BALTIMORE — David Heidenreich and Randy Tecza took a second Saturday to soak in the moment.

Fourteen years earlier, the two Mt. Lebanon fathers met when their sons, Eli and Alex, were competing in youth football. The boys joined forces in middle school, led the Blue Devils to a state championship in high school and kept the momentum rolling at the collegiate level as a pair of three-year starters for the Naval Academy.

In just a few hours, they were to play one of the most meaningful contests of their lives — their senior year matchup against Army. While a bowl game awaited, this showdown, one special enough to merit its own week on the college football calendar, felt like the true ending to their gridiron journey.

Surrounding David and Randy at a ticketed tailgate event were dozens of

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