A little over three decades after Josh Wack and Jamie Bordas helped the 1991 Wheeling Park Football team to the state championship game, Park once again has a Wack and Bordas on the roster, but this time, they’re both in the backfield. Brennan Wack is the reigning Curt Warner Award winner for West Virginia, anaward celebrating the best running back in the state. Jay Bordas is in his second year as starting quarterback. Wack and Bordas are both looking to make the same run their fathers did 34 years ago to the state championship Both Jamie and Josh played throughout their schooling days, a tradition on the field that they passed down to their own children from an early age.
“I’ve been playing with Brennan since elementary school, so playing with him on Friday nights is nothing new to me,” said Jay Bordas.
In the 34 years since their dads played for Wheeling Park, there are some things that have changed in the game, and one of the biggest changes, as Jamie Bordas explains, is that they were the first generation of kids to go through Wheeling Park High School.
“Park didn’t open until 1976. So, none of our parents or grandparents had gone to Wheeling Park High School. Those teams of the late 80s and early 90s were some of the first to really generate ‘Park Pride’,” said Jamie Bordas. “I know that when I was a senior and named a captain of the team, it meant a lot to me then, but it still means a lot to me today when I am watching a game over 30 years later. The players now aren’t necessarily the first generation in their family to go through the school. So, they are playing at the same school that a lot of their parents attended and it makes it cool to see that generational connection.”
Josh Wack had a similar reference to the culture.
“Wheeling Park football culture still centers around school pride, improving as a player and a team, and the social aspect of supporting each other and becoming better people on the field and in their lives,” said Josh Wack.
You can still see the Park Pride today every home game Friday night, which was one of the main things that was remembered from the 90’s were the home games.
“Our home games were so well attended. The student section was packed and we definitely had a lot of support from the community,” said Josh Wack.
On top of playing for the same high school that their dads did, both Josh and Jamie taught and/or introduced their sons to the game.
“He definitely introduced me to the game; we would pass in my backyard all the time,” said Brennan Wack.
Jay had a similar thought with his dad introducing him to the game.
“He [Jamie Bordas] was my first coach since I was old enough to walk,” said Jay Bordas.
One thing you also should think about when watching the remainder of the Wheeling Park football games this season, is that although Josh Wack didn’t play running back in high school like Brennan, he gives Brennan a lot of the running back traits, as he was running back in elementary and middle school.
“A lot of people don’t know that when we were younger, Josh was a really good running back. He had great speed, vision, and balance. These are all traits that Brennan has that have served him really well as a running back,” said Jamie Bordas.
Both Brennan and Jay get a lot of traits from their dads, and hopefully it can result in a similar State Championship run that their dads experienced 34 years ago.
