GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) - For the Syrek family, Union football truly is a family affair.
From the youth fields to the high school sidelines, there is almost always a Syrek in the Redhawks mix. Neil is coaching. Jack is leading the varsity team. Charlie, who started the season with the freshman team, is now suiting up with varsity. Myles is playing youth football or helping along the high school sidelines. And Stephanie is keeping everything else moving, making it possible for her boys to give their time and energy to the game they love.
Six days a week, the Syreks are part of Redhawks football.
But their connection to Grand Rapids Public Schools goes far beyond the field.
All five Syreks are part of the GRPS community as students and as teachers. Neil teaches science at CA Frost Middle High. Stephanie teaches fifth grade at CA Frost Elementary. Jack is a senior at Frost, Charlie is a freshman, and Myles is a fourth grader. They've chosen GRPS not just as a place to play, but as a place to learn, work, and grow together.
Football is where many of those connections come together.
The Syreks have been part of Union football for more than six years, and during that time, they've been parents, coaches, and players. Neil first served as an assistant coach before becoming the third- and fourth-grade head coach in 2024. During his tenure, he has coached two of his sons, Charlie and Myles. His oldest, Jack, has spent every season assisting him and supporting his brothers while also playing on his own middle and high school teams. Over the last couple of years, Charlie has also volunteered as a coach.
Now, the family's Redhawks journey spans multiple levels at once. Jack, a multi-year varsity starter and team leader, plays both sides of the ball and has become especially impactful as a linebacker. Charlie, who started at center for the sub-varsity team through the first half of the season, has seeing his varsity workload increase as the season progresses. And Myles, in his second year with the youth program, lines up at center and on defense for a team coached by his dad and brothers.
This year brings another especially meaningful moment: Jack and Charlie get to share the high school field as teammates. With Jack set to graduate this spring, this season is one of the last opportunities for all three brothers to experience Redhawks football together.
For Myles, that shared experience already extends beyond his own games. When he's not playing, he's often in his Redhawks jersey at varsity games, serving as a water boy and watching his brothers take the field together.
And of course, there's Stephanie, who helps hold the whole thing together. Between practices and games across multiple teams, football takes over much of the Syrek calendar. Stephanie helps make that schedule possible, and she's there at the games, too, cheering on all four of her boys.
There is something special about a family choosing the same school district for their careers, classrooms, and athletic pursuits. For the Syreks, GRPS has become more than a place they attend or work; it's a community they have invested in deeply.
And whether they're coaching, playing, cheering from the sidelines, or helping behind the scenes, the Syreks have found a way to show up for the program--and for one another.
