By comparison, the task seems almost miniscule.
Overcoming the loss of 18 starters to remain one of the top high school football teams in the state of Maryland? Mervo has recently overcome far greater challenges than that.
Last year, with their season teetering on the brink of total collapse, the Mustangs overcame the shocking death of teammate Elijah Gorham and delivered the first state championship in the school’s football history.
“Just to see everybody having something to smile about and be proud of and really enjoy, it temporarily eased our souls having that win,” Mervo coach Patrick Nixon said of the 22-13 victory against Dundalk in the MPSSAA Class 4A/3A championship game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis Dec. 2.
The challenge this season will be formidable. There will be a new starter in just about every position, though many of the returning players received playing time last season.
“That’s the crazy thing about people saying we can’t do it again,” said Sterling Thomas, a senior captain who will fill the starting role at middle linebacker this season. “We were stacked at every position. I guess we are going to have to prove them wrong with how we play on the field. That’s all we can do.”
Nothing will compare to overcoming the death of Gorham, a 5-foot-9 senior receiver and defensive back. Players cried in the locker room after games and practices, Nixon said. There were various times when Mervo seriously considered shutting down the season to allow the team and the community to mourn, according to the coach. Therapists were called in to help the players cope.
“His mother was amazing,” Nixon said. “Once we were able to see how strong she was under the circumstances, we knew we had to be strong as well.”
No one could have foreseen Gorham’s death, which was the result of “a freak accident,” Nixon said.
Gorham leapt to catch a pass in a Saturday afternoon game against Dunbar on Sept. 18 before landing awkwardly. Nixon said it appeared he had the wind knocked out of him.
But Gorham’s condition worsened. He was taken to a local hospital, where he spent close to a month in an unconscious state before passing away at the age of 17.
The cause of death was determined to be a traumatic head injury, Nixon said.
“No one can really explain or understand what really happened,” the coach said. “It wasn’t a typical football injury.”
That day, Mervo fell to Dunbar, the eventual unbeaten 2A/1A state champion, 48-46. It might have dinged the Mustangs’ confidence, but they were still very much one of the city’s most talented teams and a state title contender.
Mervo won the rest of its games in blowout fashion to reach its first state final. The Mustangs’ closest game during that stretch was a 24-0 home win against Digital Harbor.
Thomas said the team had a renewed sense of purpose and direction following Gorham’s death.
“It made us realize and understand that football is more than a sport. It’s actually like a brotherhood,” he said. “You can really get something out of it if you put your all into it.”
In the 4A/3A championship game, Mervo fell behind Dundalk 13-0 before rallying to win. The Mustangs finished the season 11-1.
“I don’t know if it was meant to be,” said Rodney Judkins, a senior who will be the team’s starting left tackle this season. “I felt like we had to win it [for Gorham]. There was no other way about going about it. We had to do it for him.”
Memories of Gorham will be a prominent part of this upcoming season for Mervo, as it takes aim at a second consecutive state title. Players will wear No. 7 stickers on their helmets in honor of the number Gorham wore and 7 Strong T-shirts underneath their uniforms.
The Mustangs will try to do him proud with their performance on the field, even if there are a few growing pains along the way.
“The guys seem to be taking on the humble approach,” said Nixon, who also serves as Mervo’s athletic director. “They know they don’t know it all, and they know they have big shoes to fill. The guys know they have a lot to prove. So, they are hungry. That’s going to make it fun.”
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