Ertz family’s love shines in spotlight

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For wildly successful, lovey-dovey young newlyweds, Zach and Julie Ertz sure have been crying a lot lately.

Last week, Julie, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, finished her national team match in San Diego and immediately began bawling.

Later that night, some 2,400 miles away, Zach, a Pro Bowl tight end for the Eagles, saw video of his wife weeping, got choked up and wiped away tears in Philadelphia’s locker room.

And those were warm-up acts for the main event: The water works really began when Julie saw the video of her husband’s emotional reaction to her video.

“It’s a good thing I was in my own hotel room,” Julie said, “so that no one had to see.”

Call them the Bay Area Bawlers. Zach, 27, grew up in Danville and attended Stanford. Julie, 25, went to Santa Clara University. But this isn’t a sob story: The power couple — possibly the country’s preeminent husband-wife sports duo at the moment — has been shedding tears of joy.

Their videos went viral after Zach and the Eagles beat the Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship Game, a contest that began just as Julie started warming up for the U.S. team’s 5-1 win against Denmark in a friendly. Julie didn’t know if Zach was celebrating or anguishing until teammates told her the Eagles’ final score right after the final whistle.

The Ertzes’ emotions spilled out partly because they weren’t together for the milestone. Playing in a Super Bowl? It is the kind of mega-dream they discussed not long after they met six years and countless accomplishments ago at a Stanford baseball game.

“That was one of my favorite things when I first talked to Zach was just how driven he was in his sport,” Julie said. “In life. I really felt we were on the same page as far as these massive goals that we had. Some people would be like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s a lot of goals that you’re setting.’”

U.S. Womens National Team midfielder Julie Ertz, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is one half of possibly the country’s preeminent husband-wife sports duo at the moment. U.S. Womens National Team midfielder Julie Ertz, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is one half of possibly the country’s preeminent husband-wife sports duo at the moment. Photo: Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire Via Getty Images Photo: Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Ertz family’s love shines in spotlight 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

Now, after getting married in March, they will be in Minneapolis together when the Eagles meet the Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4.

No, Julie won’t have to be told who won the Eagles’ next game.

“I told her I would not be talking to her if she wasn’t coming to this one,” Zach joked to Philadelphia-area reporters Wednesday before turning serious. “We’re each other’s No. 1 fans. Our relationship wasn’t built on the athletic success. We truly love each other, and that’s the most important thing to us.”

The foundation of their union isn’t their athletic prowess, but on-field success has been a constant since they met in the spring of 2012.

Months after their meeting, Julie, a three-time first-team All-American at Santa Clara, arrived on the national stage: She captained the U.S. U-20 team to a World Cup title and was named the Young Female Player of the Year. She did so just as Zach was having a breakout junior season at Stanford: He was a first-team All-American and left school to become a second-round pick in the NFL draft.

Julie has since won the 2015 World Cup title with the national team and competed in the 2016 Olympics. Since 2015, Zach has had 227 receptions, the third-most among tight ends, and this season he led the Eagles in receptions (74) and receiving yards (824) to earn his first Pro Bowl berth.

Zach was voted to the Pro Bowl on Dec. 19. The next day, Julie, who also plays professionally for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Chicago Red Stars, was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.

So have they had time to sit back and say, well, wow?

“I think it’s important to reflect and take the time to be grateful for the opportunity we are given,” Julie said. “These are goals that we’ve set for each other, together. It is really cool to look back and reflect. It’s even cooler to do this together and do it with my best friend.”

While Julie grew up in Mesa, Ariz., immersed in soccer, Zach didn’t harbor NFL dreams.

On Wednesday, he told reporters that Danville hasn’t produced many “big-time athletes” and he didn’t expect to be one of the few football players to make it big when he played at Monte Vista High.

“So it’s an unbelievable experience being in this moment,” Ertz said. “It’s something that I never thought was possible when I was 16, 17 years old. I never really played football until high school. And then I played football at Stanford, but even then I didn’t think that this was really going to be a reality.”

