Unexpected moment leads to a powerful bond between a team and a stranger
As the head coach of the football team of Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis, Levar Johnson II strives to bring out the best in the youths he coaches—as players and people. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
(Editor’s note: With the fall sports season in full swing for Catholic high schools across the archdiocese, The Criterion invited a coach from each school to share the best part of coaching for them—and the moments this season that have brought them pride and joy. Here is the second part of a series. See part one)
By John Shaughnessy
When Levar Johnson II scheduled the trip, he saw it as an opportunity to help his football team get better while also giving him an opportunity to connect with one of his closest friends. He never imagined that the trip would also lead to a powerfully emotional moment that touched everyone involved.
“I’ve shared this story a few times,” says Johnson, the head football coach and assistant athletic director of Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School in Indianapolis. “On June 25, we traveled to my hometown of Elkhart to scrimmage Elkhart High School and Fort Wayne Wayne High School.
“A longtime friend and college roommate’s mother had turned 91 the day before we arrived. Unfortunately, she had been admitted to the hospital that same day due to degenerative heart failure.”
As Johnson’s friend worried about his mother, he also kept a commitment that he had made to Johnson.
“My friend, who owns a family restaurant, agreed to make pizzas for our trip back to Indianapolis,” Johnson notes. “After the scrimmage, we stopped by the restaurant to pick them up, and our team captains went inside to help carry the pizzas and drinks to the bus.
“As we were about to leave, one of our players asked for hand sanitizer. Since we didn’t have any on the bus, I remembered there was a dispenser in the restaurant entrance. I took the player inside to get some, and as we were heading back to the bus, my friend came running out to check if everything was OK. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to introduce him to the team and thank him for the pizzas. What happened next, I’ll let him share in his own words.”
At this point in the story, Johnson shares what his friend, Rico Iavagnilio, posted on his Facebook page the following day.
“A very old and close friend of mine, Levar Johnson, came into town yesterday with his high school football team,” Iavagnilio wrote. “For their trip back to Indy, I made pizzas for the kids to eat on the way home. Levar introduced me to all these young men and then told them about my mom’s situation. These young men, who had just met me and didn’t know me at all, did something that brought me to tears. The entire team prayed for my mom, right there on the spot, in front of me!
“To Levar and to the parents of these young men, thank you! You should be proud of this group—they brightened my day with their kindness. The tears came after I walked off the bus! LOL. Thanks again, Levar!”
Picking up the story again, Johnson notes, “Rico’s mother survived for another two months. Janet Iavagnilio passed away on Wednesday, August 28th, surrounded by family.”
The pain and love that Johnson showed for his friend and the love and pride that he has for his players shines through as Johnson looks back on that moment when thoughts of winning a game faded in comparison to showing concern for someone in need.
“The best part of coaching high school football is watching boys grow into young men,” Johnson says. “My hope is that they leave high school as better individuals than when they arrived, prepared to become productive members of society.
“It’s not always about wins and losses. It’s about teaching young men kindness, compassion and the value of family. I love each and every one of the young men on my team, and the kindness and compassion they showed to a stranger they had just met is the reason I coach.”
A ‘strong foundation of faith, community and leadership being built’
The seeds of a successful season are always planted and start to grow before the first game or race begins.
And a truly successful season in high school sports should always be measured in ways that exceed victories and championships.
Dan Kinghorn has embraced both those beliefs in his 30 years as the head coach of the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis.
To prepare for this year’s fall season, Kinghorn created a special trip for his two teams this summer.
“We traveled to Warren Dunes in Michigan for our team camp,” Kinghorn recalls. “During these three days, we camp at a rustic campground, and athletes run challenging workouts on the trails and dunes.
“These rigorous workouts help develop our runners as more mentally healthy individuals and more supportive teammates, as well as develop invaluable leadership skills that prove to be essential to our team’s success throughout the season—and that athletes are able to incorporate in their lives beyond high school cross country.”
The camp especially provides opportunities for the seniors to grow as leaders, including sharing reflections at each meal that are designed to strengthen the faith of their teammates.
Skits and fun games on the beach also lead to building relationships among team members.
“As a coach, it was awesome to witness the strong foundation of faith, community and leadership being built during our team camp, and to see how those amazing values contribute to our team’s success throughout the season, and in our athletes’ lives after high school.”
For Kinghorn, it’s the essence of what has motivated him as a coach for three decades: “to see kids improve and develop as a runner, a teammate, a leader and a person.”
‘Records don’t mean anything, only heart and the love for the game’
As the first game of the season approached, Nick Burkhardt wasn’t sure what to expect on the field from the co-ed soccer team of Seton Catholic High School in Richmond, but he was already impressed by the players’ preparation and determination.
“We are a very young team with many underclassmen and are in a rebuilding year,” says Burkhardt, the team’s head coach. “These kids came in knowing numbers would be down with seven starters graduating. They went out and recruited the most kids the program has had in the years I have been coaching. They worked hard pushing each other to be prepared for the first game.
“As game day came, they got a quick start and then by half were tied. They came off the field with nothing but hopes of returning to finish the game strong. These kids listened not only to me, but then built on what I said and pushed each other going into the second half.”
The team won that game, setting off a round of joy. Burkhardt was also thrilled for the win—and something even deeper.
“I have always told these kids records don’t mean anything, only heart and the love for the game,” Burkhardt says. “These kids showed me that they understood and proved it to me by giving it their all.
“I love being able to help out and coach these kids on and off the field and lead them to be outstanding young adults.”
‘I will be forever thankful’
In the course of a season, it was a small moment between teammates, but it represents everything that Matthew Condon wants from his players.
“One of my favorite things is watching our returning players build friendships with some new girls on the team—sharing laughs, advice for volleyball, and establishing that strong culture for the group,” says Condon, the girls’ volleyball coach at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis. “The group of girls approach each day eager to learn and get better as a team.
“One moment that sticks out to me would be one of our junior setters helping a new player on the team. During one of our early practices, the junior stopped what she was doing with her warm-up partner and walked through the approach for setting a ball and working on hand placement. I watched as she was patient in explaining this process and offered some positive reinforcement during their time together.
“It opened my eyes to the great attitude our girls have of coaching each other up when an obstacle appears, but it also establishes that team camaraderie that every coach strives for in a season.”
Such moments are the measure of success for Condon in his first year as the team’s head coach.
“The best part of coaching for me would be the bonds built with the athletes and the growth they show over the course of the season,” he says. “Regardless of the win/loss record, I will forever be thankful for the girls believing in me as a coach, but also believing in each other that they can accomplish their goals.” †
