You might not know that football is America’s most popular sport, but while in Rock Island, you’ll surely be able to tell how much love Rock Island has for it. When looking at the sport of football, Head Coach Fritz Dieudonne and starting wide receiver Davonte Conner see it as more than that. For Coach Fritz ,football has been in his life since his early years of life ,whereas Davonte has just recently come to love the sport. For not just them, but others too, football is more than a sport. Football is a lifestyle. Rock Island, as a whole, has loved football for over 125 years now. Football brings a certain set of people together as a community, with all one thing in common- the pride and passion they have for football.
Davonte and Fritz make it clear how much love and passion they have for the game. Coach Fritz says, “This being the 125th year of football is going to cause lots of people that don’t normally follow Rock Island Football that will follow Rock Island Football begin to love football. You’ve also got alums and people that have been here their whole lives that love the sport as much as I do, which I think is exciting. It brings a sense of unity to the area.” In saying this, it shows how much Coach Fritz loves the game, and how important it is to him. He later goes on to say, “I’ve loved the sport since I was a boy. Football is something that is a part of me and my identity. Without it, who knows where I’d be in life today?” Fritz has a deep adoration for football. He sees it as a part of him and who he is. Much the same as Coach Fritz, Davonte feels as if football is a part of what determines who he is as a person. He says, “Without football, I wouldn’t have the friends I have, know the people I know, act the way I act, or overall, be the person I am today.” This goes to show how much football has an impact on his life, and why he loves it so much. He states multiple times how he “just fell in love with the game.”
While the two of them have the same mindset towards the sport, they both got it in different ways. Davonte has three overall reasons as to why he loves football. The main reason being the position he plays- wide receiver. He even goes as far as to say, “I fell in love with the game because of the happiness being a receiver brought me.” From the perspective of Davonte, he explains, “The thrill and excitement you get after catching the ball, or scoring a touchdown is just a different type of excitement that just can’t be compared to anything else, it’s unmatched… You can only feel it in the moment as a receiver.” In his opinion, the position of the wide receiver is what makes football so enjoyable and special to him. It creates a “sense of excitement” for him. He goes on to say, “It gets my heart pumping. Who doesn’t like a bit of exhilaration?”
While Davonte loves the sport because of the actual playing part, Coach Fritz mainly loves it due to the learning and growing aspect. Coach Fritz feels that this year’s team is “extremely talented” and the only thing that is in the way is themselves. He says, “The talent is there. We just got to get out of our own way.” He also says that if there was one thing he could change about the team is, “The belief in their own talent.” This really shows that Coach Fritz has so much hope and optimism for the team.
Davonte does talk about how the bonds he’s made throughout his years of playing make him love the sport that much more. The coach that he feels has had the biggest impact on him is Coach Reese. He says, “Just from being with him every day, you know? I got to know him like the back of my right hand. I learned how to read him like a book and him for me, as well.” This shows how just a simple bond between player and coaches can affect how they view the sport, how they play, even to how they act as an individual. And the connections he’s made with his teammates is “undescribable” he says. He then goes on to say, “They make practice enjoyable every day. After a bad game, I look forward to improving with my teammates.” This indicates how after a bad game, he is happy to work harder for himself and his teammates, helping out one another. He says he’s made “some of his closest friends through the sport of football.” Despite the characteristic of being friends, he likes the “competitive nature” that they bring to the table. His teammates lead back to why he loves his position so much. “On the other side of the ball is the DB (V’jay Garrad), so the competitiveness between me and him on field, compared to how we are off makes me fall in love with the sport even more.” His teammates and him are both aiming for the same goal, so the consistent motivation throughout the team helps him better improve. He is grateful for his coaches in everything that they’ve done for him throughout the years. “I appreciate my coaches, and even when they yell at us, I can tell it’s out of love. Even despite our losses and mess ups,” he explains. This shows how even through everything, he can tell the coaches are doing what’s best for him. Coach Fritz says, “I had a no nonsense coach. He screamed and yelled but we knew he loved us. I mean he helped us in any way possible, or that he was capable of doing. That’s what I hope for them to see in me.” This implies that he knows he yells and screams at the players a lot, but he wishes for them to know it’s out of love. That he really does love and care for the players, no matter how upset he may get at them. Coach Fritz believes it’s good for the players to understand that they all deserve to be treated the same, and he will do so. He says, “I will scream and yell at the most talented guy. I mean it could be Juice (the QB) and if he messes up, he’s going to get screamed at and yelled at just as much as the last kid on the team that may never play for us. Both will get just about the same amount of consequence.” He later goes on to say, “From our most talented players to the kids that show up for a game or two and quit, they will each get shown the same amount of respect.” This proves how much equality matters to Coach Fritz to make the game the same for everyone. He wants everyone to love the game as much as he does, and he wants to be the one to influence that love.
With this being the 125th anniversary of Rock Island Football, Coach Fritz knows they are going to have a lot of new people watching, and because of this, Coach Fritz hopes for the team to “Meet the Moment”. This means that Fritz has high expectations for this year’s team as he already knows they have it in them. He wishes for them to live up to the fact that it’s such a big year for Rock Island High School Football. He hopes for the players, and even the people watching dive into the history of the program and our high school. He announced the fact that, “There are people that have been here their whole lives that didn’t understand that we’ve been playing football for that long. Or the fact that the stadium is 95 years old, and that it’s actually older than the high school itself. Shining a spotlight on it is causing people to look into the history of the program. It’s exciting.” Coach Fritz feels as if this is even more of a reason to perform better. Fritz wishes that the team will take the statement “Pride Passion and Tradition” with them and grow with that in mind. To him, that quote is a focus on the past, present, and the future of the system
Both see football as a part of themselves. The amount of love, passion, and pride each individual has for the sport shows how important it is to them. Davonte and Coach Fritz both play different roles in the game, yet have the same mindset and goals. The two are both there to win, and grow whether that be growing themselves or helping others to grow and improve. This year is something special not only due to the fact that it’s the 125th year of football, but because of the love the people have for the sport. This year the team will Meet the Moment.
