Kelly plays in the Blue Central and isn’t eligible to qualify for the state playoffs. It’s a significantly lower level of football than top Public League conferences and miles away from the Super 25 teams. But the games mean just as much to the athletes.
“Every single one of our kids first plays football when high school starts,” Trojans coach Eric Villarreal said. “They have to learn quick and really want to do it.”
The Trojans have 31 players on the roster. They don’t get to experience Friday night lights in front of big crowds. All of their games are on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Despite all those limitations, Villarreal and his kids have built something special and beamed with happiness and pride after knocking off Gage Park 28-12 on Thursday at Rockne Stadium.
“Freshman year was bad,” Kelly senior Isaiah Lopez said. “We didn’t have enough players and had to forfeit some games, went [1-8]. We just had to work in practice. Now senior year we are 3-1.”
Lopez and fellow lineman Gael Medrano are part of a core group of four-year starters, which includes quarterback/linebacker Juan Jamaica and running back/linebacker Alejandro Herrera.
“This is my dedicated group that has been coming up,” Villarreal said. “I’ve had a tough go of it for awhile with seniors I had expected, and they weren’t able to play. This has been the first year I’ve had a stable group of kids that we’ve grown up.
Lopez had a sack and helped senior running back Arturo Martinez score four touchdowns.
“The communication and chemistry is so much easier this year now that we have some experience and everyone has pride in what we are doing,” Lopez said.
Martinez had 20 carries for 210 yards. He also grabbed two interceptions.
“[Martinez] doesn’t look like it but he is shifty and quick and he has moves,” Villarreal said. “And he’s a killer safety. He learns from being a catcher and seeing everything develop.”
Martinez scored the first three TDs of the game. Gage Park (1-3, 0-1) scored late in the third quarter on a 23-yard pass from Kenneth Wright to Tamarion Jude to make it 20-6. Wright added a 40-yard TD in the fourth quarter for the Owls.
“We started out bad the last two years but things have picked up now,” Martinez said. “We are building the program up. It’s something that makes you proud. We all have a lot of motivation, and this year losing a game didn’t bring us down.”
Herrera finished with seven carries for 29 yards for Kelly (3-1, 1-0) and Jamaica was 2-for-5 for 37 yards.
Kelly lost to Foreman in Week 1, beat Marine in Week 2 and picked up a forfeit win against Harlan last week. Next up is undefeated Woodlawn.
“It’s a great start so far,” Villarreal said. “Now the tough games really begin in conference. Woodlawn will be a tough test.”