Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
Read the names of the transfers. The school they came from is mainly white, and I believe all 6 of these kids are white as well. This is a good story.
Two schools, one dream
Six transfers help transform St. John to title contender
By Todd Kelly
tkelly@clarionledger.com
Link to the article with pictures:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2005 1202/SPORTS06/512020373/1117
A combination of old and new has sparked St. John. Quarterback Paul Roberts (front) has attended the school since kindergarten, while linebacker Eric Lichtenstein came in September after St. Stanislaus canceled its season.
Zach Elkins is two victories away from the ultimate dream of every high school football player in Mississippi: A state championship.
Yet ask Elkins, a senior wide receiver and cornerback for St. John, what he cherishes most from this successful season and he'll say it has nothing to do with wins, losses or trophies.
"I'll definitely remember how I've made a whole lot more friends," he says. "I've built relationships with a lot of kids and new coaches. Even my relationships with my old teammates and coaches have gotten stronger."
Elkins is one of six starters suiting up for St. John who were left without a team when St. Stanislaus called off the season after Hurricane Katrina forever changed the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.
The Eagles (10-1) get a chance tonight at Long Beach to avenge their only defeat to top-ranked Mount Olive (13-0). Regardless of the outcome, it's been a remarkable season under trying circumstances for the close-knit Catholic school on Pass Road in Gulfport.
"God has been really good to us this season," said first-year St. John coach Brad Rhodes, a former Eagle standout (Class of '94) who went on to earn four letters as Maryland's place-kicker.
Rhodes has spent the past few months sharing his three-bedroom house at Windance Country Club with his wife, father, mother, three brothers, sister, nephew and four dogs as his family  like many on the Coast  puts their lives back together after Katrina.
"If it hasn't affected you, then something's wrong with your character," Rhodes says. "It wasn't as much making sacrifices as it was not taking things for granted anymore. We knew we were fortunate to be able to play when it looked like we might not be able to again this season."
Rhodes soon found a different team than the one he led through spring practice and summer workouts.
St. John received significant damage but was able to re-open Sept. 12. When it did, six Stanislaus transfers had become part of the football team. In addition to Elkins, the others are junior linebacker David Grapusa, sophomore offensive lineman Phillip King, junior offensive lineman Sean Bentz, junior wide receiver/linebacker Chad Boos and junior wide receiver/linebacker Eric Lichtenstein.
In the midst of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, Rhodes had to find a way to add a half-dozen new pieces to the puzzle without wrecking his team's chemistry.
"Looking back, it was the hardest and easiest thing we had to do," says Rhodes, who inherited a 4-7 team that had dropped down from 2A. "You want to make sure you do all the right things as far as any promises you make to the kids who came in and the players you already have. We told them there would be a point where we would put the best 11 players on the field, which is what we're doing right now.
"If there would have been any arrogance on the part of anyone, including the coaches, it would have blown the whole thing up."
If Elkins is appreciative of the warm welcome he received from his new teammates, Eagles quarterback Paul Roberts is equally grateful for the arrival of the transfers.
"I knew Stanislaus had a good program, so all they could do was help," says Roberts, who's attended St. John since kindergarten. "I knew with the people we have here, we would jell. As long as you're winning, it's hard to find things to complain about.
"Just the experience we've had together, watching film, hanging out, getting to know them, has been great. ... I don't know how I would have made it if we didn't play this season."
There has been grumbling that the Stanislaus transfers have given the Eagles an unfair advantage at the 1A level. The Rock-a-chaws went 9-2 last season in 4A, then beat Wilkinson County 20-12 in their opener Aug. 26.
St. Stanislaus coach Casey Wittmann, who lives in a trailer with his wife because their home was among thousands of structures destroyed in the storm, has a different perspective.
"My response would be life isn't fair," Wittmann says. "Five out of six of those kids lost their homes in the hurricane. They're blessed that St. John gave them the opportunity to make memories for themselves."
Mount Olive coach Jackie Simpson couldn't agree more even as St. John stands between the Pirates and a trip to the Class 1A championship game.
"I don't see why anyone would want to stop them from finishing their education and playing ball," Simpson said. "I would look at it the same way if a tornado wiped out our school and the kids had a chance to go to Collins or Seminary. High school athletics isn't about the coach or the school; it's about the kids."
Ennis Proctor, executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association, used the same reasoning when he allowed the transfers to continue playing for St. John after they returned to Stanislaus when the Bay St. Louis school re-opened Nov. 1.
"We felt like it was only fair to let them finish the season," Proctor says. "I've been to those areas and seen the devastation first-hand. I think anybody else who has seen it would be happy for these kids to have some normalcy in their lives."
And, they hope, a shot at their first state title.
