Under the Friday night lights at Notre Dame Preparatory High School, the final whistle blows and the scoreboard fades into the background. Players from both sidelines gather at the end zone, drop to one knee and bow their heads.
For many players at Notre Dame Prep, those actions carry more weight than a win. The Catholic school has built its athletic culture around prayer, community and faith, values it believes guides the team long after the lights go dark.
The school’s beliefs come at a time when the intersection of religion and athletics are under scrutiny, and on a grander scale, religion and its role in U.S. policy. One case – Kennedy v. Bremerton School District – went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 2022 ruled 6-3 that a Washington state high school football coach’s private prayer on the field after games was protected by the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses.
As a private school, Notre Dame Prep does not find itself immersed in First Amendment discussion because it is not a government entity. Faith is an important message at the school, whose many graduates include Erika Kirk, who has vowed to continue the mission of her late husband, Charlie Kirk, leading Turning Point USA with vision and faith.
For Notre Dame, there is faith in every huddle. Football coach George Prelock says faith is woven into everything his athletes do.
“We pray before every practice and at the end of every practice,” Prelock said. “On game days, we always make sure we attend Mass.”
In a high-profile Division 5A matchup last Friday, Notre Dame Prep beat Horizon High 42-41 in three overtimes behind Decker Haskins-Smith’s 146 rushing yards and one touchdown and Jace Wright’s 78 receiving yards and one score, handing Horizon its first loss of the season and improving the Saints record to 3-3. Once everyone caught their breath after the dramatic finish, the postgame prayer amplified the Scottsdale school’s core principles.
Before each game, players gather midfield for a student-led prayer.
Prelock said it is all about being in the moment with God, and that they own everything to him.
“A lot of our student-athletes end up growing deeper in their faith because of what they see from their teammates,” Prelock said. “Some who weren’t religious before have joined the faith after seeing how our team lives it every day.”
About 50% of the football players are practicing Catholics, Prelock said.
The private school’s chaplain Father Anthony Dang said the postgame prayer is a spiritual reminder of for whom they play.
“At the end of every game, we go to the end zone,” Dang said. “The coaches give some words to recap the game, and then we always end with an Our Father and invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary. We say, ‘Our Lady of Victories,’ and the team responds, ‘Pray for us.’”
The phrase “Our Lady of Victories” isn’t just a chant, it is a tradition rooted in the school’s name, Notre Dame, which means “Our Lady” in French.
Dang said athletics can be an act of worship.
“My hope is that as they participate in sports, they use their talents and physical strength to glorify God,” he said. “Through that, they grow in perseverance, fortitude and courage.”
Those same virtues reflect the school’s mission: reverence, respect and responsibility, on and off the field, Dang said.
More than 80% of Notre Dame Prep Students play sports, said athletic administrator Kathleen Lloyd, and many aren’t Catholic. She said the school works hard to make everyone feel part of its faith-based community.
“Its more of an attendance policy than a religious rule,” Lloyd said. “Participating in and going to Mass is part of the expectations at school.”
During schoolwide Mass, all students are invited to walk forward together. If students are not Catholic, they cross their arms and receive a blessing so that no one feels out, Lloyd said.
That spirit of inclusion mirrors the same values coaches emphasize during practice.
“Our students and coaches are expected to follow the three R’s: reverence, respect and responsibility, not just in the classroom, but in sports and the arts, too,” Lloyd said.
For Notre Dame Prep, victory is about more than stats and standings. It’s about growth – spiritual, emotional and personal.
Prelock said he sees it every season in the way his players treat one another.
“We just try to show others who we are in the hopes of leading by example,” he said. “Faith gives us the strength to endure whatever challenges we face.”
Back in the end zone, the team huddles again. The helmets rest in the grass, and voices rise once more.
“Our Lady of Victories.”
“Pray for us.”
As they prepare for Friday’s home game against Chaparral, their faith isn’t sidelined, it’s a game plan.
Be the first to comment