Immaculate Conception High's Knights gather to celebrate state title

For a pep rally, Sunday's celebration of Immaculate Conception High School's second state football title in six years started off awfully somber.

Roughly 200 parents, students and community supporters gathered in the Elmhurst school's gymnasium to pay tribute to the team, who on Friday defeated Casey Westfield 36-17 to win the Class 2A title.

Head coach Bill Schmidt went through a litany of thank-yous to administrators, read short tributes describing how each of the team's 11 assistant coaches helped propel the team to a flawless state playoff push after ending the regular season 5-4, and introduced each of the team's players in succession.

"This group accomplished something truly special," Schmidt told the audience. "So let them really hear you."

But the rumbling in the stands didn't start until the team started singing.

"Everywhere we go-o!"

"People wanna know-o!"

"Who we a-are!"

"So we tell them!"

"We are the Knights!"

As the team piled on each other in the center of the gym, a rattle echoed from feet pounding against the floorboards in the stands.

"This took so much more than any one person," Schmidt told the crowd, who got more visibly charged as he spoke. "It's all about the journey. Since November, we've demanded so much from these kids. And the amount of sacrifice came not only from the guys standing here, but from all of you in the stands."

Patty West, whose nephew, Nick Perrone, is on the team, took Schmidt's message to heart.

"There's obviously a lot of pride in the community because of what these kids did," she said. "Things just happen to good people."

The school's principal, Pam Levar, had another bit of unexpected good news for the crowd.

"We've said all along there's something special about this group of kids," she said. "Our kids are the best ... As for the students, we'll see you all on Tuesday."

That drew the biggest roar of all.