Nikola Dale has been Young’s starting center since he arrived as a freshman in 2021, but he’d never played tackle football before that.

Well, not officially anyway.

“My brother played tackle football with me inside our house,” Dale said. “Really, really bad idea. So long story short, he tackles me and I just hit my head on the radiator, crack my head open.”

Dale and his older brother Aleksander, who was a two-state academic all-stater in football for Young, can laugh about it now. And Dale can only marvel at all he’s seen and done for one of the city’s ascending programs.

Young hit rock bottom in 2017, suspending the program because of a lack of numbers. Coach Chris Mallette resurrected the team the following year, going 8-0 in the Public League’s lower levels before leaving to take over the Hope Academy program.

Alum Dan Finger, then 25, replaced Mallette in 2019 and the Dolphins have been rising ever since other than a two-win season in 2022.

Last year they finished 9-4, losing to Kenwood in the Public League final. This year they’re 12-1 ahead of Friday’s 11 a.m. Prep Bowl matchup at St. Ignatius (5-6).

Dale is one of five Dolphins on the All-Public League first team selected by coaches and Public League officials. The others are tight end Barry Gordon, linebacker Luke Yolich, defensive back Quinn Duhon and kicker/punter Solomon Bradley.

“It’s surreal,” Dale said. “It feels like last week I was a freshman playing varsity football with all these guys — I’m like, all these guys are so huge,” Dale said. “How do I block them?

“Now I’m a senior. It hasn’t hit me yet.”

Dale has come a long way in those four years.

“I think average fans kind of take it for granted,” Finger said. “But he’s been as reliable as he could possibly be. … We had his older brother, so he’d come and hang around practice. But he’d never worn pads. And he just worked at it.

“He grew a little bit and, we joke about it — he’s lost so much of that baby fat. He’s still big, but he looks a lot better, he carries it a lot better.”

Dale, who is 6-3 and 285 pounds, also is more at ease than he was in those early days.

“I used to have panic attacks in the locker room,” he said. “My heart was beating so fast, I was like, why am I even doing this?”

Now he knows.

Dale anchors a veteran offensive line that has been integral to Young’s success and he also plays most snaps on the other side of the ball.

“Sophomore year he played a lot more [defense],” Finger said. “Last year we switched to a 3-4 [alignment] and we really liked that big body in the middle. He learned it and mastered it and became really good at it.”

What’s next for Dale is uncertain. He’s getting Division III interest from Oberlin and Washington (Mo.). But his dream school is Northwestern, where his brother earned an academic scholarship.

“We’re finishing his tape,” Finger said. “They’re cutting a lot of walk-on spots, which is tough. He’s like, ‘I just want to play. I’ll be at practice every day, I never have to wear any of the gear or get a locker. I just want to play.’”

Morgan Park has the most All-Public League selections with six: quarterback Marcus Thaxton, wide receivers Nasir Rankin and Pierre Jackson Jr., linebacker Jovan Clark and defensive backs Jahmare Washington and Ahmad Grayer.

Simeon has three on the first team in offensive lineman Giovanni Thomas, defensive lineman Christopher Burgess and defensive back Terrence Lee Jr.

Rounding out the first team are running back Reggie Mitchell and defensive lineman Derrick Weems of Amundsen, offensive lineman Josh Mam and defensive lineman Diesel McFadden of Taft, Westinghouse offensive lineman Ralph Love III, Phillips offensive lineman Claude Mpouma, Johnson athlete Nashaun Brown, Kenwood defensive lineman Aariz Taylor and Perspectives linebacker Justin Harris.

The All-Public League football team was selected by a committee of Public League coaches and administrators.

2024 All-Public League Team

Offense
QB Marcus Thaxton, Morgan Park, Sr.
RB Reggie Mitchell, Amundsen, Jr.
WR Nasir Rankin, Morgan Park, Jr.
WR Pierre Jackson Jr., Morgan Park, Sr.
TE Barry Gordon, Young, Sr.
OL Nikola Dale, Young, Sr.
OL Ralph Love III, Westinghouse, Sr.
OL Josh Mam, Taft, Sr.
OL Giovanni Thomas, Simeon, Jr.
OL Claude Mpouma, Phillips, Jr.
ATH Nashaun Brown, Johnson, Sr.

Defense
DL Christopher Burgess, Simeon, Sr.
DL Diesel McFadden, Taft, Jr.
DL Derrick Weems, Amundsen, Sr.
DL Aariz Taylor, Kenwood, Sr.
LB Jovan Clark, Morgan Park, Sr.
LB Luke Yolich, Young, Sr.
LB Justin Harris, Perspectives, Sr.
DB Jahmare Washington, Morgan Park, Sr.
DB Quinn Duhon, Young, Sr.
DB Terrence Lee Jr., Simeon, Sr.
DB Ahmad Grayer, Morgan Park, Sr.
K/P Solomon Bradley, Young, Sr.

Second team
Offense
QB Cameron Toussaint, Lincoln Park, Sr.
RB Devion Cross, Westinghouse, Jr.
WR Julian Vickery, Lane, Sr.
WR Cornell Conely, Simeon, Jr.
TE Kuba Wierzchowiak, Taft, Sr.
OL Marcus Enoch, Morgan Park, Sr.
OL Juan Cepeda, Young, Sr.
OL Kayden Jordan, Simeon, So.
OL Josiah Ramirez, Taft, Sr.
OL Victor Sosa, Amundsen, Sr.
ATH Stephen Carrera, Taft, Sr.
ATH Terrance Gurley, Morgan Park, Sr.
ATH Jaden Thomas, King, Sr.
ATH Anthony Crooms, Kenwood, Jr.

Defense
DL Durell Hampton, Simeon, Sr.
DL Malik Mahamid, Taft, Jr.
DL Cailen Beck, Westinghouse, Sr.
DL Michael Wojtach, Amundsen, Sr.
LB Anthony Spivey, Clark, Sr.
LB Joseph Gray, Young, Jr.
LB Adrian Zepeda, Amundsen, Sr.
DB Damaje Williams, Kenwood, Sr.
DB Charles Smith, Simeon, Sr.
DB Maxwell Warner, Young, Jr.
K/P Miguel Campos, Johnson, Jr.

Honorable mention
DB Jerell Brenston, Perspectives, Sr.
LB Daesean Gafford, Westinghouse, So.
RB Lawrence Benson, Sullivan, Jr.
LB Darreion Beck, Prosser, Jr.
LB Daniel Dace, Lincoln Park, Jr.
RB Sharvis Pipes, Marshall, Sr.
OL Daniel Howard, Lane, Jr.
OL Charles Harris Jr., Sullivan, Jr.
DL Sean Davis, Clemente, Jr.
WR Taeiron Delaney, Rauner, Jr.
OL Davion Dickerson, UIC Prep, Sr.
DL Pharoah McThune, King, Jr.
DL Ricky Stanciel, Marshall, Sr.
ATH Kendall Lucas, Corliss, Jr.
DL Marquese McIntyre, King, Jr.
ATH Phinis Hiler, Prosser, Sr.
LB Davian Humphrey, Phillips, Sr.
OL Julian McKinnon, Dyett, Jr.
RB Reginald Craig, South Shore, Sr.
OL Joseph Balkcom, Bulls Prep, Sr.
OL Cornelius Moore, King, So.
RB James Bell, Simeon, So.
ATH Zaire Tobar, Dyett, Sr.
OL Juelz Baker, Richards, Jr.