When any team goes undefeated, that’s an accomplishment worth celebrating. But for the 5th and 6th grade St. Michael CYO Football team, that was the least impressive thing they did all year.
Here’s what is really impressive about this group of young men:
- This team was the culmination of three different schools – St. Michael, Holy Angels, and St. Monica – yet, each player welcome another with open arms and an open heart. In an age where the ‘me’ attitude, especially in sports, runs rampant across all age groups, this group put the focus on ‘we’ all year. No bullying, no cliques, all team. Each player has a different background and comes from a various neighborhoods, family structures, and environments, but they treated each other all the same. We all can learn from that.
- The ages of these young men range from 9 to 12. Not many kids can pick up a combination of 15 defensive calls with 30 more on offense effortlessly. Their attention to detail, focus, and overall intelligence shined through this year, allowing us to make adjustment each week. They rose to the challenge and displayed an incredible amount of persistence and intelligence week in and week out.
- Their heart. Simply put, they never wanted to lose, even when the chances of winning seemed slight. Never did they say “I give up.” They fought every game and every practice to become the champions they set out to become when I asked them their goal week 1. They knew the potential within them and worked their tails off to make it real.
The 9-0 year is just a vanity metric to what really matters. Sure, they’ll talk about the double OT city championship game for the rest of their lives, but the heart they built, the relationships they formed, and the care they have for one another will live on way past the stories of becoming city champions.
This is one of the most impressive groups of young men I’ve had the privilege to know. Coaching them has taught me more about life and about my self than I could ever teach them. I get goosebumps thinking about what they can accomplish given the right environments, care, love, and opportunities.
Heck of a year to the 5th and 6th grade St. Michael Crusaders. You should be proud of everything you’ve accomplished and what you will no doubt accomplish in the future. I know I’ll be watching very closely and if you’re smart, reader, you will too.
-Coach Eddie
Potential 