Former Mt. Lebanon prep stars to take center stage in Army-Navy game
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Both in sports and in life, you often hear the phrase, "Doing something for the right reasons," and perhaps no saying better describes the path of two young men from Mt. Lebanon who are living out their dreams of playing high-level college football while also being called to serve others.
Alex Tecza and Eli Heidenreich have been linked for most of their lives.
"They are very similar," Heidenreich's mother, Tara, said. "Sometimes when I see them on the field, I think, 'Oh that's Eli' but it's Alex."
"They have that bond," Tecza's father, Randy, said. "That bond is special, you can't make that up and that bond has been there for a long time."
That bond helped Alex Tecza and Eli Heidenreich lead Mt. Lebanon to WPIAL and state titles as seniors in high school. When it came time to choose where to play football in college, they committed to the Naval Academy to serve their country.
"I've known Eli for years," Alex Tecza said. "Having someone to go through it with definitely made it easier, not only to commit but to work through it. We still have challenges every day and he's someone that I've been able to go through with full trust. And if I have any problems or he has any problems, we go to each other and we figure it out."
Although both have long been interested in attending the academy, they had different reasons. Alex Tecza became enamored with the atmosphere of the Army/Navy game as a kid after his father took him to several of those games. Although he never met him, Eli Heidenreich grew up idolizing the legend of his grandfather.
"His grandfather Chris, my dad, served in the Korean War and into the '60s," Eli Heidenreich's father, David, said. "He passed away when I was younger, but Eli had always seen photos and really looked up to him. I think when Eli started getting curious about that, that influenced his decision making and he wanted to carry on that tradition."
But carrying on that tradition at the Naval Academy has not been easy. Their daily lives are nothing like those of traditional college football players. In addition to the rigors of Division I sports, they also carry 20 credit hours a semester, and they do so with a military level of discipline in all aspects of their lives.
They also had to commit to serving at least five years as a commissioned officer beyond graduation, but the two wouldn't have it any other way.
"Just having the opportunity to serve others is a big thing," Eli Heidenreich said. "It is a selfless act and that's humbling that we have that opportunity."
"You don't have to serve. You get to serve," Alex Tecza said. "Some people get driven away from that. They feel like they have to serve. But for us, we get to serve."
"I'm just super proud of him," Alex Tecza's mom, Dana, said. "I think it's such a hard decision for kids like, what are you going to do with your life? I feel like that was such a great path for him and helped him make that big decision."
"To think about the commitment that he's willing to put forth, it makes us extremely full of pride that he's willing to do that for his country," David Heidenreich said.
And the country will be watching on Saturday when Alex Tecza and Eli Heidenreich, along with their Navy teammates, attempt to beat Army and capture the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy in perhaps the greatest rivalry game in all of college sports.
"You get chills as soon as you walk into that stadium," Randy Tecza said. "You get teary-eyed. It's a special, special environment to be part of."
"It makes me feel patriotic, and it makes me proud to live in this country, frankly," says Eli Heidenreich. "You feel like you get to unite the country for one day. They come together and watch, and it's really something. It's really special to be a part of."
"It's a spectacle," says David Heidenreich. "Both sides are committed to something super special. You've heard the phrase that it's the only game where the players are willing to do for those who are watching. That's true."
You'll have a chance to watch the 125th meeting of Army and Navy on KDKA-TV on Saturday at 3 p.m. This year's matchup is one of the best in recent memory as Army is one of the top teams in the country and Navy is having one of its best seasons in the past 25 years – thanks largely to the efforts of Mt. Lebanon's own.
