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Berkley Steelers fans cheer on the team during the game.
Photo by Erin Sanchez
BERKLEY — Watching them on the field, it’s difficult to know whether you’re watching the Berkley Steelers or the reincarnation of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers that won four Super Bowls behind “The Steel Curtain.”
A tough, physical football team that exhausts its opponents in the trenches, the Berkley Steelers, who compete in the Oakland/Macomb Youth Football Association, have won three Super Bowls in the last five seasons across their four age groups.
The age groups consist of flag (6-7), freshman (8-9), junior varsity (10-11) and varsity (12-13), and this year it was the junior varsity’s time to step up and add to the trophy room.
Holding a 7-1 regular season record, the Steelers went head-to-head with the unbeaten North Farmington/West Bloomfield Vikings on Nov. 5 at Hurley Field in Berkley.
Coincidently, the Pittsburgh Steelers started their 1970s dynasty with a Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings in 1974. Like the 1974 Steelers, who edged the Vikings 16-6, the Berkley Steelers dominated on every level en route to a 21-0 win.
Scoring 21 or more in their last seven matchups and allowing eight or fewer points in their last four, it’s safe to say Berkley was at its peak down the stretch.
“One thing about this team is that we never stopped getting better,” Steelers coach John Apostol said. “At the end of the year, we were playing our best football. That’s a testament to the kids. They were dedicated and came to each practice focused and ready to go.”
Steelers running back Cameron Madison was named most valuable player this year after posting 1,165 rushing yards, 25 total touchdowns, and a team-high 67 tackles on the defensive side.
Madison said there was one part of his game that improved this season.
“It was my confidence,” Madison said. “Last year on JV, I saw other people that were bigger than me. I wasn’t so sure that I was the best player on the field, but I had that mentality that I want to be the best player on the field.”
Teague Hancock manned the Steelers offensive and defensive line, finishing first on the team in sacks (4) and second in tackles (46). Henry Jerdine led the team with five interceptions.
Apostol said winning the battle in the trenches played a vital role this season for his squad.
“Our lines, both offensively and defensively, really dominated games,” Apostol said. “We ran the ball, and ran the ball, and ran the ball, and we wore teams down that way. On defense, we had penetration, and no one could really do much with our front line. Our front lines were dominant.”
Now holding four Super Bowl trophies in the past six years, the Steelers are a program that has built a winning formula, and it does it on the shoulders of its veteran leaders.
“I think the thing that took us from being a good team to a great team is that our best players were our hardest workers,” Apostol said. “That makes such a huge difference because all the other kids follow them. I think that was really what it was.”
Berkley Steelers players
• Jamire Johnson
• Joshua Carson
• Amir Green
• David Ramey
• Cameron Madison
• Grayson Courser
• Aidan Madison
• Johan Mayes
• Asher Meisner
• Rollen Estmond
• Alexzander Marmelshtein
• Ethan Madison
• Kenneth James
• Isaac Bontekoe
• Austin Osantowski
• Henry Jerdine
• Riley Wright
• Mason Sprinkle
• Kassir McWilliams
• Cruze Akers
• Luke Yalda
• Maddox Husband
• Xander Whitson
• Maxwell Turner
• Carter Bock
• Teague Hancock
• Harlem Oriol
• Carter French
• Charles Pearson
• William Pasanen
• Derrick Simpson
• Carter Harris-Metcalf
• Wyatt Arney
• Liam Sanders
• Charles Dienes
