By Bryan Rothamel / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Louisa County’s football team made headlines across the state when the VHSL granted just a one-year waiver to allow the team to wear individually assigned character traits on the back of its jersey instead of surnames. In its request, Louisa insisted the traits on the jersey meant more than just football.
After the week Job Whalen had, he became the definition of the trait on the back of his jersey.
Whalen wears the trait strength on his jersey Friday night and in his life the rest of the week.
Friday night against Monacan, Whalen led all rushers with 33 attempts and 185 yards, giving him 1,573 yards on the season. He scored two touchdowns. His name was called more than anyone else after starting quarterback and leading Louisa rusher Malik Bell was out with injury.
Louisa’s single-wing offense depends on hard-nosed, physical running. Every play the defense can stack eight, nine, even all 11 defenders in the box anticipating a run. Despite running most of the night with defenders and blockers clashing all around him, Whalen had just one run for a loss.
The performance alone qualifies for the definition of strength. But when head coach Mark Fischer looked at the young man and considered his week, he smiled when he realized Whalen’s jersey said strength. And it had nothing to do with Whalen’s football stats.
Whalen’s mother Joanne passed away in the past week. He didn’t shy away from the football field but kept practicing and kept smiling. It didn’t go unnoticed by Fischer who handed Whalen the game ball after Friday’s game.
Fischer didn’t even mention Whalen’s trait plate but when asked about it, he shook his head in disbelief.
“Pretty ironic? How fitting the good lord worked that out, it was not by design or anything else. He’s the epitome of strength. I never really looked up to a kid that inspires me like he does.
“If you knew this young man like I do, he’s going to be just an incredible man. He is the strongest human being I know. There is no other way around it,” said Fischer.
After the game Whalen got hugs and flowers from the fellow students. He was joined by family and friends as he walked off the field to end his junior year.
“I just wanted to play my hardest for my teammates and my mom,” said Whalen. He went on to talk about how the team was close and bonded well throughout the season.
Friday night, the final score showed a Louisa loss. But in the category of strength, Whalen definitely got all the points.
Next year when the VHSL tries to enforce the ‘surnames only’ rule, it can look at what a young man playing football can do when he becomes the definition of a trait assigned to him months before. And it has nothing to do with the yards he put up this year.
