Bigger than football: Wichita Northwest plays in honor of late teammate

After a hard-fought battle over having their football season happen, the Wichita Northwest Grizzlies were able to play Saturday afternoon. Wichita Northwest defeated Wichita West 53-7 in their season opener, but the meaning behind the game meant much more than a final score could reflect.

Northwest faced plenty of adversity heading into its home opener. Not only did the team have to deal with the uncertainty that COVID-19 had brought along, the players were also grieving the loss of a former teammate.

Back in May, Jahbreel Rounds, former Northwest football player and freshman safety for Northwestern College, was shot and killed in a Wichita apartment complex parking lot.

Rounds was described by his teammates and coaches as a leader who never had a bad attitude. His leadership abilities left such a legacy at the program that the Grizzlies started dedicating certain aspects of their team to him.

To honor Rounds, the team put his number, 4, on their helmets and stood silent on the sidelines holding up the number 4 with their hands before the fourth quarter started.

Northwest coach Steve Martin said that the fourth quarter took on a new meaning for the team. Martin wants the players to have the heart and drive that Rounds had, and to especially apply it to the fourth quarter.

The Northwest coaching staff also decided to dedicate the team’s fourth captain position to the player who has taken on the same qualities and work ethic that Rounds had.

“The coaches pick a player, attributing that to whoever shows qualities of Jahbreel: loving each other, doing what was needed to get a win, doing what’s needed for the team,” Martin said. “That’s what that four and that sticker means, just a reminder that it’s not always about football it’s about coming together and helping each other succeed.”

The Grizzlies also demonstrated those qualities before the season even started when their season was voted on when the Wichita Board of Education decided to cancel the fall sports season.

Northwest came together with other schools in the area to peacefully protest the board’s decision and try to bring back fall sports. At the beginning of September, the decision was overturned and Wichita Public Schools were able to compete again.

Martin said that he was proud of the way his team showed leadership in the movement.

“What a great way to teach government outside of the classroom,” Martin said. “I think the real lesson was that they were able to do it in a positive manner where they don’t have to do dumb things, they can do it in a diplomatic way and do it peacefully.”

Mason Ross, a Northwest senior who saw his first start at quarterback, said that the team won’t take any moment of their season for granted because it can still be taken away at any moment.

“It motivates me a lot,” Ross said. “I’m always on the sideline saying ‘Hey, we need to go out there and push ourselves and do our very best. We may make mistakes, but just make sure we don’t make them again; we just need to go and have fun.’”

The game was played with no fans in the stadium, so the team had to rely on each other to keep their spirits high.

“I stick to my guys,” Ross said. “I talk to my guys, we listen to music, get hyped up, slap each other around. The crowds are awesome but now we’re on our own. We’re all we got.”

The first game back was far from perfect. Flags were flying left and right from both teams with avoidable mistakes.

“At times we looked good and at times we ooked like we had never hit anyone before, that’s what I was expecting.” Martin said. “I expected it was going to be sloppy for us. You know, that’s not the expectation we usually have, but now we got to clean it up.”

Northwest put up 53 points and only allowed one touchdown in the final minute of the game. They’re hoping to build off their momentum and prepare for senior night next week against Wichita Southeast.

This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 5:42 PM.