LZ forced to keep Champaign dreams on hold
The disappointment cut so deep that JJ Shield had a hard time resuming normal activity.
"He didn't even want to come out of his room the next day," said JJ's younger brother, Mike. "He was devastated."
Well, it does hurt, after all, to lose in a state championship football game.
JJ Shield started on defense for Lake Zurich's 2006 team that advanced to the Class 7A state championship game but lost to St. Rita, 35-21. He was a junior that year.
The happy ending to the story is that Shield and the Bears returned to Champaign the following season and completely redeemed themselves by beating Wheaton Warrenville South 7-3 for the school's first and only football state championship.
"I remember the feeling I had when we lost (in 2006). It was terrible," JJ Shield said. "Winning a state title is everything you want to do in high school. And to get so close and not do it-the bus ride home was so sad.
"But I think that winning state the next year was actually made even sweeter just because we had gone through that horrible loss the year before."
On Saturday in Lake Zurich, the possibility of that kind of sweet redemption was a big part of Shield's consoling post-game message to his younger brother, who had tears in his eyes in the wake of Lake Zurich's heart-wrenching 21-17 Class 7A state semifinal loss to Glenbard West.
Younger brother Mike Shield is just a sophomore, but he started this season on defense for the Bears and was also used heavily in the offensive backfield as a running back. He and his teammates stood around on their home turf in stunned disbelief after Glenbard West quarterback Tyler Warden helped the Hilltoppers complete one heck of an improbable late-game rally.
With his team down 17-14, Warden engineered a furious four-minute, 15-play drive that was eventually capped off with a touchdown pass to Mark Hiben in the corner of the end zone with just six seconds left in the game.
Lake Zurich's only shot at regaining the lead and winning the game was a Hail Mary pass as time expired. And that didn't come close.
"It's a shock to all of us right now," said Shield, who rushed for 61 yards and also made numerous big plays on defense, including a near safety. "No one really knows what to do right now."
In time, the Bears will find their way. JJ Shield is sure of it.
"I guess one thing I learned is that the sun really will come out tomorrow," said JJ Shield, now a student at Illinois. He cheered loudly for his brother in the stands while proudly wearing his oversized state championship ring and his Lake Zurich lettermen's jacket.
"The positive in this is that once you start team meetings again and you start talking about next year, you realize that you can use the hurt from a loss in a game like this as motivation," JJ Shield said. "You use it to work really hard and do everything you can over the off-season so that you can win it the next time."
Of course, there will be no next time for Lake Zurich's senior class. And that sad reality wasn't lost on anyone - from head coach Bryan Stortz, who couldn't compliment his seniors enough for their leadership and contributions, to Mike Shield, who was grateful to the seniors for welcoming a sophomore to the varsity with open arms.
"I just feel so bad for all the seniors out here," Shield said, looking out over a field scattered with teammates hugging and consoling each other. "They played their hearts out. They left everything on the field. It just stinks for them.
"(In the team huddle), all we could do was tell each other that we'd get through this. I'm sure for me, my brother will help, too."
In a way, JJ Shield already has helped.
Big brother's post-game message clearly registered with Mike Shield. Before leaving the field for the last time this season, Shield suddenly went from being sad to determined. And that sounded all too familiar.
"The biggest winners learn from their mistakes," Shield said, wiping away his tears. "We're winners and we won't let this happen again. We're going to work even harder and we're going to get to Champaign next year."
pbabcock@dailyherald.com