11/18/2019
To everyone,
I remember a conversation I had with Michelle early in August when she asked me how my team looked and I responded, “we have something special this year”. I knew from the first time I saw our official roster that we were going to do something extraordinary. I never imagined it would be playing in the Eastern Regional Championship game in New Jersey, a place no Tri-Valley team has ever played. This year was by far the most successful season for me as a coach, and one of the most successful for Rome C**ts in a long time.
I find great joy in teaching the game to these boys and instilling a passion for the sport I grew up playing, watching, & loving. I hope every one of your sons carries that passion with them as they move forward in life. I hope each one of them remembers what we did this year, and I hope I made it memorable for each of you parents as well. I tried to express to the boys over the past few weeks how special and unique it is to achieve such levels of success in this game. I tried to express to them to seize this opportunity and cherish it because these types of teams, and seasons don’t happen often.
In all my years of football; pop warner, high school, college, and my years coaching here, I’ve lost my fair share of games. Some hurt more than others. And as much as today’s loss hurt, it doesn’t hurt as much as the acceptance that we as a team will never play another down together again. I won’t get to watch them run gassers as a team again. I won’t hear their Rome C**t chant. I won’t get to watch them storm the game field together during introductions. I won’t get to hear them say “Coach Martelli” again. But as they say, "all great things must come to an end".
So here’s to another memorable season, and may your boys remember it as much as I will.
