Finishing their high school careers on a winning note looked promising for Jelani Bryant and Joe Cartwright, with the Blue squad holding a 24 -7 lead with less than a minute to go in the first half of the 64th Annual D.F.R.C. All-Star Football Game. That final taste of victory though, would fade into the night, with the Gold coming from behind to take the contest 38 - 24. A disappointing outcome, but a mere afterthought compared to the reward that comes with being part of the Blue & Gold experience. For Bryant, the contest offered one final opportunity to represent Saint Mark's on the gridiron, before he takes his game to the next level at Delaware State University. Jelani could finish his summer in the same stadium as it started, with the Hornets opening the season against the Blue Hens on August 29th.
Unfortunately for Cartwright, the chance to finish on the field wasn't to be. Still rehabilitating a torn ACL, he suffered in the seventh game of the season, a difficult (but wise) decision was made to forgo the actual contest. With plans to play football at Kings College next fall, Joe will continue preparations to arrive at the Wilkes-Barrie (PA) campus in top shape. While it wasn't exactly a perfect ending for the Spartan gridiron stalwarts, it was certainly a well deserved reward. Having finished their season at Delaware Stadium in late June, they leave Saint Mark's as members of a select group,
Another Spartan, though unable to participate, can equally consider himself as honored. Victor Marcelo was offered a late spot on the Blue roster, but had to decline due to a previous commitment. As we have noted on our Blue & Gold All-Star game page, we feel being offered is worthy of recognition alongside those who have participated. As such, Victor has been added to the list which you can see here - Link
Photo credit: All photos used in this article are courtesy of Richard Christians.
Editors note: If anyone has photos of Joe or Jelani from the game that they would like to contribute, and allow us to use on the site, it would be greatly appreciated. We plan on adding a player gallery to the Blue & Gold page, in which we hope to display photos of as many participants as possible. Owner retains full copyright, and credit will be given per owners request. You can contact us here at: [email protected], or on Twitter, or by Facebook.
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