CCS’s Mondo Ellison a rising star
CCS star Mondo Ellison grateful for opportunity
There are times — whether it’s walking across Chattanooga Christian School’s pristine campus or even during the wearisome grind of evening football practice — when Mondo Ellison pauses to take in his surroundings and can’t help but feel grateful. Probably more than most around him.
Although he didn’t come to CCS as an athletic star, Ellison is convinced the three F’s offered by the school — faith, family and football — have helped overcome brutal odds stacked against him, opening a door to opportunities he otherwise wouldn’t have.
“Growing up, there was a lot of gang activity in my neighborhood. A lot of drugs, and really nothing productive,” Ellison said with a shrug. “There was pressure to join a gang, and at times it was impossible to stay away from. But sports kept me out of it. I knew I didn’t want to be a part of that because I saw the older guys who were always watching their back or I would hear about their house getting shot up. It was scary.
“There was something that just kept telling me I needed to get out. I didn’t want to live in that environment. I wanted something different, something better for my life.”
A chance encounter with a local
family who operate an inner-city mission was the first step to a better life. From there, Ellison has taken that opportunity and run with it while showing the same tenacious determination that drives him on the field.
After missing most of last season with a leg injury, Ellison burst onto the local landscape this fall.
One of the area’s leading rushers — with a blend of size, speed and a running style best described as a jackhammer in cleats — he is quickly rising up the list of the area’s top junior prospects.
“Mondo has a unique skill set, similar to (former Ridgeland star and current University of Tennessee at Chattanooga running back) Darrell Bridges,” said CCS coach Mark Mariakis, who in 12 years at Ridgeland had 47 players sign college scholarships, including nine with Power Five programs. “He has great balance, and his vision makes him seem faster because he can see a cut that’ll get him into open space.
“Mondo will definitely play at the next level. The question is how high of a D-I program will it be? His recruiting is going to explode when the season is over and we send out video to colleges and then when he goes on the camp circuit and they see him for themselves.”
OPPORTUNITY
The path that led away from trouble began with a simple ride home from basketball practice at Orchard Knob Middle School. That’s how Ellison met Amy Covington Farlett, who attended games to support some of the kids she worked with at her children’s ministry — Kids of Growth.
The conversations on the ride home typically revolved around church and their shared Christian faith. Before long, Ellison was one of several teenagers who were living with the Farletts.
“God gave Amy a heart for kids, and I’m so grateful that he did,” Ellison said. “My mom (Danyetta Daniels) and Amy became quick friends. They were both on the same page about making sure I stayed out of trouble, and both wanted to do everything they could to help me achieve my goals. Me, my mom and Amy all sat down to develop a plan for me to be successful in high school.
“I told them I wanted to go to a Christian school. We all decided that I would split my time between my mama’s house and Amy’s house. I’m so blessed to be a part of two families who love me.”
Amy then reached out to CCS administrators through email, but she thought it would be a long shot because classes for the 2015-16 school year were set to begin in 17 days.
“When I emailed them, I said I had a kid who was a freshman and wanted to go to a Christian school so he could learn more about God,” Farlett said. “I mentioned that he liked football but that he wasn’t very good. I mean, he was just a skinny kid at the time, and I honestly didn’t know he was a good athlete.”
Ellison caught the attention of his new coaches before he ever tucked a football under his arm. On his first day of workouts, despite being a shy freshman who didn’t know any of his teammates, Ellison volunteered to lead the team in prayer after practice.
“Mondo is a natural leader,” Farlett said. “I knew from the first time I spoke with him that he had had an encounter with the Lord that had changed his life and how he approaches things. He’s very strong in his faith.
“I think one of the great examples of that is the way he is around kids who are different. I’ve seen it and had other people tell me that he’s always reaching out to be friends with the kids with disabilities or who are different or looked at as outcasts. He has a very kind heart, and that’s Christ-like.”
DRIVEN
The gentle spirit Ellison exhibits in his daily life is switched off once he steps on the football field.
He runs angry. Chargers coaches and those closest to him off the field admit he uses football as an outlet to release the pent-up aggression he has carried.
“What I love about football for him is his whole demeanor changes. He lights up and just comes alive,” said Farlett, who added that there are usually more than a dozen kids from Ellison’s old neighborhood who come to Chargers games to watch him play. “He’s got all this pain and emotion bottled up inside, but he can let it out in football.”
After missing much of last season with a knee injury that didn’t require surgery, he has bounced back for his junior year and ranks among the area’s rushing leaders with 1,612 yards and 18 touchdowns. Those yards have come on a grueling 257 carries — among the most by any running back in the state — and Mariakis said the majority of those yards have come after contact.
“What jumps out when you go against him is not only his size, but just how physical he is,” Notre Dame coach Charles Fant said. “That toughness and determination is something you don’t see a lot of now. He’s not afraid to lower his shoulder, so you have to man up to stop him or he will run you over in a hurry.”
Tonight, Ellison will lead the Chargers into a first-round TSSAA Division II-AA playoff game at Knoxville Webb (6-3), the No. 2 seed in the East. Everyone on both sidelines understands that for fourth-seeded CCS (5-5) to have a shot at pulling off the upset, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Ellison will need to carry much of the load.
“I like contact. You’re going to have to tackle me with me coming at you hard,” Ellison said confidently. “I love knowing that not many people can play football. You have to be tough, and that’s something I take pride in.
“A lot of kids I grew up with were tough, but they got into trouble because they let some of the bad influences lead them away. I want to be an example that no matter what you’re facing, if you put your faith in God, then he will make a different path for you.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.