ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — After many hurdles including not having a practice field, the St. Frances Academy football team has risen to number one in the country.
Now they have the trophy to prove it.
The St. Frances' Academy football team was named Sports Illustrated's number one high school football team in the country.
This comes after the team won the first ever national high school championship game,
Head coach Messay Hailemariam said being number one is overwhelming but it didn't come without hardships.
St. Frances Academy tops Sports Illustrated's High School Football Rankings
"It's not necessarily just a one year effort it's been a culmination of 15 years of struggle and hard work," Hailemariam said.
One of those struggles was not having a practice field.
But David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Company is stepping in to help.
"Across the street from Saint Frances is an empty lot that the city owns and used to be row houses. We're gonna take that empty lot and make it into a real football field," Cordish said.
He felt the team deserved a little recognition.
So, he presented them with a trophy for being national champs and for their Sports Illustrated number one ranking.
Football player Zion Elee told WMAR-2 News that it felt great to be recognized.
"It just feels good to win and be able to celebrate it," Elee said, "With all the trials and tribulations we faced and we still came out on top, it shows how hungry we were and how much we really needed this and I think personally it was earned."
As one of the top college football recruits in the country, he is one of 26 players already committed to play college football.
"I committed to Maryland in really excited to express and show my talents and show the world who I really am."
The team won $250,000 for the athletic program for their national championship win.
Hailemariam said it'll be put towards student's education.
