Roncalli2002Seniors

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Nick Wilson—To be a Roncalli Football Rebel has been a dream come true. It is awesome. There is so much tradition behind Roncalli football. The best part after all your hard work is when you get to run out from the tunnel onto the field, under the lights, hearing the crowd going crazy. There are so many words to describe Roncalli football. Ever since 1st grade I’ve dreamed about playing at Roncalli’s football stadium, under the lights. We worked hard, we played hard, and winning the State Championship is the best feeling ever. I live, eat, and breathe Roncalli football. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about the State Championship and how much it means to me. At the end, we all had endured blood, sweat, and tears, and all of our hard work paid off for the first ever 4A 2002 State Championship!!!! Thanks coaches for helping all of us grow as a family. Good luck to future Rebels!

Keith Waters—Now that my career is over, I can see that I miss football very much. Obviously I miss Friday nights under the lights and parties in the blockhouse after the game. But what I really miss the most is the little things I took for granted. The practices, the conditioning, the comraderie, the sitting around with my brothers in the blockhouse after a hard cold practice. So my mission for all you current Rebel football players is to enjoy every minute of your playing days, because sooner than you’ll expect, it’ll all be over and all you can do is dream about strapping it up just one more time.

Justin Agresta—Roncalli football is something I will remember for the rest of my life. From my first summer camp freshman year, until the day I got my blue ribbon, I have learned more than just football. Roncalli football taught me what it takes to succeed in life, how to deal with adversity, and what a brotherhood is. The grueling practices in August to the freezing ones in November have shown me what one must go through in order to achieve their dreams. Looking back on my senior year especially, I wouldn’t change one thing. It was the most amazing year of my life. To the 2003 Rebels, good luck, and remember that never giving up could lead to achieving your dreams of back to back State Championships.

Devin Green—Rebel football is everything that is right in the world put into a single game. A game where we must give our heart and souls to succeed, but with each victory comes the greatest prize. Also with every loss comes a feeling of dissatisfaction that is impossible to rid from your body. Rebel football teaches that hard work pays off, it preaches to have faith in God, and it instills that everything happens for a reason. Also, thanks to everyone that has helped make our tradition as great as it is today.

Peter Szostak—I only have one piece of advice for you: don’t have any regrets. If you live by this attitude it will not only let you become the best football player you can be, but it will also make your experience as a Roncalli Football Player a great one. Remember to always be proud to be a Rebel and to always carry on the tradition. Coach Belch is awesome.

David Meehan—Throughout my time playing for Roncalli, I have always wondered what seperates one program from another. At Roncalli, it was the whole team’s and coaching staff’s commitment to excellence on and off the field through hard work, faith, and determination. My only advice is to make the most with what you are given to work with during your time that you have left. It goes fast but it is fun and memorable. During next season I guarantee that there will be hardships, but it is how you respond to these challenges that will define who you end up being when you leave Roncalli. Good luck and God Bless.

Kyle Stephenson – Rebel football is a way of life. We live by one motto: Rebel Pride! Rebel Pride is a phrase meaning that we play with heart, pride, passion, and we would do anything for any of our brothers! One thing that I have learned from my senior season is “Never Give Up!” When you face adversity, work harder than before and fulfill your dreams! WIN YOUR LAST GAME!!

John Parden – Throughout the past four years, Rebel Football has been the highest part of my life. Starting as a clueless freshman, I came into Roncalli knowing nothing of being a Rebel. Through the two weeks of those two-a-days, I discovered friends that would be a part of my life through anything. This bond was never so evident as when my senior football season was beginning. With the loss of four people close to me, my brothers helped me through the turmoil. Overcoming these obstacles, in addition to the 0-4 start, led to the greatest achievement I’ve ever accomplished: Roncalli’s first 4A football State Championship. I know now all there is in being a Rebel.

Mike Greene – The past four years of football have been some of the most fun in my life. I have learned more about myself and about life than I could from anything else. Thank you coaches for all of the time you spend, at school and away, on us. You have taught us more than just drills and skills. You taught us about life.

