By Melissa Moore-Randall
A favorite among football players and coaches is the popular TV show “All-American.” The show, based on the true story of retired NFL player Spencer Paysinger, also highlights the relationship between fictional characters, high school football player Spencer James, and his coach and mentor, Billy Baker.
In Revere, Carlos Ortiz, a student at Rumney Marsh, has formed a similar bond with his coach, Mike Juliano. Carlos, 14, started playing Revere youth sports at age 7 which included baseball and football. In 2019, Juliano became Carlos’s Assistant Football Coach with Revere Pop Warner. When the pandemic hit, the Revere Jr Patriots were not able to have a fall season that year. However, in late winter 2020 Ortiz and Juliano were back at it training hard with Top Gun Academy for a tournament in Myrtle Beach.
Carlos and Coach Mike continued together with the Lynn Chargers and the 2022 Spring Top Gun Academy team. In the fall of 2022 they returned home with the Revere Jr Patriots.
According to Carlos’s mom, Jackie, “Throughout these years Mike would not only coach Carlos but also mentor him when he was not putting his all in school or listening at home. He also taught Ortiz the importance of doing well in school and home in order to bring those values onto the field. Coach Mike built Carlos’s strength mentally & physically including taking him on weekly training sessions.”
No one’s more happy about their bond than Carlos’s mother, Jackie. “As a parent we hear how great our child is on the field but you hardly hear about the coaches that take time out of their personal and family time to be part of your child’s life. Coach Mike has been a constant driving force for Carlos during the season and off season, as a mentor on the field and in the gym, and as a coach on the field. It has been the best thing that has happened to Carlos because he pushes him to strive to be/do better. He does not just accept an okay outcome on the field or off the field. Many times he has pulled him aside or called him to address individual issues. Because he cared enough to notice, Carlos has taken his advice many times. We know Carlos is not just a number to Mike. His words are valuable beyond measure.”
On a recent car ride home from practice, Carlos asked his mom if she knew about the show “All American” and the relationship between Spencer James and Coach Billy. When she replied yes, he turned to his mom and said, “Coach Mike is my Coach Billy.”
