title tradition starts at table

You don’t have to be related to sit down together for a regular meal. Just look at the championship traditions that fuel the Driscoll Catholic Highlanders of Addison, Ill. This suburban Chicago high school football team has won a record six consecutive state championships. I don’t think the whole secret is in Mike Burzawa’s game plan. I think part of the secret is in the power of tradition.

At a cost of about $500 a week during the football season a team of football moms gets together to prepare a weekly dinner, as well as a breakfast on game day.

“We serve pasta, chicken, bread, salad, and our super special secret cake that one mom has made every week for about 10 years,” a proud Highlander mom wrote me. “It’s awesome!

“Sometimes the dinners are held at a player's house, sometimes at school. It doesn’t matter where. They are all very warmly appreciated.”

On game day after morning prayer, the team lines up for the breakfast buffet. Just as Coach Burzawa guards the secrets of the game plan, none of these moms is going to give up the secrets of the menu that has fueled so many title runs.

“Can’t tell anyone what we serve for breakfast along with bagels, muffins, cereal, breads etc. ...,” the Highlander mom wrote. “Each year varies just a little bit, but we always make sure that the boys get what they want.

“One year, Justin would only eat Lucky Charms before a game, so someone was in charge of making sure that there was always a box of Lucky Charms for him. Last year I was in charge of making sure Dave always had extra cream cheese. One year, we were not allowed to serve purple Gatorade!

“We serve them … wait on them, even dote on them. And yes, it is worth every single minute,” she continued. These gatherings are as important to the players as they are to the parents who support them. It is a special time together that has become an important thread in an amazing football tapestry. And this mom found an added bonus.

“When my son became a teenager, I thought for sure that he wouldn't even acknowledge my presence in public," she wrote. "Let alone give me a hug or a kiss. But our boys don't mind. They stand in line to give the moms a hug and to say thank you. No one cares that it isn't 'cool' to show affection to us. It's really a beautiful thing.”