By Patrick Z. McGavin- Photos by Kathy Jones
**Additional Photos are available for purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/f1149347**
CHICAGO—
Gregory Gray saw the opening space, and went with his first impulse.
The running back found daylight, providing an early burst of joy and excitement to a team discovering something new and wondrous.
“If I had to describe my running style, I’d say I am tough and hard to bring down,” Gray said.
“I never go down. I just keep on going, and never stop.”
His spirit and never-give-up attitude colored so much of the ideas and attitudes of the Varsity edition of the Mt. Greenwood Colts. A year after taking it on the chin, the Colts did the unthinkable.
They showed their toughness, discipline, and togetherness.
“We worked the hardest out of every team,” defensive end Bradley Hoff said. “We were always in the fourth quarter. We were the hardest working team.
“We proved that we work harder, and are better than pretty much anybody else.”
The Colts’ memorable playoff run ended in bittersweet fashion with a 43-6 loss against the Orland Park Pioneers in the Super Bowl of the River Valley Youth Football League at St. Xavier University on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Gray’s 48-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage provided the early highlight.
“It went downhill from there,” he said.
The Colts (7-4) could not overcome four turnovers, including a botched exchange on their second drive deep in Pioneers’ territory.
“We came out hard, and we had some good runs and started out strong and made some mistakes,” running back Braiden Tagler said.
“Our team shut down. I’m proud of these guys, to go from a one-win team last season and always being the underdog, and come into the championship game this year.”
Context is everything.
In just its second year as a member team of the River Valley, Mt. Greenwood came of age.
“We picked up a couple of kids from different neighborhoods, as opposed to just accepting the ones we had,” coach Joe Tagler said.
“We also got together as a team.”
Underscoring the remarkable growth and talent infusion of the program, the Colts had 10 players named to the all-conference team.
They were introduced during a special presentation before the kickoff.
Quarterback Abel Rodriguez Jr., running backs Gray, Braiden Tagler, Liam Kirchhardt, guard Daniel Costello achieved offensive distinction.
Linebacker Rocky Green, defensive linemen Bradley Hoff, Justin Lopez and Mahmoud-Laith Abbasi and defensive back Hendryx Goetz earned defensive honors.
“I think last year we had three or four, and now we have 10,” Joe Tagler said. “We earned this.”
The mark of any great team is charting their improvement during the course of the season. The Colts gave ample evidence by thrashing the top-seeded Frankfort Falcons 38-14 in the semifinals a week earlier.
The Falcons defeated Mt. Greenwood 22-0 during the regular season.
“I think after the first couple of games, we came together as a team,” Kirchhardt said.
“We developed the right mentality. We worked very hard. We got here, we wanted to win the Super Bowl. We didn’t, but stuff happens.”
Down 8-6 at the start of their second possession, Braiden Tagler ripped off a 39-yard jaunt down the left edge. With the Colts on the verge of retaking the lead, disaster struck with a bad exchange and fumble.
The Pioneers responded with a touchdown pass. The Colts were left to play from behind and chase. That engenders a sense of desperation.
“The same thing happened again right before half,” Joe Tagler said. “We were driving, and then we fumbled again.
“It’s a huge mind game, and it’s hard to get kids to keep their heads up after something like that happens.”
The Colts played hard and valiantly until the closing moments. One game was not going to define their season.
The result was unfortunate. The journey was exhilarating.
The Colts lost to the Pioneers in the second game of the season. That was the turning point, the game where the leaders brought the rest of the players together and brought home the necessity of staying optimistic.
“We took a harsh turn after the first two games,” Kirchhardt said. “We came together pretty quickly. We did have to build some chemistry. I feel like everybody was all over the place, and we developed and made it here.”
A first-time starter at quarterback, Abel Rodriguez, Jr., showed natural instincts, poise and the ability to play under pressure as he made the shift from running back.
His play was another inspiration for the growth and strong development of the team.
“We practiced, and everybody worked hard and we started to learn and develop and everybody did very well,” Rodriguez said. “For me personally, it was great having so many weapons like this.
“This was my first year at quarterback. I had to learn the position, and learn the adjustments, just know the plays the coaches are calling and know where everybody is supposed to line up. Win or lose, today was one of the best moments.”
It is also an adage of the game that teams learn more about their essential character in defeat.
A bitter 28-22 loss against the Frankfort Square Wildcats was the final turning point.
“Frankfort Square won that game on a double pass,” Braiden Tagler said. “We took that loss personally, and came out stronger. We progressed a lot from the beginning of the season.
“We put in the time, and we watched a lot of film together. It took a little bit of time to put things together, but we just came out strong. We recognized that we were bigger, stronger, and better than some of the other teams.”
A 33-30 shootout victory over the New Lenox Jr. Warriors in the final game of the regular season symbolized the start of something new and beautiful.
In the rematch one week later in the first round of the playoffs, the Colts prevailed 20-14.
“This season had its ups and downs,” Gray said. We started out a little rocky, but then we came back and got the season kick started.
“After the Frankfort Square game, we saw that if we came out strong, we’d beat all the other bigger teams in the league.”
The journey is just as crucial as the destination. Mt. Greenwood proved its value and worth. The Colts and Pioneers were the only programs that had more than one qualifier in the Super Bowl.
With the Colts’ Junior Varsity capturing their Super Bowl, the future is very bright.
“Overall, we’re happy with our season,” Joe Tagler said. “Our varsity went from winning one game last year to losing in the Super Bowl.
“I’ll take that.”
In Fifth Quarter action, running backs Rocco Terri, Evan Malone and quarterback Francisco Amaro played with heart and passion. “These were all 8th graders playing football for the first time, and they did a great job,” Joe Tagler said.
“Even though the loss hurt, I was also happy to see them get into the end of the game.”
The Varsity team of the Mt. Greenwood Colts had many standouts during their run to the Super Bowl. Other contributors included Francis Miceli, Carson Fike, Jacob Bucio, Isaiah Perez, Zachary Andrasco, Oscar Rodriguez, Jr., Liam Dalton, McKinn Mick Shanklin, Jacob Crawford, Jameson Cronin, Chase Radzik, Jamie Powell, Mohammed Suleiman, Branden Segura, Josiah Richmond, Patrick Walsh and Azmi Lutfi.
The cheerleaders also brought passion, style and conviction to their routines. They included Mallory Kelly, Ella Tagler, Lia DelFavero, Francesca DelFavero, Joanna Popow, Annamarie Schied, Kaitlyn Duignan, Gabriella Terri, Isabel Mercado, Naomi Mcelligott, Grace Tresch, Anna Fisher and Vanessa Spanos.
