Mertilus, Black Gold aim to inspire on and off field
- May 22
- 4 min read
By Oscar LeRoy,Sports Editor
Ivan Mertilus hopes to keep inspiring people while playing for the Tall City Black Gold football team. The running back and safety grew up in the Boston area and watched his mother work two jobs to support her family, while also setting a good example for him to follow.
“I’m applied that work ethic and I’ve applied it to my own life,” a former FCS All-American at safety at Lincoln (Pa.) University. “She’s always been my original inspiration.
“What drives me to keep playing the game is helping people. A lot of times when I go back home, I’m always trying to help the homeless, I’m always trying to help the youth and I’m always trying to help whoever I can help, no matter what situation I’m in myself. I always want to be a vessel. I want God to be able to use me and at the end of the day, I want people to see how I am and see me keep moving forward, no matter what happens, no matter what obstacle comes.”
Midland fans will get their first glimpse of Martilus and the rest of the Black Gold team when it plays a preseason home game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Texas Herd at Astound Broadband Stadium. The regular season in the Continental Football League for the Black Gold begins on May 30 with a road game against the Fort Worth Braves.
Players who want to be invested in the community was what head coach Rodney Blackshear was looking for in this inaugural season.
He started his search in January and the one-time standout wide receiver at Texas Tech said he’s still in the process of looking for players.
“It’s not about the players, it’s about the right person,” said Blackshear during a meet-and-greet event at the downtown Wyndham Hotel last Sunday. “When the time came, whether I was going to sign them to a contract or not, I had to have conversations with these kids of what I knew what West Texas was about, what I knew Midland was about. So, you can have talent, but you have to find the right person who wants to be a part of the community and be a part of camaraderie of a real team and have the spiritual, physical and mental, all combined in one. That was the hardest part but it’s also the most fulfilling part when you get that group together and everything that you thought that would happen comes together. We haven’t even practiced yet and just the way that they’ve bonded over the course of them arriving in just a few hours, you can see the bond.”
The team would have only had a week practicing together before they hit the field on Saturday, but the excitement is already growing about the potential of this team.
“It’s just a blessing from God, just having the opportunity to be out here,” said quarterback Kobe Martin, a former standout at Bethany College and a four-year pro. “Every time we get a chance to come out on to the football field, it’s a blessing. So, I’m just really excited about this group. We’ve been bonding a lot since I’ve been out here the last few days. It’s just been great so far. It’s a beautiful city, it’s a beautiful atmosphere, so I’m very excited.”
Receiver Naythan Mulugeta echoed those sentiments.
“I’m just so thankful that I have a great group of guys, great leadership around here,” said Mulugeta, the California native and former College of Idaho standout. “The city is growing and to see all the support here is amazing.
“I just have so much love for the game. I’m passionate. I’m just here to make everybody excited.”
Entertaining the fans and getting other people excited seems to be the theme of this team heading into the season.
“That’s the thing about the game of football. I feel it’s all about excitement, it’s all about coming and enjoying yourself,” Mertilus said. “A lot times, we go through things as individuals and as humans, so sometimes we have to go somewhere and clear our minds. I feel that football is a blessing because it allows us to clear our minds and it allows us to connect as individuals and as humans.”
Blackshear said they will know eventually what the strengths of this team are but on Saturday he will be looking for minimal mistakes, no turnovers and just a solid football game overall.
“We’re not going to be fancy because the real game that counts is going to be (in a week),” he said. “I just want to make sure that everybody understands their assignment, understands their role and the coaches get a feel for what they do. This is a short training camp. Usually, you get two weeks of camp and this is the first league I’ve been a part of where you only get one.”