"Would we be here without (the transfers)? As talented as they are, probably not," Rhodes says. "The best thing is they showed our kids the right way to play a lot quicker than it would have taken the coaches to instill that. Those kids have come over and been the epitome of what we're trying to coach here."Edited by: Colonel_Reb
Two schools, one dream
Six transfers help transform St. John to title contender
By Todd Kelly
tkelly@clarionledger.com
Link to the article with pictures:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2005 1202/SPORTS06/512020373/1117
A combination of old and new has sparked St. John. Quarterback Paul Roberts (front) has attended the school since kindergarten, while linebacker Eric Lichtenstein came in September after St. Stanislaus canceled its season.
Zach Elkins is two victories away from the ultimate dream of every high school football player in Mississippi: A state championship.
Yet ask Elkins, a senior wide receiver and cornerback for St. John, what he cherishes most from this successful season and he'll say it has nothing to do with wins, losses or trophies.
"I'll definitely remember how I've made a whole lot more friends," he says. "I've built relationships with a lot of kids and new coaches. Even my relationships with my old teammates and coaches have gotten stronger."
Elkins is one of six starters suiting up for St. John who were left without a team when St. Stanislaus called off the season after Hurricane Katrina forever changed the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.
The Eagles (10-1) get a chance tonight at Long Beach to avenge their only defeat to top-ranked Mount Olive (13-0). Regardless of the outcome, it's been a remarkable season under trying circumstances for the close-knit Catholic school on Pass Road in Gulfport.
"God has been really good to us this season," said first-year St. John coach Brad Rhodes, a former Eagle standout (Class of '94) who went on to earn four letters as Maryland's place-kicker.
Rhodes has spent the past few months sharing his three-bedroom house at Windance Country Club with his wife, father, mother, three brothers, sister, nephew and four dogs as his family  like many on the Coast  puts their lives back together after Katrina.
"If it hasn't affected you, then something's wrong with your character," Rhodes says. "It wasn't as much making sacrifices as it was not taking things for granted anymore. We knew we were fortunate to be able to play when it looked like we might not be able to again this season."
Rhodes soon found a different team than the one he led through spring practice and summer workouts.
St. John received significant damage but was able to re-open Sept. 12. When it did, six Stanislaus transfers had become part of the football team. In addition to Elkins, the others are junior linebacker David Grapusa, sophomore offensive lineman Phillip King, junior offensive lineman Sean Bentz, junior wide receiver/linebacker Chad Boos and junior wide receiver/linebacker Eric Lichtenstein.
In the midst of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, Rhodes had to find a way to add a half-dozen new pieces to the puzzle without wrecking his team's chemistry.
"Looking back, it was the hardest and easiest thing we had to do," says Rhodes, who inherited a 4-7 team that had dropped down from 2A. "You want to make sure you do all the right things as far as any promises you make to the kids who came in and the players you already have. We told them there would be a point where we would put the best 11 players on the field, which is what we're doing right now.
"If there would have been any arrogance on the part of anyone, including the coaches, it would have blown the whole thing up."
If Elkins is appreciative of the warm welcome he received from his new teammates, Eagles quarterback Paul Roberts is equally grateful for the arrival of the transfers.
"I knew Stanislaus had a good program, so all they could do was help," says Roberts, who's attended St. John since kindergarten. "I knew with the people we have here, we would jell. As long as you're winning, it's hard to find things to complain about.
"Just the experience we've had together, watching film, hanging out, getting to know them, has been great. ... I don't know how I would have made it if we didn't play this season."
There has been grumbling that the Stanislaus transfers have given the Eagles an unfair advantage at the 1A level. The Rock-a-chaws went 9-2 last season in 4A, then beat Wilkinson County 20-12 in their opener Aug. 26.
St. Stanislaus coach Casey Wittmann, who lives in a trailer with his wife because their home was among thousands of structures destroyed in the storm, has a different perspective.
"My response would be life isn't fair," Wittmann says. "Five out of six of those kids lost their homes in the hurricane. They're blessed that St. John gave them the opportunity to make memories for themselves."
Mount Olive coach Jackie Simpson couldn't agree more even as St. John stands between the Pirates and a trip to the Class 1A championship game.
"I don't see why anyone would want to stop them from finishing their education and playing ball," Simpson said. "I would look at it the same way if a tornado wiped out our school and the kids had a chance to go to Collins or Seminary. High school athletics isn't about the coach or the school; it's about the kids."
Ennis Proctor, executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association, used the same reasoning when he allowed the transfers to continue playing for St. John after they returned to Stanislaus when the Bay St. Louis school re-opened Nov. 1.
"We felt like it was only fair to let them finish the season," Proctor says. "I've been to those areas and seen the devastation first-hand. I think anybody else who has seen it would be happy for these kids to have some normalcy in their lives."
And, they hope, a shot at their first state title.
"Would we be here without (the transfers)? As talented as they are, probably not," Rhodes says. "The best thing is they showed our kids the right way to play a lot quicker than it would have taken the coaches to instill that. Those kids have come over and been the epitome of what we're trying to coach here."Edited by: Colonel_Reb