Cary-Grove focused on one goal: 6A championship
The Cary-Grove football team doesn't intend to let the circus atmosphere of a state final distract from its quest to win the Class 6A title on Saturday.
The Trojans (13-0) plan to take the field focused like a high-powered zoom lens when they face Providence (12-1) for the state championship at Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m., their second trip to Champaign since 2004.
"We're there to compete," Cary-Grove coach Bruce Kay said. "You cannot get caught up in all the hoopla that surrounds going to the state finals. When you go down there and they have the Jumbotron on and they do the introductions and you have your picture up there and they're doing animated players like they did in '04 - all those things can be a big overwhelming if you're not ready.
"I think it helps that our kids were there (as fans in 2004). When we talk to them about these things it's not like they weren't there to see it."
Star fullback of the 2004 team, Will Yocius, who recently competed his collegiate football career at Drake, addressed the Trojans at Wednesday's practice. He told the Cary-Grove players to stay focused on the task at hand.
"He shared some thoughts about playing in the championship game," Kay said, "and those were very, very good. The big things is to focus on your game, focus on the fundamentals and be a competitor."
Standing in the way of Cary-Grove's first football state title are the formidable Celtics, led by 1,733-yard rusher Tim Hanrahan. "He's our go-to guy," Providence fourth-year coach Mark Coglianese said.
There are few similarities between these opponents. Cary-Grove is a public school from the far northwest suburbs seeking its first title. Providence is a south-suburban Catholic school playing for its 10th. The Trojans' triple-option offense runs like a fine watch with all gears perfectly synchronized. The Providence offense is pure power football, running mostly out of the I formation behind an offensive line that averages 252 pounds.
The teams do share one similarity, however: They both faced De La Salle this season. Providence beat the Meteors 26-20 in Week 8, holding off a De La Salle comeback attempt by recovering a fumble at their own 11-yard line with 13 seconds left in the game.
Cary-Grove crushed the Meteors 42-0 in a 6A quarterfinal two weeks ago. Like every opponent Cary-Grove has faced this season, De La Salle could not slow the prolific triple-option attack, led by leg-pumping fullback Eric Chandler (1,255 yards, 19 touchdowns), big-play running back Alex Hembrey (1,102 yards, 20 TDs) and deft quarterback Tyler Krebs (732 yards, 12 rushing TDs). The Trojans average 44.9 points and need to gain only 125 more total yards to top 5,000.
De La Salle could not dent a 3-3-5 Cary-Grove defense that includes nose guard Jack McMullin, ends Matt Liebforth and Matt Corcoran, linebackers Nick Underwood, Stu Gaulke and Kyle Liebforth, cornerbacks Trent Sorensen and Chad McCarron and safeties Alex Lyons, Danny Sarillo and Danny Scott.
Cary-Grove has 6 shutouts this season and limits its opponents to averages of 9.1 points and 166 total yards per game.
"Their defense is very impressive," Coglianese said. "They're quick and they pursue well. They get to the ball quickly and they have a very good front line.
"Their offense is a different challenge because they don't spread out like the last two teams we've played, Danville and Crete-Monee. They are very well coached and they've been very hard to stop. We hope we can cut those offensive numbers down a bit."
Providence faced an option offense in Week 9 of the regular season against Mt. Carmel, which features split backs. The Celtics prevailed 17-14.
If the Cary-Grove defense can stop Hanrahan, the Trojans will gain the upper hand. But controlling the 5-foot-11, 180-pound seniors is no easy assignment.
"He seems to be the type of guys who gets stronger as the game goes on," Kay said. "The way we look at is their offense is similar to the way St. Charles East was last year."
Though outsized by St. Charles East's mammoth offensive line in a second-round playoff game in 2008, the Trojans became the first defense to hold running back Wes Allen under 100 yards all season.
If they can pull the same trick against Hanrahan on Saturday, Cary-Grove could be hoisting a first-place state trophy by midafternoon.