Spartan's Prepare For All Star Game
For Spartan's Eric Cella (11), P.J. Groves (75), and Jamai Rice (1) summer vacation is on hold while they made final preparations for Saturday's D.R.F.C.Blue & Gold All Star Football game. The young men spent Wednesday evening, along with their Blue teammates, participating in an inter squad scrimmage.
The scrimmage held at Tower Hill's DeGroat Field in Wilmington was open to the public and gave fans a chance to see the squad before they take the field Saturday night. The team, missing some players due to an awards banquet, worked on fine tuning their game, in an intense, but lighthearted affair. It was obvious that all the young men were enjoying their involvement in the annual classic, which benefits Delawareans with intellectual disABILITIES. And if the practice was any indication, all three Spartans should play a role come kickoff.
For Cella, Groves , and Rice the game affords one last chance to take the gridiron as high school football players. It will be an emotional night for all the young men, but likely a little more so for Eric Cella and P.J. Groves. While his teammates will look to take their game to the next level (Groves at Widener and Rice at Wesley) this will be the final game of Eric's football career. He will be attending the University of Delaware next fall, however football is not in his plans. For P.J. Groves the prospect of playing football again seemed unlikely nine months ago.
P.J. suffered a knee injury against Lake Forest that wiped out almost his entire senior season, likely All Catholic and All State honors, and perhaps the opportunity to play on the college level. He worked hard to rehabiltate his knee, and with the encouragement of his coaches, family, and friends persevered. While his effort earned him the ability to pursue his dreams, the efforts of Coaches John Wilson and Marvin Dooley
made one a reality. In a move that says volumes about the men, they pushed to see that P.J. would have the opportunity to take the field one last time as a high school football player.
The 61st Annual D.R.F.C. Blue & Gold All Star Game is a fitting finale and reward for the fine young men who have given so much during their time at St. Mark's. Come out and support your fellow Spartans, and a great cause, as they represent their school and community one last time, 6:00 Saturday night at the University of Delaware Stadium in Newark.
The scrimmage held at Tower Hill's DeGroat Field in Wilmington was open to the public and gave fans a chance to see the squad before they take the field Saturday night. The team, missing some players due to an awards banquet, worked on fine tuning their game, in an intense, but lighthearted affair. It was obvious that all the young men were enjoying their involvement in the annual classic, which benefits Delawareans with intellectual disABILITIES. And if the practice was any indication, all three Spartans should play a role come kickoff.
For Cella, Groves , and Rice the game affords one last chance to take the gridiron as high school football players. It will be an emotional night for all the young men, but likely a little more so for Eric Cella and P.J. Groves. While his teammates will look to take their game to the next level (Groves at Widener and Rice at Wesley) this will be the final game of Eric's football career. He will be attending the University of Delaware next fall, however football is not in his plans. For P.J. Groves the prospect of playing football again seemed unlikely nine months ago.
P.J. suffered a knee injury against Lake Forest that wiped out almost his entire senior season, likely All Catholic and All State honors, and perhaps the opportunity to play on the college level. He worked hard to rehabiltate his knee, and with the encouragement of his coaches, family, and friends persevered. While his effort earned him the ability to pursue his dreams, the efforts of Coaches John Wilson and Marvin Dooley
made one a reality. In a move that says volumes about the men, they pushed to see that P.J. would have the opportunity to take the field one last time as a high school football player.
The 61st Annual D.R.F.C. Blue & Gold All Star Game is a fitting finale and reward for the fine young men who have given so much during their time at St. Mark's. Come out and support your fellow Spartans, and a great cause, as they represent their school and community one last time, 6:00 Saturday night at the University of Delaware Stadium in Newark.