Excitement is running high in the hallways at Notre Dame regional secondary school. On social media channels, the talk is all #BleedBlue and #WeAreND. Cellphones buzz with the good vibes of text messages.
At the Moretto household, where three members of the family are closely tied to the Jugglers varsity football team, excitement is high. On Saturday night, quarterback Steven Moretto will try to lead Notre Dame to its first B.C. Championship since 1993. His father, Rob, is a coach and alum who won a provincial title in 1982. His brother, Mathew, is an assistant coach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a crazy time right now,鈥� said Moretto, the father with many reasons to be proud of his kids. His daughter takes the law school admittance test, the LSAT, the morning before his sons gun for their own prize. 鈥淲e have a lot of great things at Notre Dame, and football is one of them,鈥� he said.
The varsity Jugglers led by head coach Rich Scott play the Terry Fox Ravens at 7 p.m. at BC Place.
Earlier in the day at 9 a.m., the Grade 8 Jugglers play their biggest rival and fellow dynasty program, the 麻豆传媒映画College Fighting Irish.
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Five years ago, this group of Notre Dame seniors won the Grade 8 provincial title. Two years later, they contended for the junior varsity championship. And now, they will return to play under the dome for the biggest prize in high school football, the AAA Subway Bowl.
The Notre Dame brotherhood runs deep, literally in many cases. Varsity players Reuben Buchanan and Joseph Santalucia have younger siblings, Jude and Lucas, respectively, on the Grade 8 team. Same for Jonathan Bolanos, a senior whose younger brother Anthony plays on the Grade 8 team. Pierre-Luigi Ferronato counts a cousin, Carmelo Renzullo, on the younger roster. The same goes for Michael Bond whose cousins play and coach the younger roster; they are Joshua, Joseph and Jordan Gabriele. Similarly, Liam Colquhoun plays on the varsity team and his cousin, Stephen Spagnuolo, is a Grade 8 coach.
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The season has lifted school spirit to an exciting high, said Notre Dame athletic director Joe Garcea.
鈥淲e as a program often refer to each other as 鈥榖rothers,鈥� and with that goes the expectation that one would commitment to the success of the family --- the football family,鈥� he wrote in an email. 鈥淚t shows with hard work, perseverance and commitment to the process, great things can be accomplished.鈥�
The Jugglers have held their own since the football program was launched in 1954 but have not been as competitive in the last two decades. Crediting dedicated coaches and committment to the sport, Garcea senses that drought is over.
鈥淲e are extremely excited of the success our program has shown over the years but now with the two finalist teams playing at BC Place this Saturday, I am confident our program is back.鈥�
This sustained success with this group of varsity atheltes has given the school a shot of adrenaline and pride. Everyone is buying in, like they did generations ago when Notre Dame was also a perennial contender. Moretto senior was there. He lived what younger generations might have only extperienced through a television drama.
鈥淚t was Friday night and everybody went to the game at old Empire Stadium,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat has kind of gone away the last 20 years, different things have taken precedence, but this year it has really galvanized the school back to our roots,鈥� he said.
Notre Dame has won more varsity football championships than any other B.C. high school. The private Catholic school in East 麻豆传媒映画has been playing for longer than most, too, but no one comes close to having earned the Jugglers鈥� 14 titles. For the first time in 23 years, they will finally play for no. 15.
鈥淲inning breeds enthusiasm and support, so we鈥檝e been fortunate this year that we have had a talented team and that has brought school spirit up,鈥� said Moretto. 鈥淔ootball has brought back alumni and generated a lot of positive energy.鈥�
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One undeniable reason for the Jugglers鈥� latest success is Steven Moretto, the lynchpin quarterback to Notre Dame鈥檚 open offence that favours a rushing attack. A gifted and athletic competitor, Steven plays third base for the North Shore Twins and has played with the national junior baseball team. He's beeing scouted in both sports.
Moretto senior, a former linebacker for the BC Lions who joined the CFL in 1987, said his son can run and pass but one of his best attributes is his focus. 鈥淗e takes that profound focus with him whether he is playing baseball or football. He always wants to drive himself to be the best he can.鈥�
The varsity players are embracing the occasion and have been all season. After an exhibition loss during the pre-season to St. Thomas More, the Jugglers were forced to take stock. Although a win was expcted, that didn鈥檛 mean it would come easy, said Moretto.
鈥淲e lost to STM and we were all reeling afterwards. We were badly outplayed. It served as wake-up call because we had experienced success in the past but they still had to do the work. That commitment came from within the team. We got better as the season progressed, we got consistently better and better.鈥�
The coach added that the players turned to each other, they turned inward and relied on their brotherhood instead of looking to the coaching leadership for direction. They grew stronger and closer, said Moretto.
鈥淣ow we have a big challenge in the form of Terry Fox, we are going to have to figure a way around that one as well.鈥�
Win or lose, after the championship, Moretto senior will retire as a coach from his alma mater. He dropped down from varsity to join the coaching staff on the Grade 8 team when Steven entered high school and since following his son through junior varsity and now varsity, Moretto will finish his tenure as a coach --- but his role with the brotherhood will never come to an end.
Excitement is high, as are expectations. Alumni are coming out in record numbers for a potentially record-extending win. There is nothing to do but embrace it all.
鈥淲e are trying to keep our nerves at bay and trying to take it as a normal game, but of course there is nothing normal about it. You can sense that it is more than that. There is a lot on the line. Regardless of what happens tomorrow night, this team has fought bravely. They have worked hard at their craft, and we will be proud of them all regardless of the outcome.鈥�
The brotherhood extends to the other side of the ball. Moretto鈥檚 father-in-law taught at Terry Fox secondary for three decades.
鈥淲e have been practising for this all year long,鈥� he said.
The next generation is watching.
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