Football games are won in the trenches, that zone where competitors literally have to scratch and claw to survive.

It's a place that Warsaw's Jamie Elliott knows all to well.

It's a place that he calls home, on and off the gridiron.

Within the last three years Elliott has done his share of scratching and clawing, whether it was a tough loss Friday night playing for a team that saw three new head coaches in three years, or making trips to the hospital to visit his step-father, Rodney Holloway, who underwent a kidney transplant.

Top that off with the fact that his grandfather, John Dove, was diagnosed with cancer, and you'll begin to see Elliott's heart, not just his 270-pound frame that you notice upon first glance.

"It's a lot of emotion, and it would be real easy to get down, but I never went through it alone," said Elliott. "My brother was always there for me, and coach Jensen told me to stick with it. You gotta fight for what you want; there's no backing down."

Now in his senior year, it appears as though Elliott is winning some of the battles he has been fighting.

Warsaw won its first sectional game in history last Friday, and Elliott was right in the thick of things. Two years ago, under a new coach, he was battling for playing time and searching for an identity. Warsaw coach Phil Jensen knew he had a project to work with.

"Jamie's a great kid," said Jensen. "He's come a long way since his sophomore year when he wasn't in shape and needed to physically get stronger. The potential was always there."

Looking at how Elliott has overcome obstacles time and time again, and how he's smiled through all of it, you'd think he was a gem.

Better yet a diamond. Like most diamonds, though, he was once a rough piece of coal. Elliott didn't even play football as a freshman; he was just another face in the crowd. But Jensen, a firm believer in getting youth involved, has seen the changes in Elliott's life.

"Jamie Elliott is a perfect example of what sports can do for a kid," said Jensen. "He's matured in how he handles adversity, and now he's the leader of our offensive line."

As easy as it was for Jensen to sit at his desk and praise Elliott, it was just as easy to change the subject. Naturally, he felt more at ease speaking of the entire team. After all, without followers there's no need for leaders.

"The whole team is a good story," said Jensen. We went 6-4 last year, 4-1 at one point, and now people around here are big on football. We have 67 kids on the varsity roster and another 45 on the freshmen level, so to hear the positve comments we're hearing is really a tribute to our program as a whole."

Jensen concluded with a story, and spoke of how the positive changes in Warsaw's football program are new to everyone involved. Everyone.

"Monday night we came out to practice and the guys couldn't get water," said Jensen. Somebody had already shut the water system off for the year." [[In-content Ad]]