Aurora Christian teams up for injured seniors

CHAMPAIGN — Aurora Christian right offensive guard R.J. Morris and middle linebacker Mitch Holtz, a pair of seniors, each tore up their knees in early playoff games.

Once those two were lost for the season the program, from coach Don Beebe on down, was determined to get them back on the field — particularly at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium at the end of a Class 3A state championship victory.

“This team wanted this game for two big reasons,” Beebe said, “and we really built on this throughout the whole season and certainly in this playoff run: Be the first in Aurora (to win a state football title), and then once Mitch and R.J. got hurt, they wanted them on the field again.”

Aurora Christian achieved those two goals in Friday's 34-7 win over downstate Mt. Carmel.

“With those two going down and being seniors it was hard to see that look in their eyes when they came back into practice knowing that they couldn't play,” said running back-safety Brandon Mayes, who ran for 62 yards and led Aurora Christian with 12 tackles, plus an interception.

Aurora Christian had the game well in hand as time wound down, but nearly missed the opportunity to get the two injured seniors onto the field.

Quarterback Anthony Maddie veered left and cut back right for a 29-yard touchdown run with just 1:46 left, on what was Aurora Christian's last possession.

“When Anthony ran it in we were saying, ‘Go down, go down!' But in reality we thought about it,” Beebe said, “just put them in for the extra point.”

Holtz, an honorable-mention 3A all-stater, and Morris, named first-team all-state, came in at tailback and fullback, respectively, behind Maddie under center. The quarterback knelt down, and the two injured stars had their moment.

“It meant everything you could possibly imagine,” said Morris, who is recovering smoothly from knee surgery after tearing his left ACL in the first-round playoff win over Kewanee. “Just all the weeks of commitment in the summer and all the hard work we put in, in the offseason. The weight training in the morning, the conditioning in the heat. It was the most exciting thing in the world.”

Holtz also wrecked his left knee, in the Eagles' second-round win over Oregon. He tore his ACL, strained his PCL, partially tore his MCL and damaged his meniscus. Surgery is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Despite the alphabet soup of knee ligament damage, Holtz took the field in his second state championship game.

“It was awesome,” he said.

Holtz was the lone player on this year's squad who played in the 2008 title-game loss to Bloomington Central Catholic. That served as motivation even before his knee injury.

“I had kind of a surreal moment,” Holtz said, reflecting back on that time four years ago. “I was walking down off the (Memorial Stadium) balcony and no one else was around. It was just me on that orange turf and I was like, ‘I want to get back out there.'

“Just the fact that they were able to able to play so hard, the defense played phenomenal. Just that they were able to do that for me means the world.”

Defense from start to finish:Players like Mayes and defensive end Josh Kok mentioned that defending Mt. Carmel's run-based offense was similar to defending Stillman Valley way back in Week 1. The memory remained fresh, considering the techniques had been drilled into the Eagles for good over the summer. #8220;We knew what to do and we just executed,#8221; said Kok, who made 6 solo tackles, 1 for loss.Mt. Carmel finished with 215 net rushing yards, but coming off a semifinal game in which it had run for more than 500 that was small potatoes. The Golden Aces needed more than that to compete with Aurora Christian's balanced offense #8212; which, despite being perceived as a pass-happy spread scheme, gained 300 net yards rushing on Friday compared to 118 passing.#8220;It starts with the defensive line, then the linebackers. They made my job easy with my reads. They just stayed so disciplined,#8221; Mayes said. Linebackers Julian Sosa and Kenny McCracken finished with 11 and 8 tackles, respectively.#8220;We worked so hard in the offseason on (defending) Stillman, and with this offense being similar it wasn't much of a shift,#8221; Mayes said. #8220;And we just came out here and gave everything. We left everything on the field.#8221;Mt. Carmel left points on the field, experiencing Aurora Christian's firm goal-line defense that hurt first-round playoff foe Kewanee. Mt. Carmel failed to score on eight total plays after twice gaining first downs inside the Eagles' 5-yard line in the second quarter.#8220;That was the key in the game,#8221; said Eagles coach Don Beebe. #8220;If they score (on) even one of them it might be a different game.#8221;In the second half, when the Golden Aces felt the need to pass to get something going, Mayes, cornerback Cody Slamans and outside linebacker Ryan Suttle made interceptions on consecutive series.#8220;By that point in time,#8221; Mt. Carmel coach Darren Peach said, #8220;it is what it is. We're a running football team and we're based on play-action passing. They did a good job.#8221;Aurora Christian's defense, even without Holtz, showed the same explosive speed and gap-filling ability on the Champaign turf as it did on its own #8220;God's Field.#8221; #8220;Our offense kind of overshadows our defense,#8221; Beebe said. #8220;The offense gets so much publicity, but in reality what wins big games and especially playoff games and championships is defense. If you can't stop somebody else it is very difficult to be able to win the big game.#8221;The final word:#8220;What wins is chemistry. It's not always talent,#8221; Beebe said, pointing to players like guard Jackson Hazlett, who earned his first start of the season on Friday.#8220;Talent will take you so far,#8221; Beebe said. #8220;But what wins championships is chemistry, the unselfishness of one player to say, #8216;hey, you can have this one.' It is something that's rarely seen in sport today. And I'm so proud of that more than anything else, as far as their talent.#8220;And I will ask them everything I can next year to do it all over again. And they know it.#8221; 32262191Aurora ChristianÂ’s Chris Klimpke (facing) gets a hug following the Eagles 34-7 win over Mt. Carmel during the Class 3A state finals Friday in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com 30362203Aurora Christian quarterback Anthony Maddie scores on a 72-yard run in the first quarter against Mt. Carmel during the Class 3A state finals Friday in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com 33702229Aurora Christian vs. Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A state title football game in Champaign.Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com 30542145Aurora Christian vs. Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A state title football game in Champaign.Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com 12641250Aurora Christian vs. Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A state title football game in Champaign.Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com 39012629Aurora Christian vs. Mt. Carmel in the Class 3A state title football game in Champaign.Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com