyer was the booster chairman.  Mrs. Terri Dawson was the cheerleading director and she appointed Mrs. Bullock and Mrs. Conover to head the staff of cheerleaders.

The “Sharks” got their first name from a contest that the organization held.  A bicycle was given to the winner.  The first uniforms were purchased from a team in Pleasantville called the Tornadoes.

The first year the “Sharks” had all three levels of play the coaches were: Varsity – Ed Keller, JV – Fred Mitchell, and Pee Wee – Don Hudome, Sr.  Our Drill Team was added to the “Sharks” in 1992.

In recent years the “Sharks” have grown and enjoyed much success.  In 1997 our JV squad, under head coach Chuck Somers, won the Division/Conference and ACJFL Championships.  In 1999 the Pee Wee squad, under the direction of head coach Ross Carlino, and the Varsity squad, guided by head coach Chuck Somers, won their Division and Conference Championships.  Again in 2000, Coach Carlino’s Pee Wee squad won the Division and Conference Championships and the Taxi squad, under head coach John Campbell, unofficially won the Division and Conference championships.  (Taxi is not officially sanctioned by the ACJFL.)  With head coach Ted Gogol at the helm, the JV squad won the Division and Conference Championship in 2001. In 2003 under Head Coach Mark Caprio,  the Varsity won it's Division and advanced to the ACJFL Championship Game.  In his first year as Pee-Wee Head Coach, Michael Desrosiers led the 2004 Pee-Wee squad to a Division Championship finishing 3-4 on the season.

In 1996, Varsity Cheerleaders, under head coach Jill Kern, placed 1^st in four competitions and JV girls placed 1^st in one.  In 2000, the JV girls landed a 1^st place finish at Rutgers University.

Our Drill Team took 1^st place in the Ocean City Halloween Parade in 2001, which enabled them to participate in Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade.

Taxi Cheerleaders became a part of our organization this year, 2002, and competed and placed 1^st two weeks in a row under the guidance of first year coach Danielle DiPasquale.  The Pee Wee girls, coached by Penny Flanigan, also won 1^st Place in both of their competitions – a first time accomplishment!