Naperville North picks Drendel to lead football program

With one of the most prestigious high school football programs in the state, Naperville North faced a pressure-packed decision in picking its next head coach.

In the end the Huskies went with one of their own.

Naperville North on Tuesday promoted longtime defensive coordinator Sean Drendel to be the man to replace hall of fame coach Larry McKeon, who's retiring after 27 years at the helm, 23 playoff appearances and two state championships.

"I've known for a while that this was something I wanted to do," Drendel said. "My ultimate intention is to do what's best for Naperville North. My goal is to create student-athletes the whole community can be proud of."

Drendel, a 1990 graduate of Naperville North, was a Daily Herald All-Area Football Team selection who played at Eastern Illinois University. A coach in Naperville North's football program for the last 15 years, Drendel spent the last 10 years as the varsity defensive coordinator.

Two seasons removed from winning the 2007 Class 8A state championship and bolstered by a run of 13 straight playoff appearances, it was important for Naperville North and athletic director Doug Smith to maintain the roots of the program.

One key aspect of Drendel's hire, according to Smith, includes the retention of the bulk of the program's veteran coaching staff. Although Drendel isn't a teacher and doesn't work in the building, Naperville North felt Drendel's experience was crucial to the program's future success.

"Larry did an excellent job for us, and one of the things he did was put together a terrific staff," Smith said. "We have a tremendous tradition here, and we feel Sean is the guy who will carry on that tradition."

Smith said the job opening attracted more than 50 applications, a list shortened to eight finalists. Drendel, a self-employed financial trader, said he'll be spending more time at Naperville North while he meets with the coaching staff and the players.

Drendel will immediately begin working toward a successful 2010 season but, in many ways, he was doing that already.

"The standards at Naperville North are very high and will remain that way," Drendel said. "I want to build upon the blocks that are already in place."