How 194 Naval Academy midshipmen are operating a recreation ball from Annapolis, Md., to Gillette Stadium

Faculty Sports activities

The custom began in 1981 and Andrew Bacilek would not let robust logistics get in the way in which of continuous it.

By Emma Healy, The Boston Globe

December 8, 2023

Andrew Bacilek agreed to the problem earlier than he knew simply how troublesome it could be.

When he was a Naval Academy junior, Bacilek was named the chief officer of the thirteenth Firm’s 2022 ball run, an annual occasion when Navy undergraduates run a recreation ball from the Naval Academy to the location of the Military-Navy soccer recreation. His place meant that he was in line to be the commander the next yr and could be answerable for planning and coordinating the 2023 ball run.

Little did he know that the 2023 Military-Navy recreation could be performed at Gillette Stadium, and Bacilek must determine how almost 200 members of his firm would run 458 miles from Annapolis, Md., to Foxborough — the longest ball run in historical past.

“They stated the sport’s going to be in Foxborough, and I used to be like, ‘It may’t be that a lot completely different. It may’t be that dangerous,’” Bacilek stated. “Man, was I flawed.”

The logistics, which Bacilek has been planning since January, are dizzying. Bacilek, 21, and his crew of seven different midshipmen coordinated with state and native regulation enforcement companies throughout seven states, arrange 4 in a single day shelter places in neighborhood facilities and fireplace stations, mapped out the almost 500-mile route, and divided a crew of 194 present and former members of the thirteenth Firm into relay-style groups that might run segments of 8-12 miles over 4 days.

Bacilek and his firm started the run at 8 a.m. Tuesday and venture to complete round 5 a.m. Saturday at Gillette Stadium. The runners of the ultimate leg could have about 10 hours to regroup earlier than the scheduled 3 p.m. kickoff.

Ninety of the 123 prior Military-Navy video games have been staged in Philadelphia, with East Rutherford, N.J.; Baltimore; and Landover, Md., internet hosting periodically over the previous 4 a long time. Although this yr’s run is longer and the logistics are trickier than ever, Bacilek was decided to maintain the 42-year custom alive.

The ball run started in 1981 when Lt. Col. Clay Noto took over because the commander of the thirteenth Firm and proposed the thought as a technique to construct firm spirit. They’ve run the ball to just about each Military-Navy recreation since, except the 1983 version, which was performed on the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and would have required a run of almost 3,000 miles.

“After I was advised this yr that it was going to be in Boston, there have been a number of questions of, ‘Can we do that?’ ‘Is that this going to be attainable?’ And I used to be like, ‘I’m not gonna have my yr be the one yr other than California that it didn’t occur,’” Bacilek stated. “So we started working straight away, me and my employees, and we made it occur.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the run was barely behind its objective tempo, and Bacilek was working to get his firm again on monitor. He instructed the runners to choose up their velocity, and he made positive law enforcement officials had cleared visitors at upcoming stops to make the transition between legs simpler.

“It’s undoubtedly been a nightmare at occasions, nevertheless it’s been much more rewarding than something I may have ever imagined,” Bacilek stated.

The Naval Academy has its ultimate exams subsequent week, including one other wrinkle to the planning course of. Many midshipmen had lessons this week that they couldn’t miss, so Bacilek needed to coordinate transportation forwards and backwards between Annapolis and the run route. The professors on the Academy, he stated, have been overwhelmingly supportive.

“Due to simply how large Military-Navy is, all people on the Academy is totally understanding,” Bacilek stated. “We’re doing one thing for the brigade, and that is an occasion that everyone appears to be like ahead to and loves supporting — each alumni and our classmates. … It’s a really whole-community sort of occasion that everyone’s very understanding of and excited that we’re capable of do.”

The Military marathon crew may also run a recreation ball from West Level, N.Y., to the sport, a distance of about 185 miles.

Navy leads the soccer sequence, 64-62-7, however Military has received 5 of the final seven, together with final yr. Each groups are 5-6 this season.