Red Devils' title opportunity has a nice ring to it
Hinsdale Central coach Mike DiMatteo has a piece of jewelry he's dying to be rid of.
Funny, but it has a lot of sentimental value.
"I wear a silver tungsten carbide ring to remind me what I have to do and what my goal is, and hopefully I'll replace it someday," DiMatteo said. "When I do, that ring gets retired."
The only way that silver ring gets retired is when he earns the one awarded each member of a state championship football team.
Now, DiMatteo is not taking this as a personal crusade. "It's all of us," he said.
In Saturday night's Class 8A championship game, all the Red Devils (11-2) face a 13-0 Maine South squad that will enter as the favorite. The Hawks, who won the 2000 Class 6A title and under coach David Inserra were 8A runner-up from 2003-05, have outscored teams 589-149 with 13 points allowed in their last three playoff games.
"We've been the underdog since round two of the playoffs," said Red Devils quarterback John Whitelaw. "Obviously, they're picked to win, but Coach DiMatteo says just go out and play and have fun, and if we play the best we can we should win."
Whitelaw's counterpart, Vanderbilt recruit Charlie Goro, has completed 224 of 301 passes for 3,039 yards, 37 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. Out of the spread offense tailback Matt Perez has run for 1,026 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"Obviously, from a defensive perspective, on our side we have to mainly limit the big plays," said Hinsdale Central middle linebacker Brendan Sullivan. "They've got a playmaker in the backfield at quarterback and a pretty explosive running back."
Hinsdale Central has its own playmakers.
Left-handed quarterback Whitelaw doesn't have Goro's passing numbers - he has completed 126 of 217 passes for 1,984 yards, 17 touchdowns, 6 interceptions - but Whitelaw's team-leading 1,174 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns trump Goro on the ground.
Whitelaw ran for two touchdowns in the Red Devils' 24-21 semifinal win over Mt. Carmel. Their first semifinal victory following defeats in 2002 and 2005 was bolstered by Brian Connor's 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown and a second straight game-winning field goal from David Lutz.
Senior tailback Rich Zajeski, who missed nearly four full games with a high ankle sprain, has run for 906 yards and 10 touchdowns, including 2 long touchdown runs in the second-round win over No. 1 seed Bolingbrook. He's also a receiving threat in DiMatteo's triple-option scheme.
Along with a solid zone-blocking offensive line, Hinsdale Central adds offensive wildcards in receivers Mick Culligan and Alex Kirk.
"They have a full plate to deal with," Whitelaw said.
Hinsdale Central's physical 3-5 defense is led by linebackers Sullivan, Jason Rafferty, Mike Rogowski and Sean O'Grady, linemen Mike Rogers, the pesky Allan Cameron and all-state nose tackle Pat Clegg, and cornerbacks Connor and Garrett Kawa.
"First and foremost we have to defend the pass, and at the high school level that can be a daunting challenge," DiMatteo said.
They'll accept it.
"With me and the rest of the other players, we've waited a long time for this opportunity," Sullivan said. "Like coach says, you can only ask for the opportunity."