Chris Oliver knew something was seriously wrong.
As a junior linebacker for Coolidge last season, the 6-foot, 185-pounder played three quarters during a game against Anacostia with a searing pain in his elbow. He shook it off and made several key tackles anyway. A week spent icing the injury allowed Oliver to somehow play the following game against Wilson, too.
The pain became too much, however, and within days Oliver learned he was playing with a broken elbow. It wasn’t until doctors fit him with the cast that would end his season that Oliver finally broke down in tears.
“I knew I was done and that was the hardest part to take,” said Oliver, who is helping the resurgent Colts turn some heads in the DCIAA this season at 3-0. “I missed the game with Dunbar that was on ESPN and had to watch my friends play without me. That’s why I’m just enjoying this year as much as I can.”
A pair of comeback wins against schools in West Virginia — John Marshall and Parkersburg South — and a forfeited victory over Eastern last week has Coolidge thinking Turkey Bowl. And while there are plenty of landmines still in the way — notably H.D. Woodson and Dunbar — it doesn’t seem so farfetched for a team that won just three games in 2006.
“We want to prove it’s our year,” said senior wide receiver/defensive back Josh Brooks, who has drawn recruiting interest from West Virginia and Syracuse. “People keep saying we’re [undefeated] because we beat some sorry teams outside D.C. So we’re going to have to beat some teams here for people to take us seriously.”
The defense starts with Oliver, who admits he would never have started last year if not for the transfer of six talented seniors from Coolidge to eventual DCIAA champion Ballou, including linebackers Romale Tucker and Quincey Porter.
Instead, Oliver gained valuable experience before his injury. It’s a long way from his freshman year when teammates dubbed the skinny, 115-pound Oliver “Harry Potter” because he wore coke bottle glasses and was an excellent student. The nickname stuck even after three years in the weight room.
“He’s our hype guy, always playing with passion no matter what,” Brooks said. “When we found out he was playing that whole time with a broken elbow I just remember thinking ‘that’s a warrior, right there.’”
Wizard of D.C.
» Coolidge senior LB Chris Oliver has the academic reputation to go with his “Harry Potter” nickname. He scored 1390 on the SAT and has a GPA of 3.5.
» Coolidge senior WR/DB Josh Brooks caught nine passes in his team’s first two games and also has two interceptions.
» The DCIAA had some dynamic players last season, including Ballou OL/DL Marvin Austin (North Carolina), the nation’s top defensive line recruit, and Dunbar WR Arrelious Benn (Illinois). Coolidge has two talented sophomores who could eventually reach that level in QB Jubar Knight and WR Martize Barr.
