Winchester Pop Warner welcomed home Col. Michael Maffei, Commander of the Security Force Assistance Team -- Northern Afghanistan at Manchester Field on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Maffei had been away on tour for 14 months.

He is the father of football player, Gianluca Maffei.

Winchester Pop Warner's C Team paid tribute to Maffei by entering Knowlton Stadium holding American flags. Maffei's son, Gianluca, carried the largest flag.  

Coach Brandon Bergstrom presented Maffei with a personalized Winchester Pop Warner official game jersey. He wore the jersey in the stands while enjoying seeing his son play for the first time in well over a year and helped cheer the team on to victory over Waltham.