Young quarterback Miles Wagner and his teammates kept the football program going even when the school temporarily dropped the sport last year.
“When the season was [canceled], we didn’t believe it at first,” Wagner, a senior, said. “We would stay after and run routes. After that, we would start lifting [weights] on our own trying to get ready for next year. We didn’t know what it would it be like to come back.”
Football is back at Young. And the Dolphins have an undefeated record so far this season.
Young’s football program currently has 45 players. It’s likely that 32 will play on the varsity at some point this season. Some of those players are trying football out for the first time.
“One of the juniors asked me to come out,” freshman offensive tackle Tomi Bisiriyu said. “It was a little hard at first because I wasn’t used to all of the running.”
The Dolphins were undefeated in the regular season and qualified for the Class 8A playoffs in 2015. They finished 2-7 in 2016. Major problems began last season.
Injuries and academic concerns caused the school to cancel in the middle of the 2017 season. Soon after, Tim Franken, who had been coaching at the school since 1995, resigned.
Christopher Mallette, who previously coached at Simeon and Phillips, knew that he had to change the culture surrounding the team and the program.
He calls it “group accountability.”
“You think about Chicago and how many of our kids and how many of our boys are walking around these streets with broken spirits,” Mallette said. “Hurt people hurt people. How do you change it? It’s about brotherhood. They want to be a part of something that has meaning and purpose. If one kid screws up, everybody runs.”
Mallette says that change started with a song by Matt Maher called “Hold Us Together.” The team sings it to close out each practice.
“The thing that keeps us together is our love for one another,” Mallette said.
The Dolphins (4-0) have dropped down to the Chicago Madison Street conference and are ineligible for the state playoffs.
Junior wide receiver/linebacker Amir Abdullah echoed Wagner’s sentiments. While football was up in the air at Young, he ran track and worked out with a personal trainer in order to keep his mind off of losing a season.
“It was heartbreaking because I played football all of my life,” Abdullah said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was hurt by that. Our whole team was upset. I’m glad we’re back this year. Now, we’re getting better and winning games.”
Young’s next game is Saturday against Longwood.
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