Davidson Verdant Jr. is a star.
I found myself racing down the sideline at Friday night’s game every time he scored, captivated by his pursuit of the end zone, and even kneeling to pull the grass in frustration on the rare occasions he didn’t land there.
Lou Holtz would be proud.
Having spent the past twenty years residing in Miami, it’s hard not to have gained a love for the gridiron. Football is paramount to religion in Florida, a rite of passage where the University of Miami Hurricanes are more folklore than reality.
I’m so enthralled with the Hurricanes that I’m relaunching my NiteCap series with Super Bowl Champion and UM alum Bryant “Big Mac” McKinnie who starred on the legendary 2001 team, considered by many to be the best college football team ever.
On this dreamlike moonlit Friday evening, I’m sure even McKinnie would have celebrated the athletic valiance on display as Verdant’s Ivanna Eudora Kean High’s Devil Rays clashed with the Charlotte Amalie High Chicken Hawks at IEKHS field for the St. Thomas-St. John district high school tackle football championship.
“This is the greatest yet friendliest rivalry in the Virgin Islands!” boasted the game’s play-by-play announcer.
This marked my first time on the field since I played cornerback and free safety for our flag football team before tackle was introduced. My only highlight from that short-lived career came when I blocked a field goal against Antilles High School on their home field. I still remember Coach Calvin Leonard putting me in the game—inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but life-changing for me.
“You did it,” he told me, patting me on the head. “You came through for us.”
Seeing Elroy Donovan, his assistant, at the helm as head coach was surreal.
“When former players like you tell me about the positive impact we had on them, it means everything,” Donovan told me, pausing to reflect on the indelible bond players and coaches share.
Standing there forced me to reckon with what it means to be a Virgin Islander, as tackle football, like most US imports to our paradise, seems foreign, at least momentarily, a byproduct of being a hybrid society neither fully Caribbean nor American.
Yet, given the opportunities for college scholarships and lucrative NIL deals, football’s inclusion in our local sports may benefit not only student-athletes but also our island nation as a whole by fostering sports tourism.
Our shores have given the world arguably its best basketball player in Tim Duncan, the hardest puncher in boxing legend Julian Jackson, and now the face of the WNBA in Aliyah Boston.
Given our small population, a study on our propensity to produce world-class athletes would prove that we export more professional athletes per capita than anywhere else so I was perplexed as to why the bleachers and sidelines weren’t as crowded as they would have been during a fete or j’ouvert.
Surely, our high school athletes deserve more applause even if, historically, our community lacks fervor in celebrating its best and brightest, as discussed in our recently released Upfront episode with Governor Albert Bryan Jr.
“Our familiarity with each other just breeds contempt…we hate one another,” exclaimed Bryan in our soul-stirring sit-down.
Understanding this harsh truth is probably why the VI Department of Education live-streamed the event—the first football championship game held in five years—but as forgiving as I can be for the masses’ absence, I’m not so apologetic for our elected officials.
A month ago, during campaign season, we couldn’t sneeze without a would-be politician catching the residue, but this Friday, they were distant.
Nevertheless, the dedicated and raucous crowd that did attend wasn’t left disappointed as the Rays fought their way to a 34 – 20 victory in what was a battle of the ages.
During their final awe-inspiring and heartbreaking drive, Hawks quarterback James Boschulte threw a pass to the corner of the end zone for wide receiver Jeffery Boschulte, who dived and tried to grasp the ball with his right arm but hit the ground in the attempt.
Incomplete.
The Boschulte boys, both devastated by the failed sequence, stood teary-eyed with their heads bowed while being consoled by their coaches. I’m sure they’ll recover after gaining the wisdom only attained by defeat, a lesson in humility necessary for their growth as future leaders.
In the end, the Rays were just too good. They hoisted Coach Donovan for the victory lap, with their star Verdant leading the chants.
I wish all of you were also there to see him shine amid Friday night’s lights.
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