A Lake Zurich fan guide
Lake Zurich High School's varsity football players will get a second shot Saturday to snatch the state title that eluded the team a year ago.
That's when the Lake Zurich Bears (12-1) take on the undefeated Wheaton Warrenville South High School Tigers (13-0) in the Class 7A state championship game.
Here are some tips for Lake Zurich fans to show off their Bears spirit, whether they are headed to Champaign or staying behind to watch the game at home.
Game time: 4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the campus of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Admission cost: $10. No passes will be accepted.
How to get tickets: Don't bother calling the Lake Zurich High School athletic office. The school sold out of the 1,500 tickets it was allotted earlier this week. Tickets can still be purchased at Memorial Stadium on game day.
Join the bandwagon: A caravan of buses will leave for Champaign about 7:45 a.m. Saturday from the high school. That includes three football buses, four band buses, a cheer bus and a fan bus. Cost for a round trip on the district's fan bus is $35 per person. Tickets can be purchased through the high school athletic office through Friday. Call (847) 540-4104.
Send them off: Supporters can line up about 7:45 a.m. Saturday along Midlothian Road just outside the high school and along Main Street in downtown Lake Zurich to send off the team.
At the game: A tent city will be set up for fans in the Assembly Hall parking lot at the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium. Check out the decorations at the Bears tent, which won an award last year, or stop by for frozen custard served by the Lake Zurich Culver's just outside. Team buses will arrive about 1:30 p.m.
Watch the game at home: Two popular spots in town to watch the game are Hackney's Restaurant, 880 N. Old Rand Road, and Scoreboard Bar & Grill, 84 N. Old Rand Road. Hackney's will show the live game telecast on its large projection TV screen.
Win or lose: Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's faceoff, a champion's welcome awaits the team Sunday as the community members celebrate a whirlwind football season with a parade at 1 p.m. The parade starts at the parking lot of the new May Whitney Elementary School, also known as The Annex, 100 Church St., Lake Zurich, and ends with a pep assembly in the Lake Zurich High School field house. The assembly is open to the public.