Jun 27, 2016

  • Todd ArcherESPN Staff Author

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    • Covered NFL since 1997, Cowboys since 2003
    • Previously covered Bengals and Dolphins
    • Lives in Dallas area with his married woman and two children

BURLINGTON, Wis. -- Here, Tony Romo is not the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Here, he is home.

Fred's, on the corner of Pino Street and Milwaukee Artery, still has the "globe'south all-time burgers." If yous sit at tabular array No. 5, y'all will read all nigh Romo's career and see pictures of him in high schoolhouse. Fun fact: His stroke average on the golf team as a senior was a 40, a 6-stroke improvement over his freshman yr.

Around the corner is Adrian's Frozen Custard, which opened in 1974. Go with the Oreo Flurrie, although y'all can't go wrong with any choice.

Only off downtown is Karcher Middle School. It was the high schoolhouse when Romo lived in Burlington. On the football field, kids will be playing soccer or hula hooping. Ane of them might be wearing a Russell Wilson jersey -- not a Cowboys jersey with Romo's No. 9. On the rails around the field some of them accept drawn pictures in chalk. The scoreboard attached to the wall in the back of the school is withal in that location and weatherworn. Simply the best function is this: The runway is only a fifth of a mile long, so the terminate zones weren't just grass when Romo played. They were tar, too, and receivers had plenty of scraped knees from catching touchdown passes.

Back on Pine Street, but closer to the high schoolhouse, is Napoli's Restaurant and Pizzeria. The foursquare-cutting pizza is almost perfect. Pepperoni and sausage would be the choice.

When you get over the Fob River, y'all can caput to Romo'due south sometime house. His sister, Jossalyn, lives in that location at present. His parents, Joan and Ramiro, moved to a nearby boondocks a few years agone. Just down the street is Browns Lake Golf Form where Romo would spend hours.

This is home.

"I actually find that you can become home again," Romo said, a riff on Thomas Wolfe'southward "You Tin can't Go Home Again." "I know there's that quote or saying that says you lot tin't, but I've plant when I come back habitation, it'due south always home. That's the groovy matter."

Last week, Romo held his football campsite at Burlington High Schoolhouse along with the second Border Battle, a 7-on-seven tournament featuring loftier school teams from Wisconsin and Illinois. As he stood on the field Wednesday while middle schoolers and unproblematic kids ran around, a waft of chocolate was in the air from the nearby Nestle plant that has fabricated Burlington "Chocolate City USA."

Steve Tenhagen was Romo's favorite receiver in 1996 at Burlington High. They combined for 56 catches, 934 yards and 13 touchdowns. Today, Tenhagen is the head football coach at Burlington. He does a lot of the planning for the military camp and Border Battle.

"Plainly, nosotros've changed and matured, only he's the aforementioned person," Tenhagen said. "He comes back to boondocks and we hang out with our high schoolhouse buddies, and it's similar to when nosotros were hanging out in our basements in high school after practise."

For two days, the basement has been replaced by the outdoor living area at Romo's parents' firm.

On the Television Tuesday was the U.Due south.-Argentine republic Copa America semifinal. Lionel Messi dominates from the starting time, and Romo's appreciation for him is unquestioned.

"It's like playing against Michael Hashemite kingdom of jordan," Romo told his friends sitting nearby, including Tenhagen and Ryan Hoffman, Burlington'south quarterback earlier Romo.

The night ends by the burn pit with Joan encouraging everybody to brand south'mores.

On Wednesday, some other quondam high school teammate, Paul Bondar, arrives with his wife and family. Scott Scholl, Romo'southward center at Eastern Illinois, is there with his wife and family unit. Andy Vincent, Romo'south fill-in in college, is also with his wife and family.

In the pool, all the kids play, including Romo's sons Hawkins and Rivers. Romo and his buddies are all in their 30s. All have children. One of them happens to be the Cowboys' quarterback, only you would never know it. Here he is, just their friend. He lathers sunscreen on his boys.

Every bit the music plays, a smile comes over Romo's face.

This is domicile.

Pizzas from Napoli's arrive around 5:45. When the local news channel arrogance its story on Romo's camp, old footage in his black No. sixteen jersey airs.

"Did you come across the correct side of the line at that place?" Bondar says, admiring his work from back in the day.

Equally the sun goes down and the kids become to bed or lookout "Despicable Me," the topic outside turns to football. A few years ago Bondar and Tenhagen flew to Cowboys training army camp when Dallas double-decker Jason Garrett had his players talk about the best teams they were on and the relationships that grew from those days. Almost all of Romo'southward friends make a game or two during the regular season. Tenhagen was at the heartbreaking divisional playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, as was Romo's basketball coach, Steve Berezowitz, whose cellphone screen saver is a photo of him and his son, Joey, at the game.

"Oh, yeah, he defenseless it," Berezowitz said of Dez Bryant'south overturned reception. "We're Cowboys fans. We took some oestrus. Nosotros were on the 50-yard line with our Cowboys gear."

Romo pops open his iPad and shows some plays to his former teammates. He goes into the details of what he was seeing, what he was thinking, why he did what he did. To his friends, it'southward the same stuff he did when he wore Burlington's No. 16.

This is home.

Back at Burlington Loftier on Thursday, Romo darted betwixt fields in a golf game cart, watching the 16 teams -- eight from Wisconsin and eight from Illinois -- compete. Hanging on the back of the cart was Justin Penio, some other erstwhile college teammate who collection over for the day.

Later on 2 games and a lunch suspension, Romo addresses the teams on the field at Don Dalton Stadium. The mic cuts in and out, so he but speaks louder. He talks about Malcolm Gladwell'southward "Outliers" and the 10,000-hour dominion.

He tells them he never actually touched a football until his junior yr of high schoolhouse. He played soccer. Basketball game might have been his all-time sport, simply he didn't start his ten,000 hours for football until much later than everybody else. He figured it took him 10-fifteen years to become them in.

Now he feels he is playing the best football of his life and is prepared for the best flavour of his career.

"Find something you love," Romo told the players, "and wear information technology out."

On Field No. two South, Mountain Horeb (Wisconsin) and Riverside Brookfield (Illinois) are in overtime. The winner goes to the semifinals. On quaternary down, Riverside Brookfield completed a short touchdown pass to win. The players went crazy, jumping in unison on the field.

"This is why you're doing this," Romo said. "This is awesome."

Riverside Brookfield made the title against Barrington High, from a Chicago suburb. At the get-go of the game, AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" played from Romo'southward iPhone over the loudspeakers. Tardily in the second half, Romo takes over as play-past-play man. A final boost from Riverside Brookfield is incomplete and Barrington wins 33-30.

That night Romo has arranged for a gunkhole ride on Lake Geneva for all of those who helped with the army camp and tournament. Information technology'southward go something of a tradition over the years. Friends and family unit join them. Napoli's has catered the evening.

Somehow the discussion turns to the best players in NBA history. Romo conducts a makeshift mock typhoon in which six friends choice their five best players. Romo wants to know which starting five is the best. They argue. They express mirth. They joke.

"People get older, but people don't change," Scholl said. "Not this group of guys we have. On the deck of the boat, Penio and my wife, Tony's out there, a couple other guys were in that location, and I said, 'What'due south funny with this group of guys is that I have that gut laughter that I don't have with my other friends. When I'm laughing it's a pure, wholehearted laugh.'

"Nosotros have that bail of friendship through that mileage. We're not close on the map, but we don't miss a beat."

This is dwelling house.