Meadowcreek's spirit prevails over losing streak

“He looks forward to seeing it again,’’ Darlene said. “He looks forward to it every Friday night — right after the game in the car. These kids here play for the love of the game. I have not seen such genuine spirit than the spirit I’ve seen at Meadowcreek.’’

If not for spirit and love of the game, Meadowcreek’s football team might have nothing at all. It’s a program on a 26-game losing streak. The most recent victory, against Duluth in 2008, ended a 43-game losing streak. That’s 1-for-70.

Yet this is the program that Chandler McCoy hand-picked. He was playing for Parkview last season, but he wanted playing time in the spread offense. He’s a starter at his new school.

Meadowcreek has a new head coach, its fourth in four seasons. Deario Grimmage’s job might be the hardest of its kind in the state. The school is rich in diversity but poor in football experience.

About half of Meadowcreek’s students are Hispanic, another 13 percent Asian.

And Meadowcreek plays in brutal Region 7-AAAAA, perhaps the area’s toughest.

This year, Grimmage started a ninth-grade team. About two-thirds of its players are playing football for the first time, many born in other countries.

“The great thing about Meadowcreek is we’re introducing the sport of football to other cultures,’’ Grimmage said. “It’s diverse — Latino, Asian, African-American. They’re learning the game. They’re hitting the weight room. They’re excited.’’

Grimmage talks proudly of a sophomore guard named Brandon Gocool who now bench-presses well over 200 pounds, almost twice what he could do a year ago. Gocool is from the Philippines.

Then there’s Anthony Thomas, a 275-pound lineman who could play in college. From the Virgin Islands, he’s been playing football for two years.

A couple hundred fans, mostly parents, are faithful to attend even hopeless road games like this one. Another holding a camera Friday night was Marnez Ogletree. His son, Art Ogletree, is a junior defensive back.

“These kids, they love each other; they’ve got good team spirit, and they just play hard, man,’’ Ogletree said.

“The parents, we’re going to support them. Ten years from now, they won’t know their record.’’

Abdul Steele says that his son, Alex Steele, is one of only three juniors who have come up through Meadowcreek’s feeder team from middle school.

“The rest have gone on to the Tuckers, the Norcrosses,’’ he said. “Because our school has not had the backing, we lose a lot of players.’’

His son, a running back and linebacker who has been on the varsity since the ninth grade, was different.

“There was just something about Meadowcreek that he wanted to be a part of,’’ Steele said. “He loved his friends.’’

In Grimmage, Meadowcreek hopes it has found stability. He was a Meadowcreek assistant last year and twice has been named the assistant coach of the year in Gwinnett County, once for his current school, once at Shiloh.

“The players are here,’’ Grimmage said. “Every school has players. We’ve just got to nourish those kids and put them in the right places and give them stability.

“They’re here.’’