Schaumburg's safety net

Schaumburg senior Bob Quilico repeatedly tried to organize a reunion on the football field with one of his oldest friends.

“Every year I asked him,” Quilico said of trying to persuade Johnny Kirk to return to the sport they started playing in the third grade.

Other players had also tried to get Kirk to return but he had focused on basketball. Finally, late in the spring, he asked football coach Mark Stilling about a possible comeback.

The obstacles for Kirk included trying to return from a three-year layoff to a team that had high aspirations.

But the Kirk-Quilico reunion has turned out to be a big hit as the Saxons earned a share of the Mid-Suburban West title and a trip to the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.

The safeties have formed a solid defensive backbone the Saxons will need at 6:30 p.m. Saturday when they host unbeaten Simeon and its high-powered offense led by quarterback Robert Gregory, running back Horatio Banks and receivers Demarius Reed and Darius Scott.

“John's a great athlete and he caught on real quick,” said Quilico, an all-area pick last year who is averaging 10 tackles a game.

“We've been playing together forever, but coming into the program I didn't really have a good idea of what I was doing,” Kirk said. “Bobby was a mentor in the summer and we really work well with each other.

“We have joke that we're each other's right-hand man. We communicate and control the defense back there.”

In eighth grade, Kirk had his collarbone broken on a tackle made by Schaumburg standout running back Shepard Little. His parents weren't that excited about him continuing with football so he focused on basketball.

But another wrinkle in his comeback came last year when he left the basketball team just before the postseason started. In their meeting before the summer started, Stilling pointedly asked Kirk about his commitment level.

“When coach talked to me I felt I had to prove to myself and to the team as well that I was here to do whatever I could to help out the team,” Kirk said. “There was no doubt I couldn't miss a day. I wanted to show them I was here to help out and play Schaumburg football for them.”

Quilico had no doubt Kirk could help. That also became clear to Stilling and other coaches through summer camp and into preseason practice in August.

“I was jacked up because he's a great athlete,” Quilico said of Kirk. “He could probably play wideout or running back if we didn't have Shep. I knew he could make plays.”

Stilling knew what kind of athlete he was from watching Kirk play basketball. Kirk started working at cornerback and receiver when Stilling decided Kirk might be able to handle an even bigger role.

“Undoubtedly (safety) is the most mentally demanding position in our defense,” Stilling said. “After a couple of weeks I said John needed to play safety for us. The demands on them are mentally intense to make all of our adjustments.”

The physical adjustment was also a challenge for someone who hadn't taken or dished out a hit in three years. One of the first things Stilling did was have Kirk take on Little in a 1-on-1 drill to help alleviate any fears of their last head-on collision.

Other concerns were answered when Kirk made his high school football debut against two-time defending 8A champion Maine South.

“When we got through that and won,” Kirk said, “I thought, ‘If I can get through Maine South, I'm pretty sure I'll be OK for the rest of the season.'”

Quilico also liked what he saw in Kirk's debut.

“After that game I knew John was the real deal and was ready to play,” Quilico said. “I knew he could make the big play and be a really big part of our defense.”

Stilling considers the hard-hitting Quilico the best tackler he's seen. He leads the Saxons in that department because their defense is designed for him to be the focal point.

But Stilling said Kirk is right behind Quilico when it comes to tackling form and proficiency.

“I don't know if he'd be at the level he's at if it weren't for Bobby having the leadership skills he has,” Stilling said. “The mentor relationship he's had with John has realy helped Bobby's confidence.”

Quilico has even taken on a big role in their offensive power set to catch 5 touchdown passes. And he figures to catch on somewhere next year with Stilling saying Indiana State and Eastern Illinois have shown interest in the potential finance or accounting major.

Kirk isn't sure if he'll play next year since he wants to study pre-med in hopes of becoming a plastic surgeon. But he's glad he returned for at least one year and wasn't left wondering if he should have come back.

That was evident in the final weeks of the regular season when Stilling sent Kirk a text-message question.

“He said, ‘Are you having fun playing football,'” Kirk said. “I said, ‘Coach, I wish I started playing three years ago.

“You can't go back but I couldn't see myself not playing my senior year of football. I'm glad at last I can help out the team.”

Quilico and the rest of the Schaumburg players are glad, too.