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From the GAZETTE By Eric Pfahler, Staff Writer
Buckeye junior Chaz'Elliot "Chaz" Jordan has had a pattern before each of his football games.
Tonight will be no different as the wide receiver/defensive back and his team host New Concord John Glenn in a Division III, Region 11 first-round playoff game.
Jordan will write "Dad" over the tape on his right shoe and "Mom" on his left. The junior will then take a walk to the end zone, sit down and have a conversation with his parents, Lloyd and VirGella Jordan, both of whom passed away in the last two years.
Following that, Chaz will look to the stands and smile at the other woman he references with the insignia on his left boot.
Chaz has made a ton of big receptions for the Bucks this year, but his greatest catch came off the field when he met Toni Parker five years ago.
Toni was engaged to Lloyd and invited Chaz into their home after VirGella suffered a stroke shortly after his eighth-grade year. Chaz moved from Euclid — he finished grade school at Euclid Central Middle — to Medina Township and began attending school at Buckeye.
The two hit it off immediately.
"I felt very comfortable around her," Chaz said. "She was always easy to talk to. It was just like a friend."
The relationship of trust and companionship continued, though times became tough for both.
"About a year, year-and-a-half later, my mom passed away," Chaz said. "Then almost a year after that, my father got into a car accident and passed away."
Chaz could have taken lots of different turns after losing both parents — his father died in May — but the love of a new mother, who received custody, helped him keep it together.
"She's been real important," Chaz said. "Without her, I wouldn't be able to function. She's been the mother since my mother had her stroke."
But Chaz has done more than function, he has succeeded and thrived.
"He's had to go through and endure more than any kid should have to go through at this point in his life," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "He's a tremendous kid, a kid you'd like to take home with you and have date your daughter.
"I feel for him. I would do anything for the kid because he's a special one. He's truly an inspiration to his school, to his classmates and to us as coaches."
Chaz was also there for Toni, just like she was strong for him.
"But he's a child," Toni said. "I try to be strong for him. He reminds me of Lloyd. He looks just like his dad. He has that beautiful smile."
An avid baseball fan, Toni made an immediate impression on the Buckeye sports scene while watching Chaz play football and basketball, where Chaz paced the Buckeye junior varsity in assists (45) and steals (44) while logging enough varsity minutes to earn a letter and pave his way to a bigger role this season.
"She was our biggest fan last year at our basketball games," Buckeye basketball coach Steve King said. "You could always tell where she was in the gym. She was the one who was leading most of the cheers."
That energy continued into the chill of autumn football, where the Bucks responded with a perfect regular season.
"If there's one lady that roots for the Bucks, it's Toni," Medaglia said.
Said senior Dustin Supan and close friend of Chaz: "She sometimes cheers more than the cheerleaders."
With the help of Chaz's paternal grandmother, Linda Jordan-Patton, and other family members, Toni has provided much more than a human standing ovation for Chaz, who earned a 3.8 grade point average as a sophomore.
"She's stepped up and come to the plate when the kid needed her most," Medaglia said. "He calls her Mom for all the right reasons. She's a tremendous lady and I think she's part of the reason, or a big reason, why he is as comfortable and as stable and as well-rounded of a kid as he is right now."
Chaz responded to the love of Toni. He studied hard. Teachers and administrators are quick to point out his warm personality and effort in the classroom.
"With all the adversity that he's gone through, he's a stand-up kind of guy," Buckeye athletic director Ken Woodruff said. "I think he's a class kid. If you see him on the football team, as a junior he's one of their leaders. He's not afraid to step up and take charge."
On the football field, Chaz has 396 receiving yards and six touchdowns, while collecting two interceptions as the team's shutdown corner. Chaz still copes with the past, but the days are becoming brighter.
"It's hard," he said. "I don't know. There's been points where it's like, I didn't think I could do it. But with the help of friends and family and everyone that's been there, it's gotten easier and easier. There's still days where I don't know what to do. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I always have teachers and Toni to talk to. It gets easier, but sometimes it can be hard."
Sports provide a place for Chaz to escape, even if the end zone is a sanctuary to remember and converse with those who made him. That makes him even happier that the school found a way to keep athletics going, even without the passing of the levy last May.
"It's everything to me," Chaz said. "Without this, I don't know where I'd be. I'd probably be in school, but I guarantee my grades wouldn't be like they are now. Sports pretty much keep me out of trouble, keep me interested. It keeps me going. That and family is what keeps me going.
"It makes this season a lot more special. We're grateful, we're happy. There's nothing we'd rather do than be out here playing football."
It shows in Chaz's play. He makes blocks downfield to help spring running backs for long runs, follows his assignments on defense and does wonders when the ball comes close to his hands. Chaz has turned just 18 catches into six touchdowns and a team-high 22.0 yards per catch.
"He gives us that explosive athlete on the edge that a lot of teams don't have," Medaglia said. "When he touches the ball, something is going to happen that's good."
Perhaps Chaz simply wants to go back to his place of conversation and follow it with a smile to the sideline.
Someone is waiting to return the joy.
Pfahler may be reached at ericjpfahler@hotmail.com or 330-721-4058.
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