‘Total reversal’: Hamilton combines seventh-grade football team for undefeated season

Combined team from Garfield, Wilson middle schools finishes 7-0

Rodney Wilson was hopeful his Hamilton seventh grade football team would be more competitive after combining the Garfield and Wilson middle school squads last year, but he never knows what to expect from the upcoming class of elementary graduates.

An 8-0 finish this fall was a pleasant surprise.

Hamilton’s first combined seventh grade team in 2019 went 3-5 but was competitive in every game, Wilson said. This year’s group took the next step toward success and went beyond what any previous Hamilton seventh grade team, combined or not, had done. Only one other team from the two middle schools has gone undefeated, according to what Wilson could find – Garfield once produced a 7-0 record.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Wilson said. “At the beginning of the year, we had kind of a voluntary camp the kids could come to, to help them get in shape, so I didn’t know many of the kids. I’ve been the seventh-grade coach for four years now and I never know who’s coming up from sixth grade, so it was a total shock to me. It was kind of like at practice, you put your team together, and then you get into games and you say, this is what we have? The first year (combined) we competed, not many teams beat us bad, but this year was a total reversal.”

Wilson said the team wasn’t just winning games this year. Several games were lopsided scores, like a 32-8 win over Sycamore in Week 7 and a 36-20 win over GMC powerhouse Colerain to cap the season.

Garfield and Wilson middle schools combined last year as participation had dropped and the two separate teams were having trouble competing with other schools in the conference that weren’t split into different squads. The hope is that a more successful middle school program will help keep players in the system, so the high school eventually benefits.

Players start out in the Little Blue and Hamilton Saints feeder programs.

“Any kid growing up in Hamilton knows they are going to go to a high school team that’s going to be successful and we want to carry that into a winning tradition at the junior high level,” Hamilton High School coach Nate Mahon said. “We want to get them in that winning mentality so they can put the pads on in high school and continue to have that success.”

Mahon and his staff stays connected to the middle school teams, and he was able to see four of their games this year. He looks forward to seeing the group on his field in a few years.

“To me, they looked well-coached and organized,” Mahon said. “They had a sophisticated offense and defense. The offensive line was a big group, and they had a couple good running backs and a quarterback that allowed them to be able to throw and run the ball on offense, which I think is ahead of the curve in junior high football.”

The team also is coached by defensive coordinator Kevin Hutson, assistant Bradley Hall and assistant Montez Lee.

Coach Wilson said there was a lot of raw talent on the team, which rostered 38 kids, and many of the offensive weapons also were among the best defenders. The offense was led by quarterback Rocco Milazzo, running backs Armani Bell, Keegan Aldridge and Christopher Bryant Jr., and wide receivers Jordan Bryant and Adam Holstein.

“I had some athletes that could play the game, you just show them what to do and they do it at a high level,” Wilson said.

Wilson, who serves as the School Resource Officer at Garfield, grew up in Hamilton and just wants to help give students an outlet to keep them active and potentially pave a path to college, while also teaching helpful life lessons.

“We want to show that if you build good character and do things the right way, you get rewarded,” Wilson said. “It was a good group of kids this year. Hopefully they can continue to see success, and when they go to the same high school eventually, they see the benefits there too.”

ROSTER

Garfield: Keegan Aldridge, Malaki Berry, Eron Brantley, Tommy Brundidge, Christopher Bryant, Douglas Dick, Zachary Gibbs, Mason Holbrook, William Johnson, Jayden Knowles, Rocco Milazzo, Riley Robertson, Kaleb Ross, Kylen Ruff, Tommy Southard, Dominic Southern

Wilson: Armani Bell, Bryson Bowling, Eckley Bridges, Jaquis Brown, Jordan Bryant, Wyman Carr, Grady Dollenmeyer, Triston Fath, Robert Flack, Seth Fulton, Aiden Gambrel, Jah’kerrione Gilbert, Gaige Gray, Adam Holstein, Jayden Lewis, Carter Mull, Clayton Pauley, Jett Phillips, Coda Smith, Liam Steele, Karter Valines, Jonathan Wagonfield

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