Players recall how they celebrated the best moments of 2009 season
This fall there were many opportunities for athletes and their teams to capture the limelight. It was Warhol who once said, "in the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes."
This fall there were many football players whose efforts on a particular Friday night led to a big victory. On the high-end, Geneva and Marmion had 9 such occasions and St. Charles North did it twice with the season on the line in the postseason.
Here's a look back at a small handful of the many memorable individual efforts of the 2009 season. Take a look at how these players basked in their glory and how they celebrated their contributions to victory. Years from now, when their football jerseys have been replaced with business suits, doctor's scrubs and other work uniforms, they'll look fondly back on some of the highlights of their athletic careers, but they may not remember how they celebrated afterward.
Week 1, Aug. 28
Derek Bus, Kaneland: Kaneland got off to a great start and its defense had a lot to do with it as the Knights limited visiting Burlington Central to 110 yards of total offense while shutting out the Rockets, 35-0.
Linebacker Derek Bus had a lot to do with the Knights success. The 6-foot-2 senior broke up a pass on a key fourth-down play, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
Big players in big games build an appetite. That's what led to Bus and several of his teammates waking up on Saturday and heading to a Golden Corral. We're talking about country fried steak, spareribs, barbecue chicken, sirloin steak, macaroni and cheese, buttered noodles, mashed potatoes and more.
Bus found himself at the Golden Corral a few times this fall, but after his excellent play against the Rockets he took it easy, very easy.
"I went to a friend's house who doesn't go to school here," Bus said. "We just hung out and really didn't talk too much about the game."
Week 2, Sept. 4
Jonell Crump, Mooseheart: Crump carried the ball 12 times and 42 percent of the time his rush resulted in him finding the end zone. Crump scored 5 touchdowns and accumulated 229 rushing yards in Mooseheart's 46-36 victory over Rockford Christian Life.
Sometimes you're simply too tired to do much celebrating after a big win. On other occasions you have plans for later in the weekend.
"I pretty much took it easy after the game," Crump said. "I iced a little and had a good time talking to the captains."
Another reason for Crump's early night was because he had to be up early in the morning. Crump and those who reside with him at Mooseheart helped pack two buses of college football fans who were part of the sparse crowd of 17,857 who witnessed Northwestern's 47-14 drubbing of Towson at Ryan Field. Next Level Foundation provided this great opportunity.
Week 3, Sept. 11
Nick Scoliere, Marmion: Scoliere recovered a fumble on the first possession of the game that helped Marmion jump to an early lead.
The junior later added a 50-yard touchdown reception which allowed the Cadets to extend their lead. And, for good measure, the 180-pound safety recovered another fumble to help Marmion stun St. Francis, the defending Class 5A state champion, 20-7.
The Buffalo Wild Wings at Geneva Commons, the unofficial home of Marmion football, was jam-packed with boisterous and hungry Cadets after their big victory.
"We grew up with a lot of those kids and had our hearts broken in overtime last season," Scoliere said. "Our season sputtered after that loss and propelled them to state."
Revenge tasted about as good as the many plates of wings which were devoured by Scoliere and many of his teammates.
"This was one of my favorite wins," he said. "We never heard the end of it last year and they were picked to win conference this year so it was a great start for us."
And a delicious way to finish the night.
Week 4, Sept. 19
Alex Schaefer, Aurora Central: So much for 13 being unlucky. Aurora Central snapped its 13-game losing streak, going on the road to face Michigan Lutheran and lambasting the Titans, 62-21.
The Chargers rushed for more than 500 yards and senior Alex Schaefer led the way with a pair of scores and 176 yards.
The charter bus that the Chargers rented for the occasion was a party on wheels for the three-hour drive back to Aurora. Players showed their enthusiasm with plenty of high-fives while snacking on candy bars and pizza before settling in for a viewing of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."
"It was a great atmosphere," Schaefer said. "There was constant chatter and it was a fun ride home."
Once home, Schaefer and many of his teammates spent some of their Saturday evening at the ever-popular Buffalo Wild Wings.
Week 5, Sept. 25
Charlie James, Geneva: James had 2 touchdown receptions and converted all 4 of his extra-point kicks to help Geneva escape Sycamore, 28-20, to remain undefeated and extend its regular-season winning streak to 23 games. James finished with 5 catches for 75 yards.