Tyler Warner – Roncalli football is the greatest thing I have ever been a part of. There is nothing like the feeling of playing your heart out on the field, and knowing that all of your brothers are doing the exact same thing. My message to the future classes is that Roncalli football is what you make of it. My brothers and I gave it everything we had, and we got the most out of it, a state championship. At Roncalli, we are not the biggest, fastest, or strongest, but we are the baddest dudes in the state. Keep up the legacy and uphold the tradition!

Jake McCoy – Roncalli football is not something to be taken lightly. It is more than just a sport. It is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. Running out of the woods on Friday nights and the thrill of winning are memories I won’t ever forget. The best thing about Roncalli football is that talent does not determine the type of player you are; hard work and dedication does. Although I will never play football for RHS again, I have made friendships that will last a lifetime. 2002 4A State Championships

Ross Evans – Roncalli football is by far the best thing I have done at RHS. It is impossible to put into words what Rebel football is. When I look back, the state championship and victories will be fond memories, but the most valuable things will be the lessons I have learned and the things I did. Rebel football was a great experience and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

Nick Jacobs – The best part of playing Roncalli football was playing on the road. I loved hearing the opposing fan’s boos as I rushed onto the field. For once in my life I got to be the bad guy and destroy the hopes of everyone of my opponents’ hometowns.

Brett Henninger – All I have to say is leave no regrets. Practice each practice as if it were your last. Give 110% at everything you do. That is the easiest way to leave no regrets. PLAY HARD!! GIVE IT YOUR ALL!! If you do this, you won’t just have success, you will also form an unforgettable band of brotherhood no one will be able to break. That is Roncalli Football.

Vito Mascari – Football at Roncalli was unlike any other experience I have ever had in my life This experience has given memories, friends, brothers, and most of all, Rebel Pride that will live with me forever. I’ll never forget the long days in the summer at the blockhouse, Saturday morning film sessions, and the days at practice with my teammates. Sometimes football seemed like it would never end, but when it was all said and done, it was over way too soon. Not a day will ever go by without me wishing I could have one more down on scout defense. To all current Rebels, it might seem tiring, boring, and sometimes like it will never end, but it does. Even if your football career ends with a State Championship, there still will be that yearning for one more down. So make memories, make friends, and play with Rebel Pride!

Marcus Nalley – The first things that come to mind when I hear Roncalli Football are REBEL PRIDE, Hard work, and two-a-days when other teams aren’t practicing because of the heat and we are in full gear working harder every chance we have. I have a true love for football. It’s given me many things: friends, brothers, and state rings. I have been playing since the 2nd grade and loving every second of it. I can always remember watching my brother and two cousins, wanting to be in their shoes playing for the Rebels. It seems just like yesterday when our team went 9-0 freshman year, and now it’s already over. There’s nothing that could have taken the place of the “Best Four Years of My Life.” Don’t let time slip away and wish you could have done something more in the weightroom or on the practice field. Seniors bring something and jack anyone that doesn’t want to win. Respect the coaches and each other. Never lose faith in God and always remember you’re playing for the Rebels before and after you. Remember someone is always watching. Don’t cheat yourself. Stay close with your brothers and your family. You never know when it’s their time to go. PAIN IS TEMPORARY; PRIDE IS FOREVER! 2003 REBELS WIN ANOTHER 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! Keep the tradition alive and the Roncalli football team on top – Spark Nalley

Donnie Griffen – As I reflect on last autumn, I think of the joy and elation that was shared by everybody involved with Roncalli football. I see the fact that this past November was only a culmination of all the work and sacrifices that each player made over the course of the year and in some cases the past four years. Roncalli football changes those that are involved in it for four years. As each pencil-necked Freshman comes in, he is raised in a brotherhood and a society that is understood only by those who have been a part of it. When he leaves as a senior, he has built faith and trust in those around him which will remain with him for life, and because of this I only have one thing to say about playing for Coach Scifres and Roncalli: I am leaving a better man because of Roncalli football.

Andrew Knotts – Roncalli football is not just a sport, it is a lifestyle. We train all year round to reach our goal. This year, all of our hard work paid off as those last 15 seconds ticked off the clock at the RCA Dome and we became the first ever Roncalli 4A State Champions. We will forever be remembered as the team that overcame all the odds: three hard deaths, an 0-4 start, and many other obstacles to show the state that there was no way we were going to be denied our dreams. WE DID IT!