Plum Midget Football Association teams relish competition in return to Big East Youth Football League

The Plum Midget Football Association was on the move after the 2023 season.

Playing in the Allegheny Youth Football League for the past several years, the PMFA board and coaches felt it was in the best interest of the organization to move back to the Big East Youth Football League and join up with Franklin Regional, Kiski Valley, Arken, Woodland Hills, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford, Penn Hills, Gateway, Lower Burrell, East Allegheny and Jeannette, president Justin Sepp said.

“It’s nice to be back in the Big East,” he said. “The kids now are playing teams and against players they will see as they get into junior high and high school.

“The league is full of a lot of good, challenging teams. It’s really nice they also are incorporating junior varsity teams to get as many kids on the field as possible.”

Sepp said the nearly 130 players from the Ponies (flag, ages 5-6), Colts (7-8), Stallions (9-10) and Little Mustangs (11-12) teams have been working hard in weeknight practices and have shown strong, competitive play in weekend games.

“It is always so special on game days. We have a loud crowd which is so supportive of the players and the cheerleaders,” he said. “That’s the way it is for away games, as it is for home games. The players on the Plum junior high team will come down to watch. When we had our midseason bonfire night, some of the high school players came down to hype up the boys.

“I’ve been here in the organization eight years, so I saw the kids who are in high school now play down here. It’s nice for them to be able to come back to where it all started for them. They love to give back because they know how getting going in flag and then with the (Colts) team on up really helped them. The younger kids really look up to the high school players. Whether it’s the linemen or the skill position guys, these kids see them as their idols. The interactions are so special.”

Sepp said uniformity in coaching and the play-calling system from PMFA to the high school team, under the guidance of head coach Matt Morgan, has been a valuable asset for the kids to grow and improve.

“That is a good thing about having (Morgan) on the board (as player coordinator) down here where the coaches here understand how this also is a feeder program to the high school and even from the junior high to the high school,” Sepp said.

“It is one ride the whole way. You know what you’re doing as a player the whole way. We’re not a totally separate organization where we’re doing our own thing. One of our coaches for the Little Mustangs (Tony Bonura) also coaches for the junior high, which also follows the high school plays. The kids learn the system and plays, and they know that won’t change as they go through and get older.”

The Ponies, Colts, Stallions and Little Mustangs began the second half of their 10-game regular seasons Sept. 22 with games against Lower Burrell.

While the Colts and Stallions were not able to get into the win column, both falling to 0-6 on the season, the Little Mustangs scored a 61-6 win to improve to 3-3 overall and remain in the thick of things for the 11-12 playoffs.

Plum was to begin the stretch run of the regular season Saturday, Sept. 28 at Arken (Arnold/New Kensington).

The teams are scheduled to host Penn Hills on Sunday. The Little Mustangs players in their final year of eligibility will be celebrated in a senior-day ceremony before the game.

The top eight teams in each age-group make the BEYFL playoffs, which start the weekend of Oct. 27.

The semifinals will be the weekend of Nov. 2 with the championship games Nov. 10 at Franklin Regional.

The Little Mustangs entered Week 7 tied for the No. 8 seed with Arken and Jeannette, while the Colts and Stallions hope for a late-season surge to get back into postseason contention.

“We’re continuing to grow as a team and as a unit,” Little Mustangs coach Ron Badali said. “We have 40-some kids on the team, so it makes it challenging at times to get everyone playing time. Most of these kids have been playing together since flag football, probably six or seven years.

“I started down there coaching with these kids working their way up. The plan is to get into the playoffs, hope for some upsets, and get to the championship game.”

The Little Mustangs captured the AYFL 11-12 championship last year.

“The kids have adjusted back to the style of play and the teams in the Big East,” Badali said.

“It is the teams they will play in junior high and high school like Gateway, Franklin Regional, Penn Hills, Woodlands Hills and Penn-Trafford.

“At all levels down here, its about taking those steps of development so they can take those skills on to the junior high and eventually high school levels and continue to grow the program. It’s all connected from the youngest kids all the way up to the high school seniors. We are lucky to have some extremely talented coaches who give of their time to make sure these kids have the best opportunities to succeed.”