Alice Cooper became famous for singing, "I´m 18, and I don´t know what I want." James turned 18 on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and one thing he wanted was to beat the Spartans and his effort helped assure the Vikings were victorious.
James celebrated his birthday casually on Hump Day by having dinner with a few teammates and family leading up to his outstanding effort on Friday night.
"There wasn't much time to do anything getting back from Sycamore," James said. "I just enjoyed all the congratulations I received and took it easy."
James needed to rest up anyway. He visited Michigan State and Purdue on Monday and Tuesday respectively as the senior is considering a few options for his academic career.
Week 6, Oct. 2
Marcus Waller, West Aurora: Junior Marcus Waller truly did a lot to help the Blackhawks beat West Chicago, 20-7, in DuPage Valley play.
Waller had 9 solo tackles and 10 assists to help the Blackhawks shut down West Chicago's offensive attack. On the flip side of the ball, Waller caught a 20-yard pass for a touchdown. But the highlight of the night was on special teams, when Waller blocked a punt, recovered it, and took it in for a 25-yard score.
"It was a good bus ride back," Waller said. "But it was after 11 by the time we got back so I just went home."
At home, thanks to the continuing advances in technology, Waller was able to watch his blocked punt and ensuing return for a touchdown several times later that evening in the company of his parents. While eating a few slices of pizza, Waller watched the blocked punt at least fives time before he retired for the evening.
"I tried to go to sleep but my brother got home later and I heard them watching it again so I got up and watched it again." Waller said.
It's a play that Waller won't have to someday tell his grandkids, he'll be able to show them.
Jess Striedl, St. Charles East: It appears that Striedl likes to get things done beyond normal working hours.
On a wet field with a constant rain falling throughout the night, Striedl took things into his own hands, literally, to assure the Saints of a victory. Striedl hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Possley to give the Saints a 21-14 lead in overtime. It was the only completed pass the Saints would have in the contest.
But Striedl's work was far from over. He wasn't getting time-and-a-half; he was getting double time, playing defense too. Striedl teamed up with Bryce Barry to stop Warriors halfback Tre Clark at the 1-yard line on fourth down to finally seal the Saints' fourth consecutive victory.
"We usually go into the locker room after the game and that was a pretty good locker room," Striedl said. "There was a lot of yelling and screaming."
What's become a tradition of sorts this year is for many of the Saints to shower, get dressed and then reconvene at a local McDonald's. While the Happy Meal recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary, Striedl and his teammates enjoyed quite a happy meal themselves as the reminisced about what had just transpired on the field.
"We talked a lot about the big plays but also about a lot of the other things that happened," Striedl said.
And since he made two of the biggest plays of the game, others asked him about them often.
"We talked about those most of the night and into Saturday and Sunday,' he said. "But it never got old."
Week 7, Oct. 9
John Magee, Aurora Christian: The Eagles were looking to make a big statement when it headed to homecoming at St. Edward.
The Green Wave were thinking differently. They were looking to treat alumni to a victory while sealing a playoff bid. The Eagles managed the clock well, played solid defense and received a tremendous effort from junior John Magee who was extremely busy. Magee carried the ball 32 times, collecting 153 yards on the ground and finding the end zone twice as Aurora Christian won 23-18.
Doing just about anything 32 times is tiring, so one can assume that Magee was beat after rushing 32 times.
"A little bit," Magee said. "But everyone was in such an upbeat mood so you don't really think about that."
After the track season last spring, Magee didn't think he would be strong enough to play at the level he did in a game like this one, but here he was, one of the biggest contributors to victory, sitting with teammates, parents, family and friends at Buffalo Wild Wings.
"We pretty much went to Buffalo Wild Wings after every game so this wasn't much different," he said. "I know it was pretty much packed."
Trevor Lilovich, St. Charles North: Many consider 7 to be a lucky number and there's no doubt Week 7 of the high school football season was significant for St. Charles North.
Behind a pair of sacks from defensive end Trevor Lilovich, the North Stars spanked Upstate Eight Conference rival Neuqua Valley 31-5. The North Stars also qualified for the playoffs for the 8th straight year while ending the Wildcats own post-season hopes.
