South Elgin seeks breakout year
The South Elgin football program begins its third season of varsity competition at a crossroads.
Will the Storm follow up last year's 3-6 season, it's first campaign with a senior class, by proving it belongs in the upper echelon of the Upstate Eight Conference just as district sister school Bartlett elevated its level of play in its third varsity season in 2000 by making the playoffs?
Or will South Elgin find itself relegated to the lower end of the conference, struggling to compete with traditional UEC title contenders on its schedule like Waubonsie Valley and St. Charles East and North?
How South Elgin gets out of the gate will go a long way toward answering those questions.
The Storm open against two 5-5 playoff teams from last season: at Marmion, then home against Vernon Hills. Then they hit the road at East Aurora (0-9) and Elgin (3-6) before the schedule amps up with four straight playoff teams from last year: T.F. South (7-3), St. Charles North (5-5), St. Charles East (8-3) and Waubonsie Valley (7-3) before the season finale against Streamwood (1-8)
Bound and determined to chart a successful course for the program's future is the first group of seniors to have attended South Elgin since they were freshmen. No longer is the program populated by a blend of transfers from Bartlett, Larkin, Elgin and St. Edward. These players bleed South Elgin silver, red and navy blue, if not in that order.
"We can definitely create a starting point," senior wide receiver Josh Smith said. "It depends on what we do."
What Smith can do is score. He was an all-area selection as a sophomore in 2006, when he made 37 receptions for 592 yards and 7 touchdowns. Last season he caught 8 balls for 137 yards and a touchdown in five quarters before he was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
After surgery and nine months of rehabilitation, Smith (6-1, 185) was cleared to train in May and is expected be force at wide receiver and kick returner. He is being recruited by the likes of Purdue, Iowa, Western Michigan and Colorado.
Smith is one of five team captains along with two-way lineman Nate VanMetre (6-2, 215), cornerback/running back Dan Perez (5-7, 160), senior quarterback Pat Rae (6-0, 170) and do-everything leader Phil Kawabata (5-9, 180), who will play linebacker and rotate between running back, tight end and receiver on offense.
"If the Energizer Bunny was a person, he'd be Phil Kawabata," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "You can see the respect the kids have for him. When he gets going, they jump right in. They'd follow that kid off a cliff right now. You don't see that many times in a high school leader. He could start a revolution. A good revolution."
Rae was a starter at quarterback at every level until last season, when he watched and learned behind entrenched starter Pete Scaffidi. Schabert lauded Rae's comportment while learning patiently as a junior and said he is confident his quarterback can have a successful season now that his turn has come.
Lining up in the backfield will be a rotation of five backs, including seniors Chris Ciccone (5-11, 185) and Kelvin Ware (5-5, 150) and promising sophomore Brad Birchfield (5-9, 160). Each of the five backs is versatile enough to line up in the slot.
Besides Smith, Rae can target junior wide receiver Jake Kumerow (6-3, 190), the son of former Ohio State and Miami Dolphins all-pro linebacker Eric Kumerow, not to mention Desmond Perry (5-11, 160) or Kawabata.
The defense must improve against the run if the Storm expect to compete in the bruising UEC. Back to lead the charge is junior linebacker Sean Kolber (6-3, 215), who led the team in tackles as a sophomore. Kolber will also play tight end.
Other key returners on defense include linebacker Jordan Tredup (5-11, 160), Perez at cornerback, safeties Dan Cluchey (6-1, 155) and Perry and defensive linemen Andrew Griggs (5-9, 280) and VanMetre.
"I think it's really important for us to set a good tone for the incoming freshmen and all the future classes so we can give them a good tradition," Kolber said of South Elgin's mission in Year 3. "We're feeling pretty good."