Cary-Grove's Saturday is why they play the games

NORMAL -- Déjà vu took a day off Saturday, at least if you are a follower of Cary-Grove football and girls volleyball.

A year ago today, Trojan Nation was at the top of the world. The football team had defeated DeLaSalle in a state quarterfinal and the volleyball team capped off a magical run to the school's first state championship in any team sport.

But on this Saturday, just hours after the football Trojans saw their pursuit of a two-peat ended in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Rockford Boylan, the volleyball team had its No. 1 national ranking, undefeated season, and quest for a second straight state title shattered by Lyons Township at Redbird Arena.

Ah, sports. They lift us up and then drop us on our collective heads.

But not for one minute should Saturday's two Cary-Grove losses diminish the accomplishments of these two teams this season. In football's case, 2 losses to start the season had us wondering if coach Bruce Kay's squad would even see the postseason.

And in the case of coach Patty Langanis' volleyball team, well, the trophy may say second place but a state championship, a runner-up effort, and a 77-5 record over the last two seasons will also go down as one of the best two-year runs any team has ever had in this area in any sport.

This Cary-Grove team was different than the one that came into Redbird a first-timer last year and very nearly lost its semifinal match to Glenbrook South before dominating Lyons in 2 games in the title match.

Yes, it had the same key components – senior standouts Kelly Lamberti and Colleen Smith. The graduation of Division I setter Abbey Heredia allowed Smith to move to the quarterback position and Lamberti has been nothing short of amazing all season. Allison Whimpey emerged as a bona fide outside and a Division I recruit. Juniors Ashley Rosch and Melanie Jereb flourished as full-time starters.

But the pressure placed on this band of teenage girls was incredible from Day One. And as the season unfolded and they won, won, and won some more, the pressure mounted. The target on their backs got bigger and bigger.

So the first credit for even making it to the state championship match season goes to their coach, Langanis, for making it a stress-free season, for imploring her kids to just focus on the task at hand and not worry about the next step before it comes. There were no crystal balls, no talk of rankings, no outward displays of cockiness. Not this weekend, not ever.

And Langanis knows exactly why.

“Last year, there was no way that team should have won a state championship,” she said. “That was phenomenal. This team came in with all the gifts in the world. You really can't compare the two physically. The game comes easy to this team but they work extremely hard.

“These girls never put themselves ahead of the team. Last year shocked me with the fight and the guts and the drive they had. This team has shocked me with its humbleness and the lesson is that a Prima Donna attitude does not create championships. From Kelly and Colleen to the 16th player on the team, they all wanted each other to be successful. You can only be great if your team is following you and Kelly and Colleen do that on a consistent basis. They learned that from Abbey Heredia.”

The sting of losing to Lyons Saturday night will stay with these girls for a while, just as the sting of losing to Boylan will stick with the football boys for a while.

But as Kay said while waiting to get his state volleyball medal as the school's athletic director, “this is what it's all about. And this is why high school sports are so much fun.”

Time does heal. These young athletes will move on with their lives. Some will continue to compete, either finishing out their high school careers or moving on to college opportunities.

And in the end what we'll remember most about these two fall seasons of Cary-Grove football and girls volleyball is what we've known for as long as we've known Bruce Kay and Patty Langanis (and that's been a while, too). This is a school and they are coaches that does things the right way – they win with grace and humility and when they lose they do so with respect for the opponent that on that day, in that game, proved to be a little better.

For that, the Trojans will always be winners.

jradtke@dailyherald.com