Rome Kadi is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Notre Dame Prep High School for AZPreps365.com

For Notre Dame Prep’s football team, religion brings the players closer together when struggles arise.

The well-regarded Catholic school is located in Scottsdale. Although the school has a reputation for great academic and athletic programs, faith is the driving force in creating the values and moral standards in these programs.

The school’s mission statement reflects this: “Notre Dame Preparatory is a Diocesan Catholic High School, dedicated to the promotion of academic excellence and the pursuit of holiness through the shared values of Reverence, Respect, & Responsibility, out of love for Jesus Christ,” it reads.

For senior running back and middle linebacker Jason Samis and senior linebacker Cody Wells, being a part of a team that emphasizes faith helps the group get through any hardships.  

“You’re going to go through adversity at some point, whether it be personally or with the team, so you just have to trust God,” Samis said. “You still have to keep persevering through things, and we’ve had a ton of injuries. So us believing in God and molding together and being strong has been really important.” 

“When you have God as a faith base around yourself, you know that at least you’ve got something behind you,” Wells said. “Regardless of the issues and the hardships that we’ve been going through, we’ve got that central idea and that faith-based community around us.”

George Prelock, the Saints’ head football coach, said the football team, among others, creates rituals surrounding the players' faith.

“It’s a big thing,” Prelock said. “All the teams attend Mass before every game. Before every practice, we have a prayer and at the end we always break down in prayer. [We] talk about what intentions we have in our hearts to lift those up that are struggling.”

Going forward, Prelock hopes to focus on integrating even more faith with his team as players individually practice their respective religions.

“[We want to] continue to do it,” Prelock said. “A lot of players will go together and go do service together.”

In fact, studies have confirmed that athletes are heavily invested in their faith.  

In a study by Baylor University in 2022, researchers surveyed 884 graduating seniors and found that the university’s student-athletes practiced their religion more often than students who are not athletes. The survey was a small part of a longstanding project at the university called the Baylor Faith and Character Study.

The Sport Journal did a similar study with athletes and non-athletes at two NCAA Division III universities. The study found that religion allows players and coaches to be vulnerable about their struggles and fosters a stronger sense of community.

Notre Dame Prep athletes turned to their faith when sophomore running back Clayton Liebman suffered a serious head injury during a junior varsity game against Mica Mountain on Oct. 24. 

“We [were] able to get him [to the hospital], [get] him emergency surgery and the young man is going to have a road to recovery but he will recover,” Prelock said in an interview Nov. 4 during the football team’s practice.  

Prelock explained what was next for Liebman and his recovery process.  

“He’s actually doing all right,” Prelock said. “His eyes are open. He’s moving his left arm and he was moving his legs today. He’s still swollen. They are looking to move him to a rehab center, which is great news. He’s ahead of where [the doctors] thought he would be. He’ll have to have another surgery to put the skull back in. But, [we’re] just taking it day-by-day and praying for him and his family.” 

During the varsity team’s home game on Oct. 25 against Cactus Shadows, the school gave fans signs that read “Pray for Clay #9”, and the public address announcer led a special pregame prayer intended for Liebman and his family.

Prelock said faith played a role in what the team has done to support Liebman and his family throughout the difficult time. 

“That’s really brought us even closer together and [we’ve] been praying even more,” Prelock said. “I don’t think there is a day that has gone by where not one of us was down at the hospital or multiple coaches were there to make sure that Clay is OK.”    

Two weeks later, Prelock expressed even more optimism about Liebman’s health. 

“He is making remarkable progress,” Prelock said via email Nov. 18. “He has been communicating with everyone and is in great spirits. He will be having another surgery in the near future, which means he is improving like the doctors expected.”

A CaringBridge page for Liebman was created by his mother, Korine, to keep everyone updated on his recovery.

Similar to GoFundMe, CaringBridge is a site where people can post health updates for themselves or family members. People can also use the site to donate money.

Liebman's mother posted an update Nov. 29 and revealed that Liebman had been at home for four days after being in the hospital for 31 days, and was able to spend Thanksgiving with his family.   

“Clayton is going to have an epic story to tell and inspire others!” Korine said. “God definitely has something special planned for him.” 

Her most recent update came Dec. 6 when Korine discussed how she and Clayton's father, Mike, were saddended about how much Clayton's life has changed. 

"Although we are extremely grateful how quickly he has progressed and that he is still here with us, it’s just heartbreaking all that he has been through and the long road he still has ahead," Korine Liebman wrote. 

On a lighter note, Korine Liebman also noted that the Saints held their annual football banquet Dec. 4, and Clayton received a very special award with his family surrounding him.  

"His sisters sat by his side and cheered and cried as he walked up to a standing ovation to get his MVP award!" Korine said.

"This award wasn’t given because he was injured. It was much deserved with Clayton having an incredible season and giving everything he had every time he got the ball! The smile on his face lit up the room in every way possible. When we left that smile stayed on his face for hours. He was glad he went."

At the end of the update, she sent a message to the community that has rallied around the Liebman family over these last few months. 

"Thank you to all for continuing to reach out, pray and support us in so many ways!" Korine Liebman wrote. 

When the Saints were faced with adversity this season on and off the field, they depended on their faith to fortify themselves.

Earlier, Prelock issued a call to action to the Notre Dame Prep community to lean into its faith after Liebman’s injury. 

“Please continue to pray for Clayton,” Prelock said. “All the prayers are working.”