While Lilovich could just have easily have hung out with teammates after the game, he was eager to just take it easy.
"I'm not the most social guy and since football takes up 6 days of the week it's nice to get away from it a little," he said. "My girlfriend comes to all the games and lives farther away so I like to spend time with her."
On this particular evening Lilovich enjoyed the victory and his stellar play in a loud locker room before heading out where he enjoyed a relaxing evening at home with his girlfriend and family.
Week 8, Oct. 16
Sean Tews, Batavia: Behind the stellar play of its offensive line, Batavia ended a 5-game losing streak with a 40-6 victory over DeKalb.
Center Sean Tews helped lead the way as the Bulldogs O-line created plenty of opportunities for Batavia's ground attack all evening. Sophomore Danny Seiton (13 carries, 188 yards) was the primary beneficiary, rushing for 3 touchdowns.
Tews and guard Jeff Hartzell recharged after the game at a local Wendy's before calling it a night. Well, not actually, as Tews still had football on his mind.
"The game was on public access so I watched a little bit of that to see how I did and to correct the bad things," Tews said.
On Saturday, Tews traveled to Normal, Ill. to visit his brother Jake Tews (2007) and to watch an Illinois State team wallop Indiana State, 38-21. Former Bulldogs tight end, Jordan Church (2008), was on the sidelines but did not play for the Redbirds.
Week 9, Oct. 23
Andrew Mariotti, Geneva: There wasn't the usual luster when Geneva traveled to face rival Batavia.
The Bulldogs were playing for pride, having already been eliminated from the playoffs, while the Vikings were aiming for another conference championship and momentum heading into the postseason.
In a defensive struggle that saw the Vikings only lead 3-0 through three quarters, junior defensive lineman Andrew Mariotti helped shutdown the Bulldogs, making 9 solo tackles, 4 for losses, and several key plays on third and fourth down. The Vikings offense would come alive in the final quarter while Mariotti and the defense continued to shutout the Bulldogs, winning going away, 23-0
"Right after the game Coach Wiz (Wicinski) told us how proud he was for us making a big comeback," Mariotti said. "It was pretty emotional for the seniors and we all hung out on the field for a half hour and talked to each other."
Although it was just the end of the regular season, Mariotti told the seniors how it's been a pleasure playing with them and the focus turned to the postseason.
"I just went home after that, it was late and I just took it easy," Mariotti said. "We had a team breakfast the next day and I didn't do anything really special the rest of the weekend."
Playoffs, Oct. 30
Jeff McLean, Marmion: The Cadets' offensive line dominated during Marmion's 41-20 win over Huntley in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Guard Jeff McLean was part of the offensive line that helped the Cadets rush for 368 yards. Bobby Winkel, T.J. Lally, Nick Scoliere, Matt Pircon and Adam Andras all rushed for scores.
The win was Marmion's first in the postseason since 1998, a season in which the Cadets advanced to the quarterfinals. McLean and his teammates celebrated for a little while in the locker room and then outside of it with classmates and family and friends before heading to their home away from home, Buffalo Wild Wings.
"We usually have at least 20 guys there, but I think we had more this time," McClean said.
While initial conversation during dinner was on the victory over the Red Raiders, soon the Cadets were looking ahead to whether they'd get King or Prairie Ridge in the second round, as well as how the rest of the area teams were doing.
Playoffs, Nov. 6
Dominic Imbordino, St. Charles North: TheNorth Stars have qualified for the postseason in 8 straight seasons, but the bonus season has been a difficult one.
They had only escaped the first round once (2006) prior to last week's victory over South Elgin, and now were trying to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. With less than a minute to play, Dominic Imbordino battled Matt McEnery in the end zone for a Nick Meyer pass and it was Imbordino who came away with the game-saving interception to preserve a 20-14 North Stars victory.
"Oh my gosh that was such a great feeling," Imbordino said about his pick. "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
It took awhile for the celebration to end on the field and in the locker room but eventually someone shouted, "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!" and the celebration continued over volcano tacos, gorditas, chalupas, quesadillas and a caramel apple empanada or two.
"We usually went to Taco Bell during the season because it was close and open," Imbordino said. "It was an easy place to go to and hang out."