Ertz did have someone who saw his NFL potential: Former 49ers tight end Brent Jones, who went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls in his 12-year career.

Jones had children who attended Monte Vista, and the school’s football coach, Craig Bergman, asked if he would mentor Ertz after his sophomore season on junior varsity.

Jones said he was relentless with Ertz, then a gangly teenager with excellent hand-eye coordination and a so-so work ethic.

“I actually pulled him aside one day and said, ‘I’m throwing everything I have at you from the NFL,’” Jones said. “‘Some of it’s going to make sense; some of it’s not. But in the long term, it’s going to help you.’”

In the short term, the fruits of their labor became obvious. Ertz debuted on the varsity as a junior and had 38 catches for 382 yards and six touchdowns in five games before a broken wrist ended his season. But he still didn’t catch on that he could eventually catch passes in the NFL. At one point, Jones told his multi-sport pupil that his work on the hardwood was just a hobby.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to ever hear you talk about playing college basketball,’” Jones said, laughing. “You are way off base. You can play big-time college football, and you have the skills to potentially play in the NFL.’ … It was like, ‘Dude, you need to wake up.’”

Despite Ertz’s five-game varsity resume, Jones convinced then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh to investigate the under-the-radar prospect. The Cardinal offered a scholarship before Ertz’s senior year.

Jones wasn’t done with his lobbying. Before the 2013 NFL draft, he attended Stanford’s pro day and pitched Ertz to coaches and scouts. He even sent a draft-this-guy note to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, knowing how much head coach Bill Belichick coveted athletic tight ends.

Five years later, the Patriots will face Ertz in a game that could also feature New England’s Rob Gronkowski (69 catches, 1,084 yards), who hasn’t been medically cleared after sustaining a concussion in the AFC Championship Game.

The potential tight end showcase would be historic: The first Super Bowl between teams led in receptions and receiving yards by tight ends in the regular season.

“It’s taken until Super Bowl 52,” Jones said, “for everyone to realize what I’ve always known: The tight ends really run the offense.”

Jones has stayed in touch with Ertz and attended his wedding last year in Santa Barbara.

Tears were shed when Zach and Julie wed. And more fell after Zach had eight catches for 93 yards in the NFC Championship Game, while Julie scored a goal against Denmark in San Diego.

Now, they’re headed to Minneapolis, hoping to show, again, that the power couple that cries together thrives together.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Eric_Branch

Cardinal rules

Eagles tight end Zach Ertz won’t be the only Stanford product the Super Bowl. Four former Cardinal players are on the 53-man roster of the Eagles or Patriots, which matches the most of any college. Florida State, Michigan and West Virginia also have four.

Tight end Zach Ertz

Team: Eagles Age: 27Hometown: Danville

Has 321 catches and 3,664 yards in 75 career games; Tony Gonzalez, who has the most receptions and yards among TEs in NFL history, had 319 catches for 3,976 yards in his first 75 games.

Cornerback Johnson Bademosi

Team: PatriotsAge: 27Hometown: Washington

Entered NFL as undrafted free agent and played for Browns (2012-15) and Lions (2016) before he was traded to Patriots on Sept. 2 for a 2019 sixth-round pick. … Core special-teams player made three starts and had a career-high 29 tackles this season.

Right tackle Cameron Fleming

Team: PatriotsAge: 25Hometown: Fort Hood, Texas

A 2014 fourth-round pick. … Made six regular-season starts, including the last five games, and started AFC Championship Game against the Jaguars. … Has started 20 of 47 career games.

Safety Jordan Richards

Team: PatriotsAge: 25Hometown: Folsom

A 2015 second-round pick. … Had career highs in starts (five) and tackles (26) in 2017. … Played a team-high 26 snaps on special teams in AFC Championship Game, in which he logged six on defense.

Game information

Who: Eagles vs. Patriots

Where: Minneapolis

When: 3:30 p.m. next Sunday

TV/Radio: Channel: 11 Channel: 3 Channel: 8/680