Duo helping Saxons to big finish

John Mejia and Alex Coglianese fit the profiles of what Schaumburg football coach Mark Stilling was looking for in leaders.

Tough kids who had started for the varsity since they were sophomores. Mejia, an undersized offensive guard, and Coglianese, a hard-hitting safety turned linebacker, weren't afraid to ask questions on how to drive their teammates toward their current run to the Class 8A state quarterfinals.

But a new and demanding CrossFit offseason training program would test the leadership fitness of Mejia and Coglianese - the Saxons' most experienced varsity players - and fellow captains Anthony Iannotti, Josh Spandiary, Matt Hutchison and Mike Valenti.

"It made these guys' jobs even harder of getting kids to buy into it," Stilling said.

Stilling believed the Saxons needed a different offseason regimen to get tougher. His brother Kevin, who is also a football coach and certified strength trainer, gave him the idea of using the CrossFit program.

Mark Stilling described the combination of hard and fast cardiovascular and weight training without rest as "not for the faint of heart."

Mejia and Coglianese aren't about to dispute that point.

"It's very intense - mind-boggling," Coglianese said of a program used not only for training athletes but for police academies and military special operations units.

"You have to have the willpower to finish," Mejia said. "It's like a workout you feel is never going to end.

"It gives you willpower. You transfer it to the next play and say, 'I'm going to finish this, not I have to, I'm going to.'"

Mejia and Coglianese knew they had to worry about more than just their own survival of the fittest.

"I remember in the weight room, I'd be throwing up but you had to help out the other guy," Coglianese said.

"It also brought the team together," said Mejia, who was also a captain as a junior. "Right when we finished, as tired as we were, we went to other people and encouraged them to finish."

Especially since Coglianese and Mejia hadn't forgotten how their junior season finished at 4-5 with a loss to Barrington. They wanted to recapture the feeling when they were sophomores and the Saxons went to the playoffs.

At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Mejia exemplifies an undersized but experienced offensive line that returned seniors Mike Scolire, Bill Abruzzo, Mario Echavaria and Craig Cruz.

When Echavaria was lost for the season to injury junior Richard Barnes stepped in to keep the high-powered Saxons' attack led by quarterback Anthony Iannotti and running back Shepard Little.

Mejia has made it his business to know everything happening on offense.

"We have a determination to finish everything we do," Mejia said. "If we start a drive we want to finish it.

"Our offensive line doesn't care how big the guy is in front of them, they want to finish and get to the end zone."

Coglianese's ability to stop the run resulted in his move up to linebacker as the Saxons switched to a 4-4 alignment. He's averaged nearly 12 tackles a game but can also drop back in pass coverage.

"From a defensive standpoint I have to know every position and what they have to do," Coglianese said. "It's the same way in the weight room. You have to tell them to get this done."

Stilling has also been impressed with what they've accomplished on the field.

"The thing I love about John is he's self-made," Stilling said. "He's probably the lightest starting lineman in the MSL (Mid-Suburban League), but he's an incredible technician and worker.

"Alex's biggest challenge was his willingness to be coachable. He's been so good for so long it was hard for him to be receptive to feedback.

"But he's been concious about the choices he makes and the decisions he makes and how those impact the people around him."

Their impact has been pretty clear as the Saxons will try to join the 1999 Class 6A runnerup as the only teams in school history to reach the semifinals.

"From SAA (Schaumburg Athletic Association) in seventh and eighth grade we all played together," Coglianese said. "We kind of envisioned it. It was everbody's dream but it's so unreal right now."

The reality is the Saxons will be hosting Bartlett in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Saturday.

"This year the atmosphere around us and our teammates is we're all for each other," Mejia said. "We're willing to put off so many things to focus on football. This is unbelievable."