Marquette team manager a true inspiration to Mustangs football
BALLWIN, Mo. (BVM) – Joe Porcelli is team manager for the Marquette High School football team. The 16-year-old enjoys being around his friends on the field, bringing them water, and motivating them throughout the game. Porcelli is just like any member of the team except for one difference, his genetic disorder.
Porcelli was born with a rare disorder called Apert syndrome, which causes the skull to develop abnormally. But that hasn’t stopped him from getting involved with sports throughout his life, as Porcelli played soccer and baseball when he was younger.
The 16-year-old also has two brothers who grew up playing sports, and both still do today as his oldest brother plays college baseball and the other plays high school baseball and soccer. Porcelli has always felt included on their teams by not only his siblings, but teammates and coaches as well.
“It seems like I was always part of their teams one way or another,” Porcelli said. “Even if it was just being their biggest fan, they always made me part of the team.”
Although born with this disorder, it has never prevented Porcelli from doing anything he has put his mind to. That includes becoming the football team manager at Marquette. Porcelli spent his first season as manager with the freshman squad, but like many players on the team, worked his way up to varsity this past fall.
Michael Stewart is the head football coach for the Mustangs. After Porcelli’s brother played on the team for several years, Stewart and the rest of the squad got to know the 16-year-old pretty well. Stewart knew he would be perfect in the team manager role, and has developed a close relationship with Porcelli over the years.
“Joe and I are very close. As a person, Joe is one of the most passionate, caring, and uplifting young men to be around. It’s tough to find him having a difficult day, and though he understands his disabilities, he doesn’t let them hold him back. Even during this pandemic, he has reached out to me several times to check on myself and my family. We try to create a family atmosphere in our program, and Joe exemplifies that vision,” Stewart said.
As you can imagine, Porcelli has become very close with coach Stewart as well.
“Coach Stewart means so much to me. Everyday at practice he puts a smile on my face. He wants me to succeed on and off the field and he is my favorite coach,” Porcelli said.
Porcelli not only has a great relationship with the coach, but his teammates, too. Many of which are good friends of his off the field. He loves being with the guys every day, and has built a strong bond with them as well.
“My favorite part of being team manager is interacting with all the guys and also being on the field with them. We have mutual respect for each other and whenever someone is down we get them back up. They got my back and I got their back,” Porcelli said.
As a team manager, Porcelli is typically tasked with filling up water bottles at practices and games, getting equipment ready, and setting up yard markers on the field. For a coach like Stewart, having such a good manager gives him one less thing he has to worry about.
“Joe is excellent at his job,” Stewart said. “For example, I have never had to yell for water during a game. He hears the timeout whistle from the referee and is already sprinting on to the field to get the huddle some water. But while he’s there, he’s also talking up the kids and being a great motivator.”
Being a motivator and true inspiration to this team is where Porcelli really shines. Stewart credits the 16-year-old for motivating the team throughout this past season, which ended with a school-best 10-2 record and district runner-up finish. Making it to districts was one of the manager’s favorite moments from this season, and Porcelli knows he helped fire up his team from day one.
“I inspire this team a lot. When I went into the locker room on the first day of practice the energy changed. I brought that energy to them and it changed the tune of the team the whole season and into the playoffs,” Porcelli said.
One of Porcelli’s best attributes as a team manager is knowing when it is time to be serious and when it is time for fun. But he often helps keep a relaxed atmosphere during games, singing and dancing to songs such as “We Ready” by Archie Eversole.
It is clear the Mustangs respond to the looseness but also the inspiration of their team manager, and Porcelli appreciates the fact that they have embraced him as one of their own.
“It feels special to be part of a team that cares about me and a team that I have friends on. It also makes me feel good that the players appreciate me being there everyday helping them out,” the 16-year-old said.
The team goes above and beyond to create a family atmosphere at Marquette. One perfect example is Porcelli’s favorite memory from this past season, when the “Stang Gang” sang happy birthday to him before a game against Lafayette in October.
Porcelli looks forward to another season with the Mustangs in the fall. But as we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people have gone about their lives – especially high school athletes.
The football team manager enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, and watching TV and movies, but one of his favorite hobbies is working out, which he has done plenty of during this pandemic.
Looking to inspire not only his team, but the athletic community as a whole during these tough times, Porcelli started a push-up challenge amongst his teammates. It began as a simple exercise in which each team member was to post a video on Twitter of them exercising to stay in shape while at home. After Porcelli posted his push-ups, coach Stewart retweeted it and it took off from there.
The waterboy also gotta go to work. @MarquetteFootbl #weready pic.twitter.com/Eow7YsYelc
— Joe Porcelli (@JoePorcelli5) March 25, 2020
“My teammates now have a push-up contest to see who can do the most,” Porcelli said. “They accepted the challenge and now it is part of our daily workouts.”
Whether on the field or off of it, it is clear Porcelli has a unique gift to inspire through his actions. The push-up challenge is certainly not the first time he has done so according to Stewart.
“The push-up challenge is only the tip of the iceberg for Joe,” Stewart said. “He has started several challenges/initiatives in the program and community that have helped benefit the people around him. He’s simply a selfless person to the core, and we are truly blessed to have him in our program.”
Porcelli has two years to decide where he might want to go to college or what he might want to do someday, but for now he is focused on his final two seasons as team manager for the Mustangs. The 16-year-old is not only an inspiration to his team, but the school and community as a whole. For others who might be in similar situations with a disorder or disability, Porcelli has yet another encouraging message to leave them with.
“I would tell anyone in this situation that you are the same person as everybody else. Don’t listen to any negative stuff that people say to you. Only listen to the positive.”
