Alleman Catholic High School in Rock Island, a past football powerhouse in the Quad Cities, is dealing with fumbles and looking to score again.
The private school is facing a shrinking football program, lopsided scores on the gridiron, and recent announcement that it will only field a Junior Varsity team next year as they seek to rebuild. But Alleman’s football faithful – as well as its current administration, coaches and families – are betting on a big comeback.
Alleman – along with its feeder junior high football program – is teaming up with First Army (headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal) for a physical fitness and teambuilding event modeled on the Army’s legendary first day of boot camp, “The First 100 Yards,” according to a Tuesday release.
The event, which will take place at 3:45 p.m., May 8, at Rock Island Arsenal, will emphasize physical fitness, strength training and mental toughness. But, above all, America’s Soldiers will partner with the football players on effective team building – even during the hardest of times, even when victory seems far off and uncertain, the school announced.
“Yes, things have been tough for us for a couple years, but we’re on our way back,” said Adam Bain, head coach of the 8th-grade Junior Pioneers football program that feeds into Alleman High School. “Our junior programs are big, talented and growing fast. These kids will bring back varsity football at Alleman. They will bring back championships.
“The sign on our field shows 16 Western Big 6 Championships since 1984 and five trips to the state championship game,” he said. “We’re going to add to those tallies.”
The Rock Island Arsenal event will organize some 120 future Alleman football players into squads and put them through Army-themed physical fitness challenges and stations: crawls under obstacles; team sled pulls; weighted stretcher carries; a simulated grenade course; and, naturally, a run along the Mississippi River with drill instructors chanting cadence.
Alleman’s high school players will act as squad leaders, motivating the young troops who will follow in their footsteps and be the future of the program.
Charlie Jagusah, Alleman Class of 2023 Offensive Tackle, will speak to the youth about his experience the last two years on the field: winning rarely; staying the course; inspiring his teammates – then going on to be named one of the top high school recruits in the nation and earning a full-ride scholarship to play football at Notre Dame next year.
Soldiers on Rock Island Arsenal have long supported and sent kids to area Quad Cities schools, and they were thrilled to get this request from Alleman, a school with a strong history of military service, the Tuesday release said.
First Army Acting Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mark Landes and First Army Command Sergeant Major John McDwyer will attend and speak with students and their parents, said a First Army release. They will emphasize the call to service – be that on athletics teams, within your school or to the nation. Alleman has invited their football faithful to attend, including school graduates who are veterans.
Many former Alleman graduates have attended West Point in recent years. Alleman and QC track standout Alexandra Cajigal, whose father was a senior officer in First Army while stationed at Rock Island Arsenal, will graduate from the Army’s national academy this spring. Alleman has invited fans, graduates, veterans and families to come out to watch this event and cheer on their kids.
The Army, too, has found itself facing shrinking numbers in recent years, with top defense officials saying recruiting rates have not been so low since the end of the Vietnam War. While players are going through their event, Army recruiters, senior leaders and ROTC cadre will be on hand to talk to parents or anyone interested in learning about Army service.
They will provide information about educational benefits, college scholarships, leadership opportunities, and the nation’s growing need for a generation willing to serve in uniform, especially during a time of increasing global unrest.
“How perfect is it that the Army’s boot camp is called ‘The First 100 Yards’?” Bain (the 8th-gade coach) asked. “We’ve both got that big ‘A’ in our logo – our football program has always focused on teaching standards and discipline and building a ‘Band of Brothers’, so we already speak the Army’s language. Sometimes you must walk through adversity to find greatness. Over the past 20 years, America’s Soldiers have truly lived that.”
“This is the beginning of the comeback,” he said. “Everyone likes a Cinderella story, and the Quad Cities will witness one at Alleman in the coming years. We’re a faith-centered school, and I have absolute faith in what we’re building here.”
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