Sorry to disappoint any son-seeking folks out there, but Dan Romano’s already “taken” – the son of Walter and Cindy Romano.
Roaming the sidelines at Royal Oak Shrine two weeks ago witnessing Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood defeat the Knights by a margin of six touchdowns, I could find nary a negative comment about Shrine’s 16-year-old hard-charging junior running back.
Coach John Goddard has been in the company of thousands of Catholic League football players for 49 years that include head coaching responsibilities for two years at Warren Immaculate Conception, 17 at Redford St. Agatha, and now in his 25th season at Shrine, compiling an overall 265-160 record.
So when Goddard says, “He’s a good kid,” he speaks volumes.
As a sophomore, his first full season as a starter on the varsity, Dan rambled for 1,127 yards to lead Shrine to a 9-3 record and the Division 8 district championship in the state tournament.
He’s stepped up his pace this fall. Just four games into a nine-game schedule, Dan is more than halfway to surpassing last year’s accomplishment with 750 yards on 47 carries (a 15.9 per carry average) and 10 touchdowns.
“He has natural instincts. He’s fun to watch,” said one spectator.
Last Saturday night, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound powerhouse totaled 297 yards, including TD runs of 75, 76 and 99 yards as Shrine overwhelmed Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 50-13.
“When I have the ball, I try to get as much out of the play as I can,” said Dan, a three-sport athlete: a guard in basketball, defender in lacrosse, sprinter and shot-putter in track.
He’d like to play football at the college level. “The big dream would be the Big House in Ann Arbor,” he said.
His competitive attitude on the playing field reflects what he wants off of it. “I strive for greatness. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to be successful.”
His mother, Cindy, agreed: “He’s good at anything he puts his mind to.”
And in what does Dan want to be the most successful? “To live my faith. A stronger faith.”
He is looking forward to the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis, where 25,000 youth ministers, campus ministers, parents, catechists, priests, coaches and scout leaders will gather for three days of prayer, learning and growing in their faith.
Dan attended the conference two years ago after the example of his brother, Joe, a sophomore and football player at Hope College, and sister, Clare, a senior in the nursing program at Michigan.
What he experienced there, Dan said, “encouraged me to go to Mass more often, to pray a lot more, to speak out what I believe in, to protect what I believe in ... I bring it to sports, too, building teamwork, developing friendships.”
Dan and a handful of friends participated in the March for Life in January in Washington, D.C., a “cool” experience, he said.
Don HorkeyThe appointment in July of Msgr. Robert McClory as pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, a longtime friend, was also a joyful moment for the Romano family. He baptized Dan; in turn, Dan asked him to be his confirmation sponsor.
One good deed deserves another good deed ... for a good kid.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
