There's some meaningful football in Elgin Friday night
Picture this.
It's Week 9 of the high school football season and there is meaningful football to be played within the city of Elgin. And not just at one school, but two.
Well, it's not just a picture, it's reality.
Friday night, at fields separated only by the Fox River and a couple miles of Chicago Street, the football teams from Larkin and St. Edward will both be playing for their postseason lives. And to add to the excitement, Larkin welcomes South Elgin to Memorial Field for the first time. South Elgin, of course, is coached by Larkin grad and former Royals coach Dale Schabert, who is still an Elgin resident.
Had enough? Well, let's not forget that St. Edward coach Mike Rolando is also a Larkin graduate and was a pretty darn good player for the Royals back in the late 1980s. In fact, Schabert was Larkin's defensive coordinator when Rolando was the Royals' senior quarterback, leading the 1990 team to a memorable season that ended with a 49-42 Class 6A quarterfinal loss to East St. Louis in one of the best games ever played at Memorial Field.
Each coach this week has focused on his own game, and rightfully so. But each also appreciates the fact Elgin has a unique Friday night in store for it.
"I don't know when if ever it's come down to one game at the end of the season for St. Ed's," Rolando said as he readied his troops to meet Wheaton Academy at Greg True Field.
"There's no question it's been a pretty good season around the area," said Larkin coach Matt Gehrig. "We're excited about Friday night."
But while Friday night can become memorable for two of the three teams with a win, the one squad that has really stepped up to the plate this season is Schabert's Storm.
In five short years, the Storm has gone from the also-ran, the program that had just 6 varsity wins in program history coming into this season, the program that heads into Memorial Field Friday night 6-2 and a win away from a possible home game in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
So has this South Elgin team surprised people?
"Only about a couple thousand," laughed senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow.
And maybe even themselves?
"I knew we'd have a successful season but I didn't know it would be this successful," said senior linebacker-tight end Sean Kolber.
For many new schools, it takes years to get to the point South Elgin has in just its fourth varsity season.
"It's pretty amazing how far this school has come in such a short time," said Kolber, a three-year varsity player. "We had those three losing seasons and now we're having a breakout season."
It's also been a season in which Schabert, now in his 16th year of leading a program, has not only relished the success but also reflected on the program's humble beginnings.
"That first year we brought kids here from five high schools (St. Edward included)," he said Wednesday after practice. "That was a tough task in the beginning. A lot of them wanted to be back at their schools. But those kids were the forefathers. They laid the foundation."
Having a 9-0 sophomore team last year didn't hurt much either.
"They came in and adjusted real well," Kolber said. "We bonded well as a family."
One look at the Storm's schedule back in August made it clear they would have to play some awfully good football to reach the playoffs. Going into Friday's games, South Elgin has played only two teams with losing records. The Storm's opponents have a combined record of 47-25, thus giving the Storm more playoff points than any team in the state in Class 7A, and almost as many as any school in any class.
But South Elgin welcomed the challenge.
"I wouldn't say we were nervous," Kumerow said. "I looked forward to the challenge of playing the tougher teams. We like being the underdog."
Schabert has enjoyed this season maybe like no other. He hasn't had a playoff team since 2003 at Larkin - which, by the way, is also the last time St. Edward made the playoffs.
"It's been fun," Schabert said. "Now, in the fifth year, you're starting to see the reward and you see all the time and work paying off. This season has been outstanding. There's a lot of buzz in the building. The administration and the faculty have been incredibly supportive and the student body has been amazing.
"You coach a long time and you have special teams. What stands out is when your kids really enjoy each other. We've had some great comeback wins and our two losses are by a total of 12 points. It's been great to see them come together."
Meanwhile, Larkin would like to get into the playoffs with a win at South Elgin's expense Friday.
"This really is a playoff game for us," said Gehrig. "We have to go out and play our best. It's the first time we've played South Elgin and a lot of our kids know each other and even went to school together when they were younger. There's a lot of ties and that breeds rivalries."
At St. Edward, the word all week has been simple - Six. The Green Wave, also with 30 playoff points, also won't get in at 5-4.
"Our kids know how big it is," said Rolando, whose team could have secured a playoff berth the last two weeks but fell to Aurora Christian and Marian Central. "This is the turning point for our program. The football program and the St. Edward community will be disappointed if we don't get that sixth win. That tells me we've taken the program to the next level, The expectations have been raised and we expect that sixth win."
Three Elgin schools, two games. Friday night.
It doesn't get much better than this.
jradtke@dailyherald.com