The raw emotions behind Northwest’s state title game run that almost never happened
For a third straight year, the Northwest football team celebrated on its home field a berth into the Class 5A championship game.
But the emotions following a 41-21 victory over Bishop Carroll in the semifinals last Friday were different. There was still the same amount of excitement for the Grizzlies, evident by their screams of triumph on the field. And there was still the immense pride in what they had done, as the sub-state championship trophy was passed around as players on the team smiled, posed and put up a No. 1 finger to signal their accomplishment.
This time around, though, a different kind of appreciation was present for the players. That’s because exactly three months before this night when they were smiling, laughing and celebrating another trip to the state title, 25 seniors thought their high school football career at Northwest was over.
“When something so important to you is taken away like that and then you get it back, the feeling is just different,” Northwest senior Zac Daher said. “You know what you lost. So we really did play every game like it was our last.”
On August 20, Northwest and six other Wichita public high schools thought they had lost their fall sports season after the Wichita Public Schools Board of Education placed the district in the “orange” level, which effectively canceled sports.
Two days after the decision, Northwest coach Steve Martin called what he feared was the team’s final practice. When they had finished, Martin snapped pictures of every senior — many of them teary-eyed — to commemorate what they thought was their last time together.
“It was just the shock of not being able to play football with a team that became my brothers for three whole years that we had fought together,” Northwest senior Todric McGee said. “We spend nearly 12 hours a day with each other. It’s a brotherhood and the bonds we made, that can’t be taken away. This is everything that matters to us.”
With so much returning talent from last season’s 12-1 team that reached the Class 5A championship game, Northwest’s seniors were heartbroken that their best chance at winning the school’s first state title was gone.
“We knew if we did have a season, we were going to make it to state and get our title,” said senior running back Julius Bolden, who has 1,358 rushing yards on 9.8 yards per carry and 25 touchdowns. “It was a really bad feeling.”
For Martin, a chance at winning a state championship was not what he was concerned about.
That coach was worried about things bigger than football. The loss of one of his former players, Jahbreel Rounds, just 19 years old at the time, who was shot and killed in a Wichita apartment complex parking lot was ingrained in his mind.
“That’s what you think about when you’re in it for the right reasons and you’re in it to help kids and use the game to benefit these kids,” Martin said. “I’d rather lose an opportunity for a state championship than actually lose a kid. It’s not always about winning a state championship. We lost a kid this summer and that’s all I had in my mind were flashbacks of that. If these kids don’t have positive outlets like football, is there a chance we could lose another kid?”
For the players, they just wanted to play high school football together one more time. In their time of desperation, the players considered transferring to Wichita suburb schools that were playing high school football this fall.
“We were just trying to stick together and stay together,” Northwest senior Nathan Hale said. “But coach Martin did a good job of keeping us together and keeping our spirits up. He promised to fight for us.”
Martin and his Northwest players headed local efforts to protest the decision. After nearly two weeks, the Wichita Public Schools Board of Education overturned its decision to cancel all fall sports and reinstated football, as well as the rest of the fall sports, on Sept. 1.
So while Northwest started its season one week later than other football teams and could only play other Wichita public schools, which meant for an abbreviated 6-game regular season, the Grizzlies were at least playing football again.
Martin beamed with pride when asked three months later how valuable the football season had been for his players, besides the trip to the state championship game.
“As a coach, you preach that football is a game of life lessons and then it actually hit us in the face this year with covid and the cancellation of the season,” Martin said. “We teach kids all the time that life is going to happen and you can’t control some things. This is real life and I’m so proud of the way they actively fought for something and they did it in the right way in a professional matter.”
On the field, Northwest completed its third straight undefeated run to a state title behind an electric running attack featuring Bolden, Geremiah Moore (855 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) and L.J. Phillips (577 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns). The defense has been dominant led by Daher, Hale, McGee, Jacob Younkman, Darius Diaz, Nathan Carter, Ja-ron Tolefree, Wetu Kalomo and Joziah Hill.
After losing 49-28 to St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2018 title game and 40-31 to Mill Valley in the 2019 title game, Northwest believes this will be the team to deliver the school’s first state championship.
“It would mean the world to all of us,” McGee said. “This is the only thing we’ve worked for. It’s the bar around here. We’re the bar in this city, so we want to live up to those expectations.”
On that fateful Saturday in August, Martin had Northwest gather at its home stadium to take a group picture.
In a passionate speech, Martin told his players he was going to do everything he could to make sure they would take this same picture on Thanksgiving morning.
On Thursday, Northwest will gather for Thanksgiving morning practice and take a group picture ahead of Saturday’s 1 p.m. Class 5A championship game against Mill Valley at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium. Martin kept his word.
“I think that was the first time these guys have seen me lose it and break down and cry,” Martin said. “These kids have put so much into this. To get something taken away and to be able to battle back like they have, I’m so proud of them. I can’t say enough about these kids.
“It will be an emotional Thursday morning, for sure. And now I’m not a liar.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
.jpg)