Two-way star Greg Izedonmwen leads charge to defend Randolph High's Super Bowl title
RANDOLPH – The last time Greg Izedonmwen buckled in for an official game, it was at Gillette Stadium for the Div. 8 Super Bowl against Hull on Dec. 1.
With Randolph High's first-ever state title on the line at the height of all stakes, he had the best performance of his high school career (yet, at least). A pair of second-half interceptions delivered the once-overlooked Blue Devils a dramatic 20-14 win, a landmark in program history.
“I feel like I’ll remember it for my whole life,” said Izedonmwen, now a rising senior.
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A defensive back and running back hybrid, Izedonmwen also took his 12 carries in the Super Bowl win and cashed them in for 76 yards.
The two-way stardom of 2022 graduate Malik White in the Super Bowl (a game-winning blocked punt for a touchdown and 24 carries for 110 yards) will likely lead the legend-telling of that game, but don't exclude Izedonmwen. He was a key contributor among a defensive cast that held Hull scoreless in the second half.
“Greg is the spark plug on the team,” said head coach Jonathan Marshall. “He’s such a unique player in that people look and him and dismiss him on his size, but that kid’s heart is absolutely huge. His mind for the game of football is incredibly impressive.”
Izedonmwen was named Team MVP at the Blue Devils' postseason banquet and on top of being a team captain, he is also a member of the peer leadership program at Randolph High.
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“I feel like this year, (I'm) just coming in and doing my part helping us win. Whatever that takes – whether its coaching up a younger guy or going in to make a play on fourth-and-10," Izedonmwen said. "Whatever it is.”
“Greg has fought through a lot to get himself onto the field and I’m really proud of the work he’s done," added Marshall. "He’s an important part on the field, but also off the field too.”
After a 1-6 season in 2020, Randolph ripped off an 8-4 record in 2021 -- a run that also featured long-distance, marquee wins over Lee, Oxford and second-seeded Ware in the Div. 8 postseason bracket en route to the Super Bowl.
Calling it a longshot may fly for those on the outside looking in, but the Blue Devils are doing all they can to keep the fire roaring in 2022.
“One of our phrases last year was, ‘Leave no doubt’ and I think that’s what we go into this season with," Marshall said. "Leave no doubt that the state championship, the first in school history, wasn’t lightning in a bottle. That it was a result of our process of being dedicated in practice, in the classroom and in the offseason – not just one win on Dec. 1.”
“That Super Bowl win – I feel like after we won, we got back on the bus still hungry. And even now, we’re still hungry,” said senior Chris Paul, who returns as the leader of both lines. “It didn’t make us satisfied or make us want to sit back and relax. We’re just right back into it, ready to go.”
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The good news for the Blue Devils: Marshall estimates the largest senior class in recent memory (14 players) returns to defend the title. The trouble, though, is that nine impactful seniors from last year (including White, Sebastian Jouissance, Paul Goggin, Shaquan Rush, Evans Appiah, Malek Bailey and Ruben Toledo) departed in the graduation ceremony this past spring. Marshall said on top of on-field performance, they offered some of the team's loudest leadership voices.
With the first game against Triton Regional on Sept. 9 (6 p.m.) fast-approaching, Marshall and the Blue Devils are aware of how winning the Super Bowl shifted the team perception.
“We recognize that it puts a target on us, that we know we’re going to get every team’s best effort. That’s a great motivating factor to us," said Marshall. "Certainly the South Shore League is full of some of the best teams around when you look at who was representing in the state championship games (Cohasset, Hull, Rockland and Abington).”
Are they up to the challenge?
“I like it," Marshall said. "A lot of the kids like it. I’ve had a great response from the kids knowing in the offseason that we’re going to get the best (competition). We had a lot of kids doing spring sports to get themselves ready. We had a great summer workout with about 30 kids coming to every single weight room session."
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He added, “That pressure has served as a privilege for us to know that we’ve got to get our minds and bodies right as we go into the season.”
Senior quarterback Gardy Augustin returns to manage a run-heavy offense that is likely to spotlight the agility of Izedonmwen, senior Makhi Barnes and senior Isaiah Michel out of the backfield. Augustin can also make plays in the ground game himself.
Randolph also welcomes junior Chris Cavino, who moved from Holbrook, to its depth of linemen. He joins Paul, Edmond McKenzie and Jay Glenn as projected starters. Sophomore Amahn Williams, whose brother Eljon is a Randolph football alum, senior Vidnic Bembeleza and Nate Gomes are also improved players from a season ago.
“Our best team in Randolph history still had four losses last year against some really good teams so we still have places we need to grow," said Marshall.
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Due to a smaller roster size (approximately 35 on varsity), a lot of the starters will play on both sides of the ball. Michel also plays safety and the linemen go both ways. The Randolph defense stiffened up in the 2021 playoffs, surrendering nine points to Lee and just six to Oxford.
“I’m very confident that our defense is going to be great this year," Paul said. "We had a spectacular defense once we started clicking (last year) and I feel like once we click with this defense, we might actually excel our defense from last year, I believe. As long as we keep working hard, play together and keep showing up to practice with great attendance, you’ll see a good season out of us.”
Among other preseason notes, Randolph will welcome a full junior varsity team as early as the varsity team hits the field, something Marshall said "hasn't happened before." He also added former several former Blue Devils to his coaching staff: Aaron Christian, who will oversee receivers and defensive backs, linebacker coach Fernando Rodriguez, linemen coach Mike Jordan-Robinson. They join longtime assistants Lou Ottaviani and Rick Goggin.
Mix it all together and Marshall is hoping the winning ways circle Randolph High once again this fall.
“I think what makes this team so special is that it’s the first team to defend a title here. That’s something that’s never happened before,” said Marshall. “People always say you were under the radar, you surprised them. Now, it’s not a surprise to anybody.
“At the end of the day, we can look ourselves in the mirror and understand, ‘Did we live up to those expectations or did we come short?’ It all starts and ends with everybody’s own ownership and accountability.”
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week 1: Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Triton Regional, 6:00 p.m.
Week 2: Friday, Sept. 16 at Millis, 6:00 p.m.
Week 3: Friday, Sept. 23 at Cathedral, 6:00 p.m.
Week 4: Friday, Sept. 30 vs. Hull, 6:00 p.m.
Week 5: Thursday, Oct. 6 at Carver, 6:00 p.m.
Week 6: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. David Prouty High, 6:00 p.m.
Week 7: Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. Cohasset, 7:00 p.m.
Week 8: Friday, Oct. 28 at Mashpee, 6:00 p.m.
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KEY MATCHUPS
Everybody loves a rematch between two former Super Bowl opponents, right? The Week 4 stand-off with Hull immediately jumps off the page. Throw in a matchup against another South Shore League foe that won a state title of its own last year, Cohasset, and the Blue Devils' schedule is headlined by noteworthy, recognizable faces. Familiarity, though it's intriguing, doesn't diminish the challenge.
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS
Greg Izedonmwen, senior DB/RB
Chris Paul, senior OL/DL
Edmund McKenzie, senior OL/DL
Gardy Augustin, senior QB
Mahki Barnes, senior RB
Chris Cavino, junior OL/DL
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Greg Izedonmwen leads Randolph's defense of first Super Bowl title
