With  summer vacation coming to a close, the end of August marks the real fun time of year for local youth football players, where they get to strap up their helmets and pads and head back onto the field.

    The Lunenburg Bengals will start the season off with a bang, hosting the 2010 American Youth Football (AYF) Central Massachusetts Jamboree tomorrow at Lunenburg High School. In addition to the action-packed battles on the gridiron, fans will have a shot at winning a 2011 GMC Terrain.

    “We’re very excited to be hosting the tournament,” Bengals President Rick Hill said. “The kids are excited to play on their home field, which is a great facility. We’re celebrating 30 years of Bengal football this year, and Lunenburg High School is celebrating 50 years of high school football, so there’s a lot of excitement around football in the Town of Lunenburg this year.”

    Lunenburg hosts the jamboree once every 8-10 years and benefits include funding youth football in  town.

    “We’re expecting anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 people to be in attendance,” Hill said. “The revenue collected from admission will help the Bengals to purchase new equipments – sleds, new uniforms – and to set up our program for years to come.”

    The all-day pre-season event kicks off at 8 a.m. and wraps up after the final games of the day, which start at 5 p.m.

    In addition to five teams from Lunenburg, there will also be teams from Leominster, North Middlesex, Nashoba, Clinton, Tyngsboro, Littleton, Maynard, Ayer/Shirley, and Groton/Dunstable. Fifty two  teams will compete.

    Each game will feature two twenty minute running-time halves, with a five minute halftime. Players’ ages range from kindergarten through eighth grade. The rain date, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday and the cost of admission for adults is $5, and $3 for children ages 6-12 – under six is free.

    The 2011 GMC Terrain that will be raffled off is part of a New England program from Chapdelaine GMC. There will be 2,000 tickets available for sale from the Bengals at a cost of $10 per ticket. The proceeds from the raffle go to benefit the Lunenburg Bengals.

    Lunenburg sixth graders kick off the day with a matchup against Nashoba at 8 a.m., followed by both team’s third graders battling each other at 9 a.m. At 1 p.m. the Lunenburg and Nashoba fourth graders battle.  Lunenburg’s eighth grade team will be on double duty as it takes on Nashoba at 2 p.m. and Groton/Dunstable at 4 p.m. At 5 p.m. Lunenburg’s seventh grade team battles its Route 13 rivals, North Middlesex.

    “When it comes to Bengals football, there are no individuals; it’s really a team effort,” Hill said. “Playing youth football builds a lot of camaraderie, it’s just a big Bengal family atmosphere… Lunenburg always has solid teams, we won two Superbowls in two years, and we went to a National Superbowl in Florida in 2008.”

    Not only is it a team effort on the field, but also Hill mentioned that it takes a cooperative effort from the parents and volunteers to make Bengals’ football a success.

    “I would like to thank all the volunteers, parents, and coaches for all the work they put in,” Hill said. “Special thanks to our board members and officers for their commitment throughout the year, not just during the season. It’s not only for the parents and the players, but for the whole community to come out and support the youth football and cheerleading program.”

    With 175 players and cheerleaders – 7 teams, 3 cheer leading squads – this year marks the largest number of participants in Lunenburg Bengals’ history.

    For more information about the Lunenburg Bengals, visit their Web site at lunenburgbengals.com.