Spartans post historic victory
The left goalpost in the east end zone at St. Francis leans ever-so-slightly forward. The school thought about straightening the post before the football season began but never got around to it.
With 2:55 left in Saturday's Class 5A semifinal, that leaning post caught a Kankakee extra point flush and knocked the football back where it came from, preserving a 21-20 St. Francis victory and the Spartans' first trip to the state championship game.
"It's a great, great day for St. Francis," said second-year Spartans coach Greg Purnell. "I'm so happy for this community. You realize they've only had 12 winning seasons in 50 years. A year ago we were getting 40- and 50-pointed quite regularly. We ended up 3-6, but this group really committed themselves."
St. Francis (12-1) started the game with a 64-yard drive ending in a Mark Kachmer 8-yard touchdown run. Kankakee nearly dented the scoreboard in the second quarter but fumbled into the end zone, where junior defensive back Tony Vargyas recovered for the first of his two key takeaways.
"We were extremely fortunate on that, but then we took the ball and drove 80 yards. We go up 14-0," Purnell said.
Another Kachmer TD run, this one from a yard out, sent the Spartans into the locker room with all the momentum, but Kankakee (9-4) didn't fret.
"We felt good, the same way we felt in the rest of the playoff games," Kankakee coach Cornell Middlebrook said, noting comebacks against Rochelle and Morris. "We knew we were in it. We just beat ourselves in the first half."
Kankakee stole that momentum right away in the third quarter. On the second play junior running back Runder Smith broke away for a 67-yard touchdown run.
"We knew that they've come out the second half and pulled out some real good games, so we were ready for it," Kachmer said. "We lapsed a few times, but we got it. We got it done."
Again the Spartans ground out a long drive, and again Kachmer topped it off with a 6-yard run, making the score 21-7. The Spartans were done scoring, but Kankakee wasn't.
On a fourth-and-4 play early in the fourth quarter, Kankakee quarterback Charles Smith found Julian Bogan for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
After a St. Francis fumble the Kays drove again, this time scoring on a Jalon Banks 4-yard run, setting up the goalpost's moment of glory.
"They were just pounding inside, pounding inside, and coach did a great job of pumping us up," Vargyas said.
Kankakee got the ball back one last time, with 1:15 to play, 80 yards from the end zone, but Vargyas intercepted a Charles Smith pass, just getting a foot inbounds, and getting the celebration started in Wheaton.
The Spartans will meet defending champion Metamora in the state final at 10 a.m. Saturday, putting many Thanksgiving plans in a state of flux.
"To be real honest with you, I haven't scheduled anything yet," Purnell said with a laugh. "Not that I was being optimistic, but I was hoping."