Clifton High School Baseball Booster Club Awarded a $5,000 Grant

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The Clifton High School Baseball Booster Club was awarded a $5,000 grant by Dick’s Sporting Goods at their Wayne, NJ store on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.

Making the presentation was Brian Hagerman, Community Marketing Manager for Dick's Sporting Goods. In 2014, the company began distributing grants to youth sports programs. “So, far, we have awarded grants totaling $148 million chainwide,” said Hagerman. The store in Wayne has handed out $5,000 grants to local programs since 2018.

The funds will go a long way in replenishing the booster club’s coffers which, like so many other organizations of its kind, took a big hit last year due to Covid. “This will be a big help,” said Danny Rogers, first-year president of the booster club.

“Without the booster club, the baseball program would not be where it is now,” varsity head baseball coach Joe Rivera said. “They fundraise all year to purchase equipment, uniforms and hats.”

Rivera is no stranger to wearing the maroon and gray uniform of the Clifton Mustangs. As a starting player in his sophomore year at Clifton High School, the 1991 Mustangs won the county and state championships, a back-to-back feat they would repeat the following year.

Connor Reed wears number 17 for the present day Mustangs’ ball club. The senior outfielder plans to move from left to center when the 2022 season gets underway. “The baseball program mean a lot to me,” Reed said. “I’ve played the game my whole life.”

Like so many of the Clifton High School student athletes you meet, Reed speaks fondly of his teammates and coaches, and refers to them as family. “We help each other out,” he said. “The coaches help us both on and off the field.”

Hang on baseball fans. In six months’ time, which now seems like an eternity, we’ll hear the two magical words that announce the arrival of spring. “Play ball!”

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