GBN Jr. Spartan Football & Cheer, Inc. wrapped its winter clinic season and anticipates autumn when youth tackle football, flag football and cheerleading have season openers.
The winter clinic is considered the organization’s most ambitious off-season program yet with the 501(c)3 youth athletic program including Northwestern University Wildcats and Canadian Football League expertise.
The Sunday afternoon format began in early January at Glenbrook North High School (GBN) in Northbrook inside the school’s fieldhouse. The last clinic (April 7) was outdoors at William Lutz Stadium.
Take the field. Right, in an orange “Take The field” t-shirt, Owen Carlos, 12, a Northbrook seventh-grader, is among young athletes taking part in a GBN Jr. Spartan Football clinic at William Lutz Stadium at Glenbrook North High School on April 7, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
GBN Jr. Spartan Football & Cheer relies on volunteer support, said Bob Anderson of Northbrook, program director, a stipend position.
Anderson estimates approximately 100 youth (mostly boys with possibly girls) will join tackle football with about 85 children in cheerleading this fall (cheer launched 13 years ago).
Flag football will have 275 boys with the girls flag program at 100 girls. A girls flag football camp was held this spring for the first time with large attendance.
Center, Ben Wrather, a Northwestern University senior and offensive lineman from Powell, Ohio, works with young athletes during a GBN Jr. Spartan Football clinic at William Lutz Stadium at Glenbrook North High School on April 7, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
Practice starts Aug. 20 for cheerleaders who cheer for tackle and flag home games.
“I think football’s alive and well,” Anderson said. “I think that a lot of people look at our program as a community program and that’s why we have over 500 kids that are going to play in our program in some way, shape or form in the fall.
“We can’t survive without our many volunteers,” Anderson said.
The regular season for the tackle program (grades second to eighth) runs Aug. 5 through early November. Flag football runs from early September to the end of October.
The tackle program is part of the TCYFL, The Chicagoland Youth Football League. According to https://www.tcyfl.net, the TCYFL is the largest independent youth tackle football league in the United States with players from southeastern Wisconsin, Lake County and Cook County municipalities such as Evanston and Glenview.
The Jr. Spartan football program began in 1995.
On April 7, Northwestern Wildcats football players conducted drills in 47-degree conditions.
“It’s definitely football weather for sure, it’s nice,” said Miles Crutchley of Scottsdale, Arizona, Northwestern Wildcats linebacker.
Richie Hagarty, defensive end for the Northwestern University football team, and from New Palestine, Indiana works with young athletes at a GBN Jr. Spartan Football clinic on William Lutz Stadium at Glenbrook North High School on April 7, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
“This is what football is meant to be played in,” Crutchley said.
Cam Porter from Cincinnati, Ohio and Al Kunickis from Lemont, both Wildcats running backs, taught blocking skills.
Being here is, “awesome, it’s just teaching the youth,” Kunickis said with a smile. “I love it.”
Porter said mentoring youth, “just means a lot because obviously I was their age at one point and being able to give back.
“That’s what it’s all about, is giving back.
“The game of football is a beautiful game and I think that the youth, learning it and growing with it, and learning the lessons that come from it, is important,” Porter said.
Richie Hagarty, Wildcats defensive end from New Palestine, Indiana, said, “It’s the key fundamentals to teach them young, you have to do that to instill the values at a young age.
“You want to teach them from the ground up,” Hagarty said.
“We were all in this position once so starting here, we understand it, we came from it, it’s a key fact that you need to do so it’s really important to teach them young and to teach them right when they’re young,” Hagarty said.
Volunteer Ted Gaty of Northbrook, Jr. Spartan board president and coach, said, “This is what our program is actually all about.
“The wins and losses on the field are fine but what the kids remember is the practices, the coaches, their teammates, the experiences like this,” Gaty said.
Casey Levy, 13, a Northbrook seventh-grader, handles the ball during a GBN Jr. Spartan Football clinic at William Lutz Stadium at Glenbrook North High School on April 7, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
Northbrook facility TCBOOST Sports Performance, “has been a critical partner to us and has offered free and discounted services to us,” Gaty said.
Wildcat players represent TrueNU, a 501(c)3 organization, official partner of Northwestern Athletics.
TrueNU, “enables community-minded NU student-athletes to do well while doing good” with a goal, “to shape the next generation of influential leaders and philanthropists while nurturing a culture of community service,” according to https://truenu.org.
“TrueNU exists to connect the time, talents, and influence of Northwestern student-athletes with local charity partners, like GBN Jr. Spartans,” said Jacob Schmidt, TrueNU executive director.
“We’ve had a really fun winter coaching and mentoring these kids and look to grow our impact this spring and beyond,” Schmidt said.
Juwan Brescacin, winter clinic wide receiver coach, played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League and was on the Northern Illinois University Huskies football team.
“They’re great kids, they want to learn, they want to get better, and that’s all you can really ask for,” Brescacin said.
“Champions are made in the off season.” Young athletes receive instruction at a GBN Jr. Spartan Football clinic on William Lutz Stadium turf at Glenbrook North High School on April 7, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
The GBN Spartans football team has players signed to Northwestern Wildcats football who Matt Purdy, GBN head football coach, coached.
“The value of the Jr. Spartan coaches, administration, and players is endless,” Purdy said.
“They are developing the future of our high school program.
“The Jr. Spartans are our future and I am extremely excited to be a part of that organization and look forward to every opportunity I have to work with their coaches and watch the future of our program complete,” Purdy said.
Evan Lazarou, 13, a Northbrook seventh-grader, will attend GBN, the home of the Spartans. Sportsmanship to Evan means, “just being a good player to the other team and to your team.”
Ty Raju, also 13 and a seventh-grader from Northbrook, said about the Jr. Spartans, “It’s a good program, a lot of good coaches.”
A Spartan means having, “that Spartan pride, having that pride within yourself to be a Spartan and that starts when you’re young…being part of the community, being part of the Spartan community,” Bob Anderson said.
“We have a tremendous amount of support.”
Visit https://www.gbnjrspartan.com.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
