Unbeaten W. Aurora standing at crossroads

It all looks so familiar at this point. West Aurora's football team is off to a 2-0 start and thinking big.

Ronald Reagan's classic quote certainly applies to the Blackhawks: "There you go again."

Or, look at West's unbeaten record through Yogi Berra's logic: "It's deja vu all over again."

Both truisms, to be sure. But is 2-0 a good thing or a bad thing? Of course it's good -- on the surface.

The question is whether or not the undefeated start is fool's gold -- the same mirage as it was last year -- or is it confirmation that West Aurora's football program is beginning to gain some traction as Hall of Fame coach Buck Drach embarks on his second year at the helm with a full off-season under his belt?

The calendar just flipped to September, but for West, it marks a crossroads. The Blackhawks enter the high school football equivalent of a meat grinder next Friday when they begin play in the ultra-rugged DuPage Valley Conference, which, for the last two decades at least, has showcased some of the best football programs in the state.

"It's like jumping from the frying pan into a bonfire," Drach said.

It was at this junction a year ago that marked the beginning of the end as West slogged through seven consecutive, excruciating losses following a perfect start. The Blackhawks opened 2006 by outscoring their first two opponents 60-12, and it looked as though Drach had ignited a magical transformation.

But reality hit hard over the next two months -- seven losses and a meager 67 points scored.

It certainly was a season like few others for Drach, the 25-year veteran coach. Culture shock, in fact. Here's a guy who, during 16 years as head coach at St. Charles (now East) ran up a 117-49 record for an eye-popping .705 winning percentage.

His program was an academy. From first string on varsity to the subs playing junior high football in the city's feeder schools, everybody was on the same page. When players arrived on varsity, Drach refined the outstanding skills those players had already developed.

It was a little different at West. Quite different, actually. Drach was confronted with a whole new complexity of issues that were previously foreign. Excuses, eligibility headaches, family conflicts, no-shows. It was apparent he was dealing with a different level of commitment.

Same with coaching strategy. Drach was forced to devote more time to solidifying the fundamentals. So while West spent practice time shoring up the basics, their DVC counterparts were sharpening their playbooks, running complex schemes and devising gameplans.

Drach has set out to alter that disadvantage. A busy summer saw the Blackhawks traveling as far as Peoria and all around the northern half of the state to play all comers in 7-on-7 drills. At all levels -- not just varsity -- Drach is demanding dedication.

When training camp opened, Drach said, "we checked out 199 helmets." Some 25 of those have since been returned, but those are roster casualties Drach can live with -- because there's no halfway when it comes to commitment. It's an all-or-nothing deal, and Drach will hold players accountable.

"Everybody is going to be a part of the team or they're going to be gone; it's that simple," Drach said. "We've got kids who are missing practices for this and for that, giving lame excuses. Winners come every day, and they go at it hard every day. We're not there yet, and that's where we need to be."

Instilling pride in the program is as much about changing the mindset as it is performing at a higher level. Winning goes a long way toward that end, but believing you can win makes victory an expectation rather than an exception.

West's 21-13 win over Elgin on Friday was a game the Blackhawks could have -- and should have -- won by a much wider margin. But as Drach emphatically pointed out afterward, victory should not be equated with satisfaction. It's a mere stepping stone to greater success.

"You didn't see us hootin' and hollerin' after the game," Drach said. "I chewed their (butts) because it shouldn't have been such a close game."

Drach's tough-talkin' attitude and philosophy is having an effect throughout the program with rising success at the lower levels combined with a junior class that was 4-4-1 last year as sophomores and fared well against its powerful DVC foes.

It's been 12 years since West's last playoff appearance, so the law of averages is certainly in the school's favor. But the Blackhawks are well aware that a turnaround is more than a numbers game.

"We've got the right kids out and they've really worked hard," Drach said. "But we know it's not going to get any easier."

Not when the rest of schedule has Napervilles and Wheatons and Glenbards on it. So, no, it's not jumping to conclusions to say Friday's DVC opener at Naperville Central could be a turning point in Drach's tenure.