Mundelein's ready to rock with Stone
It's an exciting new era of football at Mundelein, where new coach Bob Stone knows all about exciting eras.
About 20 years ago, he began an eight-year tenure at perennial powerhouse Joliet Catholic. Stone led the Hilltoppers to a state title in 1990 and state runner-up finishes in 1992 and 1996.
Stone also coached star Joliet Catholic fullback Mike Alstott, who went on to put together a stellar career at Purdue before enjoying an 11-year run in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I haven't talked with Mike in about a year or so, but before that we talked all the time," said Stone, who spent the last 11 years at West Chicago, 10 of them as head football coach. "He's a great player. All my guys (at Mundelein) have him on their Madden video games."
Now, Stone's job is to get the Mustangs to be as proficient on the field as they are in front of the TV. Mundelein is coming off a 3-6 campaign and hasn't had a winning season since 2002.
"We're not out there to talk about the past," Stone said. "We're trying to start something new.
"I know it's possible to win here. There are other sports at Mundelein that do well. We know there are athletes in this school. We just have to find them and get them believing in themselves."
That could take some time.
Stone has a lot of young, inexperienced players to convince, starting with junior quarterback Brian Santiago, who guided last year's sophomore team to a 4-5 record.
He'll play behind an offensive line that features nothing but juniors.
"It's almost like everyone is a freshman," Stone said. "We've got a lot of young guys and we're also putting in an entire new offense and defense. There are a lot of ups and downs in August anyway, but for us it definitely is a process.
"The good thing is that the effort has been really good and guys are catching on."
Speaking of catching, one of Santiago's top targets will likely be wide receiver R.J. Bond, a senior who Stone calls the team's top returning player. Bond is a big target at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds. He'll also start on the defensive line for the Mustangs.
Stone says that his defense isn't overly big, but that it is fast, particularly with speed demons John Pini and Kenny Jernigan leading the way at linebacker.
Jernigan will also start at running back, along with Devonte Lockett and Ricky Voss _ all of whom are seniors.
"Offensively, our running backs will be our strength," Stone said. "We're deep there. We've got the three running backs and about four other guys who should get some time there.
"Our (offensive) line is going to have to grow up fast, but realistically, that might take some time. We'll be working at it. We'd really like to make the playoffs this year and at least crack that 5-4 mark."