Jack Mendelsohn | The Chronicle
Home is where the heart is ‒ and for quarterback De’Angelo Birch, that’s Mason. After transferring to Princeton High School for his sophomore and junior years, Birch has returned to Mason for his senior season, proving it’s good to be back.
After his freshman year at Mason, Birch made the decision to transfer to Princeton, where he helped guide the Vikings to a 22-4 record as the starting quarterback.
Senior quarterback De’Angelo Birch ran for four touchdowns in a week three win over Lakota East.
Over the summer, Birch decided to close out his high school playing career by moving back to Mason. Back in the green and white, Birch viewed his return as a fresh start and a way to conclude his career where it began. After playing for two years for a GMC rival who also defeated the Comets twice while quarterbacking the Vikings, Birch knew he had some work to do to earn the trust of his new but familiar teammates.
“I figured that I would have to work to gain the respect of my teammates and coaches back,” Birch said. “It wasn’t easy, but I knew with my level of play that I was capable of getting that respect back to secure my spot.”
Birch has now been reunited with his old teammates, but he is not the same person he was freshman year. Over the past two years, he has developed valuable leadership skills that could potentially help the Comets achieve their goals this season. He believes his time as a Viking made him mentally and physically stronger and taught him the importance of playing through adversity by utilizing his shortcomings to fuel his drive for success.
“Princeton is a winning program,” Birch said. “The coaches always stressed being aggressive, and [they] really taught me what it takes to win. I learned a lot from them.”
While his experience at a traditionally proud program like Princeton helped teach him valuable lessons, returning to Mason has reminded Birch of the family-like brotherhood that defines the Comets. The familiar faces and unmatched culture of the program reminded him of why Mason has always been home.
“Putting that jersey on again just felt like being back home,” Birch said. “I played here most of my childhood, so it was nice being back with all my friends and teammates again.”
Though Birch felt a sense of being back home, he knew challenges awaited. During his time at Princeton, he had led the Vikings to decisive wins over the Comets, leaving a bit of bad blood in his wake. Now, back with the very team he once defeated, he had to show his teammates that he held no grudges and was willing to do whatever it took to earn back their trust.
“I didn’t really have any hatred towards them, but I knew they were going to be headhunting,” Birch said. “I just had to play smart; I knew I was going to have to take some hits, but I just had to play tough.”
This year, the script has flipped. With a week-six matchup against the Vikings and Birch back at Mason, the Comets are excited to have Princeton’s former star under center. After the past two years, Mason is hungry for payback. Even though Birch led the Vikings to back-to-back dominant victories, he knows where his loyalties lie ‒ right here with the Mason Comets.
“I bet it will be similar to the games I played against Mason, but I’m going to look at them the same as I look at any other team,” Birch said. “I can tell how I’m loved here, and it means so much to me. I am confident that we’ll do great things as a team.”
Birch’s homecoming isn’t just about him. It is about what his return means to the brotherhood of the program. Mason head coach Brian Castner admits that the news of his former quarterback coming home was a bit of a surprise, but he has embraced having him back.
“I didn’t necessarily believe it at first,” Castner said. “But once I saw him in person and he was throwing on our field again, I felt like, wow. Okay, maybe this is going to come to fruition.”
Through summer practices and the opening weeks of the season, Castner said he has already seen Birch’s leadership and competitiveness shine through. He noted that Birch’s presence has set a new standard of intensity for the rest of the team to follow.
“I believe the biggest way he impacts us is the way he plays the game,” Castner said. “He’s not afraid to run the ball, and he even punts for us. There’s no position on the field that he wouldn’t play.”
