Offseason shakeup gave Trinity football's Christian Joy a bigger purpose, leadership mindset
Trinity's Christian Joy described it as a flip of the switch. The Shamrock football world he knew and cherished had been turned upside down.
"It just made me play harder, work harder, and practice and just be a good example for the younger guys," Joy said. "Just do it for the younger guys and myself as well. I've grown to be more of a leader. When I was a freshman and sophomore, I was just always a goofy type of guy, just messing around all the time. But my junior year and this year, I've seen all the younger guys looking up to me, and I was like, 'Maybe I should step up and really be the person that people want to look up to.' And then that's what I became, that as a player and as a person off the field."
Head coach Jordan Hill and associate skipper Michael Mauti departed the Trinity program in the offseason. Both left for their alma mater, Penn State, and gained positions as the football team's Director of Life Skills and as the Nittany Lions' associate director of development for intercollegiate athletics.
Like Hill and Mauti, teammates also moved to new destinations. Wide receiver Tanie Young transferred to Central Dauphin East, quarterback Mikal Shank Jr. and running back Messiah Mickens hopped to Harrisburg and defensive back Payton Schaffner landed at Cedar Cliff. Joy had outside opportunities as well.
But there was a job to be finished.
"It definitely was a lot of fuel," Joy said. "Seeing those guys leave, it really did hurt, and it broke a lot of our hearts. But at the end of the day, we had a season to attend to, and that's what we did. We came together as a brotherhood, a team and played the season well."
Trinity's 8-2 regular season and has helped steer the Shamrocks to Friday's District 3 Class 3A final opposite top-seed Bermudian Springs. With the opening kickoff, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Boiling Springs' Ecker Field, the 'Rocks angle for their second district title in three years and seek redemption for last fall's 2A championship game loss to crosstown rival Camp Hill.
A 20-17 overtime semifinal victory against Schuylkill Valley secured the championship ticket. A win Friday would thrust Trinity into the PIAA tournament.
"It means a lot to us," Joy said. "We overcame a lot of adversity in the offseason, and we just had a chip on our shoulder from last year. We just wanted to get back to it and hopefully win this week."
While Joy's leadership has taken center stage, his on-field production has grabbed the headlines. The senior running back paces the Shamrocks with 1,416 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. In the receiving category, he piled on an additional 111 stripes and a single score.
"I wouldn't say it's me," Joy said. "It's my (offensive) line. They make me look good. ... I just make the make the read, hit the hole and do the rest. But it really starts with the line. And they do, they try their best to make a hole for me and get a push for me."
Joy missed two regular-season games due to injury. Trinity delivered wins in the senior's on-field absence, but his impact was still heard and felt up and down the sidelines.
Joy elevated the energy amid times of turbulence. He kept a watchful eye on opponents' tendencies, branching into an extension of the coaching staff. The captain commanded his troops when a botched assignment unfolded or when morale dipped to a unsettling level.
"I was getting my treatment done before practice, but right after treatment, I was getting right on the field and making sure my guys were right, making sure the younger guys were paying attention, especially, and the starters were doing what they were supposed to do," Joy said. "I was just being a vocal leader at that point. I can be a leader because of my play, but because I wasn't playing, I had to really be a vocal leader, which I had to come out of my comfort zone about."
Joy evaded his comfort zone following the offseason ordeals. The trials were always a thought in the back of the mind, a reason to play harder, smarter and faster for the man beside him.
"I like to uplift," Joy said. "But also, when the guys aren't doing their jobs and they're not doing it right, I got to get on that because that's a champion's mentality. You got to do your assignments. You got to do what you're supposed to do, and that's how you win games."
Winning has been threaded in Joy's fabric. Since joining the Shamrock program in 2022, the senior has experienced a District 3 Class 2A title, a run to the PIAA semifinals and Trinity's first Mid-Penn division crown since 2012.
When the offseason troubles arose, it was uncharted territory for Joy. But the switch flipped, and Joy hasn't looked back.
"I play games as if they're any other game — state championship, district championship, whatever," Joy said. "But me being a senior, I know it could be my last game just like last week. I come to the field thinking this could be my last game, and I'm gonna play like it's my last game. And that's exactly what I'm going to do Friday."
Christian Eby is a sports reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com . Love
