Let the good times roll for Pfister, Elk Grove

This is one of the best times of Kyle Pfister's life right now.

There is a buzz which extends beyond the mohawk haircuts Pfister and most of his Elk Grove football teammates are wearing this week. It goes with the postseason territory they've put their school in for the first time since 2004.

"We've got fans talking about the game in the hallways," Pfister said of tonight's trip just north of Rockford for a Class 7A first-round game at Machesney Park Harlem. "I've never felt an energy like this around school. It's a total football feeling around here."

Only one thing could have made it even better for the Grenadiers' standout senior inside linebacker. All of the joy comes a little more than six months after one of the worst times in Pfister's life.

On May 16, Pfister's father Eric died from an aneurysm he suffered during one of his regular business trips to Germany. Eric Pfister had played football at Elmhurst College in early 1980s and coached Kyle in his park district leagues.

"He was a huge influence - in football especially," Pfister said. "He got me going but he never forced me into it.

"I picked up my love of the game from him and he was always there to guide me through it and coach me."

It was a moment which could have sent anyone at any age into a downward spiral. Particularly a teenager with two brothers and two sisters.

But his dad's death didn't make him grow up in a hurry. Pfister was already there.

"I would say he's as mature a kid and as coachable a kid as I've coached," said Elk Grove baseball boss Terry Beyna of his pitching workhorse.

"In 10 years of coaching, there are a few special kids you can always look back on and say, 'If I had 11 of them -'" said first-year Elk Grove football coach Brian Doll. "Kyle is that way. He's as clean-cut an American boy as you can imagine."

So as down as second-year Buffalo Grove coach Jim Farrell was about losing a playoff spot in a 14-7 defeat to the Grenadiers last Friday, he has no complaints with one of the people directly responsible.

Farrell even nominated Pfister for the Mid-Suburban League football's Unsung Hero award - which he won.

"What a great kid he is - a really, really solid young man," Farrell, a former Elk Grove assistant, said of one of his neighbors. "He was a mature kid anyway and these kinds of things force that on you.

"He was a stud in our game. He was everywhere."

Just two days after his dad's death, Pfister was where he wanted and believed he should be - on the mound as Elk Grove's starting pitcher.

"I told him (that Sunday) to take as much time as you need, and at our workout Monday morning he showed up and said, 'It's my turn to pitch, I want the ball,'" Beyna said. "It wasn't an emotional, 'I need the ball.' It's just a genuine strength where he was able to take the ball mentally and physically."

Doll had just come over from New Trier to become Elk Grove's new football coach in February. Even though he didn't know Pfister that well yet, Doll went to his baseball game that day to show his support.

"He ran up and gave me a huge hug and said, 'Thanks for coming, coach,'" Doll said. "He's way past his years in maturity. And there's nothing about him that says 'it's about me.'"

For Pfister, it was about what his dad would have wanted.

"He always said you keep going," Pfister said. "I remember when one of his cousins died he always said, 'You have to celebrate their life and not cope with death.

"I tried to do that through playing baseball."

And now through his dad's favorite sport.

Doll raved in the preseason at how quickly Pfister became acclimated to running his aggressive 3-4 defensive scheme.

It turned out to be a perfect match in numerous ways because of Pfister's consistency, ability and intelligence as an honor roll student who scored 27 on the ACT.

"Kyle has a calmness about himself that you have to step back and enjoy watching him play," Doll said, "because he has that passion for the game."

So, even as he's dealt with his own personal tragedy, Pfister has done everything to make the transition as smooth as possible for Doll and a large cast of talented juniors who have played a major part in the Grens' resurgence.

Fortunately for Pfister, his mom Dawn has been there for him every step of the way.

"Without her I don't know where I'd be," Pfister said. "It's tough because I always used to come home and talk to my dad about the game last year.

"My mom has been really supportive and is always talking about the game. My friends have really been big, especially the guys on the football team."

Pfister and senior Matt McEnery, the Grenadiers' top receiver, have been friends since preschool. They grew up playing football together and before every game tape their left wrists with "EP 78," for the number Pfister's dad wore at Elmhurst College.

"They've all rallied around me," Pfister said.

But it's not difficult to do it around a kid like Pfister.

He's considering following in his dad's footsteps into international business but is also very interested in meteorology.

Doll said North Dakota State is among the schools whose football interest is growing. Beyna said his best is yet to come and will have a shot at baseball at the next level.

Pfister said he would love to take a shot at both sports in college. But his big concern right now is tonight's shot at Harlem and starting a tradition for years to come.

"Even last year, the seniors talked about starting it and we've come in and tried to incorporate our own things," Pfister said. "Hopefully we've started 'Elk Grove Nation' to have a good football program in the future."

They couldn't have asked for a better cornerstone to that foundation than Kyle Pfister.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com