But if Justice Greene is done, after completing his senior high school season at Warren, he didn’t accomplish what he set out to do when he started playing nearly 10 years ago.

He achieved so much more.

“Life bends us, shapes us, molds us, makes us and breaks us,” said Justice’s mother, Chris. “Some life experiences force you to live an entirely new way, and that can make you stronger.

“Ten years ago, life gave our family a crushing blow when we lost our son and Joe and Justice lost their big brother, Ty, who was a senior at Slippery Rock University,” said Chris. “I can tell you as a mom the devastation, but death is unique to us all and in a child’s eyes losing your big brother, the guy you look up to and who is always ready to play with you, your biggest cheerleader, that’s a different kind of loss. The lives of Justice and Joe completely flipped.”

Submitted Photo Justice Greene in a photo with his late brother, Tyler Stufflebeam.

Tyler Stufflebeam was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, hunter, runner, and canoer. He was a mentor and hero to his little brothers. While he was a captain of the WAHS wrestling team, and also on the track team, it was football that brought his family the closest.

“Justice knew Ty was on a hot streak for tackles his senior year –with the possibility of reaching the tackle record — when he was injured in a game, breaking his finger, and finishing his senior year out before reaching that record,” said Chris. “When Justice reached the age to start WCYFL (Warren County Youth Football League), he was off and running, and his football seasons began. Even at that young age, he wanted to get that record for Ty.

“Justice found his position with his first hit,” she said. “Defense was always where he excelled. He took a year off freshman year. Missing the game, he was back at the sport he loved his sophomore year and ended up starting out the season on junior varsity as the third or fourth tight end, and third defensive end. He had to work his way up, and he was up for the challenge. By midseason, he was starting defensive end and backup tight end. His junior year, he played J.V., starting at defensive end and tight end and earned some varsity time enough to letter.”

Justice didn’t mind playing junior varsity as an 11th-grader.

“He just wanted to play football,” said Chris. “Justice believes in hard work, earning your spot, no complaining, and being in charge of your own destiny.

“That year, he earned Junior Varsity Defensive Player of the Year,” she said. “Senior year, he started on varsity at defensive end and tight end. He was not aware until the bus ride home from the final playoff game against General McLane when a teammate told him he ranked 23rd in the state for sacks and number one in the region.”

The 6-foot-6 senior finished this year with 48 tackles and 8.5 sacks for the 5-5 Dragons.

“This senior season meant everything,” said Justice. “Just getting to go out and play with my best friends one last time was awesome and the sacks are just a product of that. If I would have had zero sacks, I would have been just as happy to play with my friends one last time.”

Football is one of Justice’s favorite things “in the world, whether that be watching or playing,” he said, having attended last Monday night’s Steelers’ game in Pittsburgh with his brother Joe.

“I love the chess match that goes on during the game and trying to get into your opponent’s head with fakes and trick plays,” he said. “I really started to develop a passion for it in seventh grade when I played for Beaty. It was really fun to get to play with my friends and just have a good time at practice together.

“My brother Ty comes into my mind whenever I think of football,” said Justice. “He’s the biggest reason I have for playing the game, and I wear a Livestrong bracelet that belonged to him every game so it’s like he’s out there with me helping me make every play. I give all my credit to him because just hearing stories about him and memories I have about the kind of guy and brother he was makes me want to play hard like he did. It was an honor to be able to play on the same field that he did. It is emotional sometimes to think about him, but I use that as fuel to play harder because I know that’s what he would want.

“My family is a big football family,” said Justice. “We love the game and just being able to keep Tyler’s memory alive is huge for me. I don’t want anyone to forget about him and I want him to live his life through me and everything I do we do together. So when someone says good game to me they’re not only talking to me but Tyler, too, because he’s the one driving me to make the plays. Honestly, I only know stories like how he was a few tackles away from the school record, which is an amazing thing for a safety to do, and when he went to the Big 30 game, he talked about how it was not for the players to get a chance to play again, it was really to help people in need and raise money to give people who needed financial help. I just think that it’s a great way to look at it.”

While his late brother and family have influenced him greatly, it’s safe to say they will always be nearby.

“My plans right now are to go to Penn State Behrend (Erie) for industrial engineering and business, but if a school asks about football, then I may have a hard choice to make,” he said. “After high school will definitely be tough with not seeing my friends as much or getting to play with the people that I have always played with, but in terms of my family, I think I will be coming home a lot and definitely on football Sundays.”

Justice’s older brother Joe also attends Behrend.

“I could never come close to what (Chris) has put into words. Therefore, not to take away from anything she has said, I have just one word to describe how I feel about Justice regarding his role on the Dragon football team and the man that he has become…. Proud,” said his father, Rob.

“Proud? Heck yeah, we are, and his brother Joe never missed a game, driving home or to his away games from college every Friday night just in time for the game,” added Chris. “There’s nothing like the bond of brothers. They get you through the tough times and cheer you on through the best of times.

“Through it all, we pulled through as a family and encouraged our boys, Joe and Justice, to be who they are, be confident in that, and to live life fully each day,” said Chris. “When things get tough, you bond together, you share ups and downs, you encourage each other, you push each other to do your best and live a life you’re proud of, that your brothers would be proud of. So it’s no surprise to us that Justice lived these life lessons not only at home with his brothers but on that football field alongside his football brothers. These Warren Dragons have given it their all, they are selfless and worked their butts off together and I’m so glad we got to experience these years watching those boys grow.

“Onward to new adventures,” she said. “Embrace them. Enjoy them. They make you who you are.”

“If I had to describe Justice, I would say he has a thirst for learning, trying new things, he is honest, hardworking, opinionated, compassionate, confident, funny and he will always have your back and be your biggest cheerleader,” said Chris. “To Justice — our number 85, you may not have gotten Ty’s record, but you blazed your own path and got yours, and your brothers were with you all the way.”