I’ve been givin’ head coach Mike Kirschner a lot of credit this season for the great job he and his staff has done in gettin’ their team prepared to play every week. They were ranked No.1 durin’ the pre-season and they’ve kept the whip in the road the entire season without as much as scratchin’ the paint. However, while I’ve been proppin’ Coach Kirsch, I’ve failed to give major credit to his players for bein’ as resilient as they’ve been.
Most boyz, includin’ myself, glossed over the fact that the most respected cat on the team, Rondell Allen, was shot multiple times the night before trainin’ camp was to start. When they reported to camp the next mornin’ they were givin’ the news that the homie Rondell was in critical condition and he was fightin’ for his life.
For a team full of teenagers to absorb that type of information about a dun they rode so hard with their entire lives was a lot. Even though Rondell was fightin’ for his life, not only did the coaches have to keep the whip in the street but the players had to keep their hands on the steerin’ wheel and look into the windshield while the doctors and prayer warriors handle the important business of takin’ care of the homie.
Coach Kirschner kept the team in prayer along with all of the parents, administrators, family and friends but these kids still had to play the games in front of them.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Havin’ 53 seniors helped with the maturity of this squad too. The fact that Ben Davis had a veteran team helped with the leadership they were losin’ in Rondell. I’ve never seen anything like it. A team full of leaders at the high school level is darn near impossible to get.
I praise God for God being God all by himself in savin’ this kid’s life and I praise him for Rondell’s ability to want fight for his life. Salute young thunder cat for your recovery.
To watch a team saddle up and fight through all of the emotion of nearly losin’ a comrade, homie, friend and teammate was remarkable to see. They didn’t just show up and play, they showed out beatin’ the brakes off of EVERYBODY in their path durin’ the regular season.
Sure, it got more difficult durin’ the dull sectionals when the “powers that be” tried to set them up for failure. They put them into the same sectional with Lawrence Central and Warren Central that reside on the east side and Ben Davis is on the far west side of town. However, they pushed through and made it happen.
Rondell has been an inspiration for them to keep fightin’ all season. That’s why they aren’t even close to bein’ distracted by all of the state championship game attention. Why? Because they’ve been battle tested not only on the field but off of it too. Any team that can deal with almost losin’ a teammate at the start of the season that comes out blastin’ boyz out of the gate like they did is unstoppable. They’re somethin’ special not just as football players but as young men.
I know grown men that can’t fight through that type of adversity and they’ve done it as teenagers. Salute to the entire Ben Davis family for buildin’ these young men up and supportin’ them all season and salute to the homie Rondell for continuin’ to fight to get back to 100 percent.
Now go out there on Saturday and take what rightfully belongs to you!!! The Class 6A State Championship!! And stop me when I start lyin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Whip: noun – luxury vehicle
2) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.
The G is excluded from the endings of all words because the G is near and dear to my heart because I’m from “The G” which is Gary, Indiana. So I only use the G when I’m talkin’ about “The G!”
The caption under the photo isn’t real but its real talk!