Four Eagles share field one last time at all-star football game

by Michael Smith
 
 
The 2024 class of Grain Valley football team may go down as one of the best ever.

That’s because that group was a part of four consecutive district championships, conference titles and state quarterfinals appearances.

While a lot of players in that class didn’t play varsity for all four seasons, they helped the program become one of the best in the Kansas City area.

Four players from that class – Ty Williams, Stylz Blackmon, Sal Caldarella,  and Gabe Storment – were a big part of Grain Valley’s success in recent years. During the 2023 season, they helped the Eagles reach the Class 5 state quarterfinals before the team fell to Webb City, 49-35, to end its season with a 10-2 record.

However, the aforementioned senior quartet had one last chance to play with each other Friday at the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association’s BEYOUnion.com Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star Game at DeSoto (Kan.) High School. The Eagles all-star representatives nearly led a comeback for Team Missouri but the team ultimately fell 34-28.

The game featured some of the best football players in the Kansas City metro area from both sides of the state and Williams, Blackmon, Caldarella and Storment all received invites to play.
Williams, a running back, and Caldarella, a quarterback, said they are best friends and they got to play together on offense one last time. The duo connected on an 11-yard pass from Caldarella to Williams on Missouri’s final drive, which eventually led to an 18-yard touchdown pass from Caldarella to Park Hill South tight end Marcus Parker with 57 seconds left.

Missouri’s previous score came on an 8-yard run from Williams, who broke two tackles before crossing the goal line.

“It didn’t look the best, previewing it,” Caldarella said of the pass to Williams. “We just did our own thing there and it worked.”

Added Williams: “That was a little bit of backyard football there. I told him I was cutting in and he just got me the ball.”

That was the final moment that members of the Eagles quartet got to share the field together. Blackmon was on the gridiron during the final drive blocking as a guard.

“It’s bittersweet,” Caldarella said. “It’s always fun being out with the guys. We know it has to come to an end at some point. We just have to soak in every last moment.”

Williams shared similar sentiments.

“It was an honor to represent the city of Grain Valley,” Williams said. “It’s an amazing moment to get to play with my best friend one last time.”

Getting to play with his teammates one last time was something Blackmon won’t forget any time soon either.

“This is just surreal, man,” Blackmon said. “It was an honor to get to play with this group of guys. They’re so competitive and disciplined. It means the world to me.”

The all-star game also gave the Eagles a chance to team up with other talented players from Missouri. For Blackmon, he got to share the field with Parker, who will be his roommate at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

“I am definitely excited to be able to get to play with him,” Blackmon said. “It was nice to be at this all-star game with him to be able to start that relationship.”

For Storment, a safety, he enjoyed being able to team up with Belton running back Javon Minor, a player who was on a rival team in the Suburban White Conference.

“Playing against each other in practice was really fun,” Storment said. “We went at it all the time in the regular season and playoffs, so when we were in practice, we were popping. It made me feel like we were playing Belton again.”

​Williams led Missouri running backs with 36 yards on 11 carries and a score. Caldarella completed 15 of 24 passes for 231 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Storment had a tackle for loss of 4 yards to help Team Missouri.
 

Grain Valley assistant football coaches Erik Stone and Matt Curts along seniors Stylz Blackmon, Ty Williams, Gabe Storment, Sal Caldarella and head coach David Allie share a final moment together after the BEYOUniin.com Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star game Friday at DeSoto (Kan.) High School. Photo credit: Michael Smith