Chris Albero had “really high expectations” going into the Archmere football team’s visit to the White House.
When it actually happened – on July 4 of all days – it was even greater than the All-State quarterback had imagined.
“I was just in shock,” Albero said. “If I could choose one word to sum up the trip, it was just shock. Constantly, it was just incredible things.”
The Auks filled two buses with the varsity football team, cheerleaders, coaches and some parents for the two-hour ride to Washington, arriving at around 5 p.m.
After a whirlwind of activities, including a tour, a personal visit from President Joe Biden – Archmere’s most famous graduate – and a viewing of fireworks on the South Lawn, they started their return to the Claymont campus around 9:30.
“We had a great time,” Auks coach John Bellace said. “The experience was one of a kind. Everybody was incredibly welcoming.”
Archmere had been buzzing since Dec. 17, when Biden invited the team for a visit in a video played at a school assembly. It was six days after the Auks defeated Woodbridge 27-0 in the DIAA Class 2A championship game to complete a 13-0 season and the school’s first state football title in 39 years.
“Everybody was really jacked up on the bus ride down there,” Albero said. “It was a very vague itinerary. We didn’t know what we were going to be doing for five hours. But they kept us busy and they kept us really entertained, and I would say that every single person on both of those buses had an incredible experience.”
More:President Joe Biden invites Archmere’s championship football team to the White House
The visit with Biden came around 6:30. It was scheduled for 15 minutes, but Bellace said it was closer to 30.
“The kids were laughing at a bunch of the things he was saying,” Bellace said. “They asked him who was your favorite rival and he said, ‘We used to play Sallies, and we would play it like it was a real game.’ So I think he meant that it was a scrimmage. But he said he was getting ready to return a kick and he looked over at the [Salesianum] sideline and they had 40 guys, and he looked at the Archmere sideline and they had seven. Our guys laughed at that.”
The highlight was an unexpected invitation into the Oval Office to have photos taken with the president.
“They brought us in two or three at a time to meet him, shake his hand and have kind of a personal moment,” Bellace said. “That was really nice. … He definitely was generous with his time.”
“I kind of just walked in and stood there and did a whole 360 turn around the entire thing,” Albero said. “It was just incredible.”
Biden tried on the state championship ring worn by senior receiver Conor Udovich, and the Auks gave him a framed, white No. 30 Archmere jersey, Biden’s number when he played football at the school.
“It was a nice moment for our guys to get to present that to him,” Bellace said.
As night fell, the team celebrated America’s birthday by viewing fireworks from an unforgettable location.
“They were hands down the best fireworks I’ve ever watched in my life,” Albero said. “… Everybody was standing up. The fireworks were kind of in tune with the music, which was really cool.”
Bellace believes Biden – a halfback and receiver on an 8-0 Auks team during his senior season in 1960 – had as much fun as the players.
“It was a great experience for us, but I also think it was a nice break from everything for him to connect with his old school and talk some football,” the coach said.
Archmere’s quarterback will certainly never forget it.
“We’re probably the luckiest Archmerians to go through the football program,” Albero said. “To have that experience under our belt at 16, 17, 18 years old, it’s incredible.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
