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TORONTO – Come Christmastime, I watch “Elf” for the unbridled holiday spirit, “Home Alone” for the hilarious hijinx and “A Christmas Story” for the yesteryear tradition.
But my favorite Christmas movie is “Jingle All The Way.” The movie released in 1996 flies under the radar in terms of seasonal classics, but it’s special in its own way.
JATW, as I affectionately call it, chronicles the shopping adrenaline rush to find the perfect gift. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as competing fathers in their attempt to track down the rare Turbo Man action figure on Christmas Eve.
Turbo Man rivals Cabbage Patch dolls and Furbies, but is more motivational than those cuddly creatures.
“You can always count on me,” Turbo Man announces when you press the plastic button on his plastic back. “Always keep your promises if you want to keep your friends” is another message delivered by the fictional superhero.
Toronto High School running back Charles Ross III sounded as prophetic as Turbo Man on Friday night. But Ross III is as real as it gets.
The senior tallied 158 yards and a touchdown in the Red Knights’ 34-7 win over county rival Catholic Central.
It wasn’t about those statistics, though. The victory in blowout fashion wasn’t so important, either.
For Ross III and the Red Knights, it was just about keeping their promise.
“We had a lot of people behind us and we knew what we were playing for,” Ross III said as he emerged from a raucous Toronto locker room.
“It was good to keep a promise to the people of this town and to our classmates. We also had to keep the promise to ourselves that we were going to battle in this rivalry game. If we wanted to win, we were going to do it. We came out and kept our promise and it feels great.”
Toronto High School hosted a pep rally for students and citizens on Friday afternoon. A common practice among high schools and communities, nationwide, but something stood out about the chants and cheers resonating from Dennis Way.
“We had a great pep assembly,” said Toronto coach Eric Meek. “The whole entire school system from pre-school to the high school was there. The entire community came out to support us.
“We have some great people in this community and this win was for them and our team.”
Toronto last defeated Catholic Central in 2001, a 22-14 victory. The Crusaders, though, came in winning nine of the last 10 meetings. Also, Catholic Central held a 365-76 point advantage over the past decade.
The past meant nothing as Toronto showed its dominance on Friday.
The Red Knights forced four turnovers and recovered all three of the Crusaders’ fumbles. The Toronto defense shut down one of the most-feared rushers in the area, the Crusaders’ 6-foot, 210-pound beast, Stone Romano. They also stifled the versatile Chris Murphy and caused trouble for first-year quarterback Tony Barber.
Toronto, meanwhile showed its diversity on offense as Drew Lowery and Danny Zdinak complemented Ross III in the backfield. Quarterback Blaine Rawson threw the ball efficiently and broke off a 29-yard run in the second half. Even freshman Nolan Clegg saw time under center and made the most of his opportunity with a 70-yard scoring run.
Coming into the season, Rawson and Clegg were backups to junior Blaze Glenn. Glenn, one of Jefferson County’s top all-around athletes, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 against Wellsville.
The offense hasn’t missed a beat in the three weeks since its leader went down. In fact, Toronto has rattled off three-straight wins, while outscoring opponents, 113-21.
“It’s been a total team effort,” Meek said. “We’re getting better each week.”
Following Friday’s statement-making win, it seemed that no one dressed in Red and Black wanted to leave Clarke Hinkle Field. The band, which by inviting back alumni created the largest musical group ever at Toronto with nearly 200 musicians on the field, played uplifiting songs well into the night.
Fans greeted players as they exited the locker room as conversations, laughter and high-fives welcomed the players.
“This is what Toronto football is all about,” Lowery said. “We all play for each other.”
The football season is far from over and challenges, like the undefeated Shadyside Tigers, await the Red Knights. But the Toronto community deserves to celebrate.
It’s a win for the people of the Gem City, like “Miracle on 34th Street” is a win for children of the world.
(Peaslee, a Youngstown native, is a sports writer for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. He can be contacted at mpeaslee@heraldstaronline.com and followed on Twitter at @thempeas)