The numbers of athletes participating increased by 25 percent. We were able to field five football teams and three cheerleading squads. Football and cheer participants can start in the second grade and they compete all the way up to the eighth-grade level.

The Jr. Wildcats participate in the American Youth Football conference. The AYF program is the fastest-growing national football and cheer program, and most of the Bay State Herget Division schools (with the exception of Braintree) are members.

If you have grown up in town or have followed high school football, you know that the Herget Division, year in and year out, fields some of the toughest public high school football programs in the state. The Jr. Wildcats will now be playing against and cheering against the same groups all the way up through high school.

Lynch said he would wait to comment until the congressional redistricting plan is announced.

“The Redistricting Committee is going through a difficult process. Until there is a map to comment on, this is all speculation. I have tremendous confidence that their decisions will be in the public interest and respectful of the constitutional standards involved,” Lynch said in a prepared statement.

Under the plan, Timilty, who currently represents Milton’s Precincts 2 through 10 in the 7th Norfolk District, would represent Precincts 3 through 10 under the town’s new precincts, which Town Clerk James Mullen Jr. designed back in June. Based on the census results, the town lost one of its 11 precincts.

Forry, who represents Precincts 1 and 3 in the 12th Suffolk District, would represent the new Precincts 1 and 2.

Timilty said he expects the House to take up the redistricting plan at the end of this month or early next month.

“I’m actually very happy with it. It was an open process,” he said. “My district didn’t change all that much.” Timilty, a Milton resident, also represents part of Randolph, but said his philosophy is to respond to the concerns of both communities as a whole.

“I’ve always looked upon myself as representing both towns to the best of my ability,” he said.

Joyce, also a town resident, said he is glad his district is remaining unchanged.

“I’m very happy with the Senate district remaining intact,” he said. “It was critically important for me to keep Milton in my district and keep it all intact. Milton has a very strong voice. It’s the highest voting community in my district.”

In addition to serving Milton, Joyce represents Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater in the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district.

Both Joyce and Timilty said they expect the redistricting plan to be approved with few changes.

“If you make one tweak here, usually it sets off a chain reaction of other changes that need to be made,” said Timilty.

Forry, a Dorchester resident, said she is pleased she will continue to provide a voice for voters in two of Milton’s precincts.

“I’m happy to continue representing Milton,” she said.

Forry praised the work of the Redistricting Committee, which labored to create districts where minorities would make up the majority of voters.

“I think the committee did a great job. A lot of work went into this map,” she said.

She said community groups and others provided input before the map was made, adding that she thinks most people “pretty much feel happy” about it.