If this was indeed the end for Mitz, it came too soon

There were no tears, but there might have been a sizeable lump in Bill Mitz's throat.

Stevenson's football coach of nearly three decades stayed remarkably composed as he tried to console his team during a quiet and solemn postgame huddle at Gately Stadium on Friday night. But you could tell it wasn't easy for him.

"It's real hard for it to end like that," said Mitz, who was probably talking about Stevenson's gut-wrenching 23-16 loss to host Mt. Carmel in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs that was sealed when the Patriots failed to convert on fourth down with 1:02 remaining and just 10 yards separating them from the end zone.

But the truth is, Mitz could have just as well been talking about his Stevenson tenure of 28 years.

Rumor has it that also ended on the Gately Stadium turf.

Mitz announced long ago that this school year would be his last as a physical education teacher at Stevenson. He's ready to retire.

But what Mitz wasn't necessarily ready for was the end of football. So he told me and other reporters at the beginning of the season that he was leaving the door open, that he hadn't made a decision about whether or not he was also ready to turn in his whistle and clipboard.

Some high school coaches continue to coach after they retire from teaching and Mitz seemed genuinely intrigued by that idea.

"You never know," Mitz said back in August regarding a return to the sidelines in 2010. "You never want to say never."

That was the extent of what Mitz would discuss about his future. He was intent on not making this season about a possible last hurrah, and he almost seemed embarrassed when one of his fiercest but most well-respected rivals, Libertyville's Randy Kuceyeski, presented him with a commemorative plaque before their Week 7 game - just in case.

But on Friday night, according to a source close to the team, Mitz was finally going to revisit the topic in a private meeting with his players and assistant coaches. And apparently, the news was going to be the Patriots' second blow of the night.

"I hope to God he stays," said senior running back Matt Harris, who scored both of Stevenson's touchdowns against Mt. Carmel. "He's really great for the program. He means a lot to Stevenson. He means a lot to the community."

Over Mitz's 28 years, he's fielded the most consistent football program in Lake County, hands down.

The Patriots have made advancing to the playoffs a foregone conclusion. Under Mitz, they've qualified for the postseason for the last 21 straight years, dating back to 1989.

Since then, the Patriots have averaged eight wins a season and have hit double-digits in wins five times, in 1995 (10-1), 1996 (12-1), 2002 (11-3), 2005 (11-1) and this season (10-1).

Mitz's shining moment came in 2002 when he guided Stevenson to its one and only appearance in a state title game. That year, Stevenson made an impressive run through the Class 8A playoffs that included a magical 23-22 victory over Wheaton North in the semifinals.

The Patriots weren't able to close out the dream and lost to Lockport in the championship game, 35-14, but Mitz's pride that day, in both his program and the moment, was obvious.

Just like it was at Gately Stadium as he was addressing his team, which rallied from a 16-0 deficit.

Win or lose, Bill Mitz bleeds green and gold. He is Stevenson football.

And everyone from Lincolnshire to the South Side of Chicago knows it.

"You just don't replace people like him," said a longtime coach who would know, Mt. Carmel's Frank Lenti, who has held his position for 26 years. "I hope he sticks around because the game needs guys like Bill Mitz. This is the first time we've ever faced each other but we've known each other over the years through clinics and conventions and he's just a class individual all the way around.

"I really hope he stays in the game. But if not, I certainly wish him the best."

Same here.

Good luck Bill, on whatever it is that you've decided to do.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com