Mud part of Korus' fun return

Nothing says fun for a kid more than mud.

Senior linebacker Steve Korus was covered in it with the rest of his Palatine football teammates Friday night.

And that was before the celebratory midfield mudslide at Chic Anderson Stadium after the Pirates clinched a share of the Mid-Suburban West title with a gooey and soggy 31-10 win over Schaumburg.

How much fun was this for Korus? He even got in on a postgame tackle of linebackers coach Brian Richter.

It certainly beat the feeling of a junior season that slipped away from circumstances beyond his control.

"Pretty bad," the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Korus said of how tough it was to get on the field for just a few plays as Palatine ended a 10-year playoff drought.

Pretty bad physically and mentally. A double-whammy of mono in the preseason and a torn ACL in his knee at midseason kept Korus from even going to the Pirates' first postseason game since he needed to have surgery.

"When we'd win I could tell," Palatine middle linebacker Ryan Cortez, who is battling through his own back issues, said of how rough it was for Korus. "He definitely wanted to be in there because all of his friends were playing and having a good time."

So Korus put in his time to be a major part of more good times.

"He really worked hard in the offseason," said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly.

Korus was playing lacrosse in the spring after a six-month recovery. The knee felt fine and he was ready to roll when the football preseason arrived.

"I was so motivated to get back on the field with Cortez for my senior year," Korus said. "To have a great time and accomplish goals."

Some of those were in jeopardy after a loss to Conant in the MSL West opener dropped Palatine to 3-2. Korus was healthy but now others like Cortez were getting bit by the injury bug.

There were other issues afflicting the Pirates as their season was at a crossroads.

"We knew we had to change something if we were going to get to the playoffs," Korus said.

Dramatic wins with defensive late-game stands over Barrington and Fremd made it clear those changes had taken effect. After a weather delay on Friday, the Pirates shut out a Schaumburg offense averaging 34 points a game.

Cortez had a leaping interception. Phil Brand, Joe Pelnar, Brock Tenca, Jimmy LaCapra, Steve Temple and Chris Norman were among the swarming Pirates who eventually stopped the Saxons at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter.

And Korus was delivering his share of big hits.

"He's a good athlete - and he's not an easy guy to run around or block," Donnelly said.

"It feels good to have a solid guy in there," Cortez said.

Korus will feel the same way next week. This time he'll be out there when Palatine opens the playoffs.

"It's a great run to get everything in my first try," Korus said of realistically his only varsity season. "I'm so thankful for it."

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com