Memories abound from soggy, but action-packed season
From opening night on August 28 to last Saturday's Class 7A state quarterfinal clash between St. Charles North and Glenbard West, the 2009 high school football season featured end-to-end action, soggy, mud-caked fields and plenty of excitement.
Here are some of my most memorable moments:
Opening night, Tri-Cities style: For the first time, the opening weekend of the high school football season included a pair of matchups between the four Tri-Cities schools - Geneva 13, St. Charles East 6; St. Charles North 43, Batavia 13. Great crowds, great anticipation, great excitement - just a great way to begin the season and hopefully the start of intriguing rivalries when the four schools join forces in the newly aligned Upstate Eight Conference next year.
No nonconference nonsense: The second week of the regular season featured top-notch matchups like St. Charles East vs. Naperville North, Morgan Park vs. Geneva, and Aurora Christian vs. Mendota.
Best regular-season game I covered: It was the regular-season finale between St. Charles North and St. Charles East. With the Upstate Eight Conference outright title hanging in the balance, the Saints capped a perfect 7-0 conference season with a 14-13, double-overtime victory over their cross-town rivals.
Best regular-season game I did not cover: Aurora Christian's 37-36 Week 2 overtime loss to Mendota.
Best regular-season game I did not cover II: St. Charles East's 21-14 overtime triumph over Waubonsie Valley at "Death Valley" in Aurora.
Season of firsts: Mike Fields' first career head coaching victory came in Week 3 during St. Charles East's 41-7 win over Streamwood; Dominic Imbordino's first career interception came at the most opportune time as his late fourth-quarter pick in the end zone helped seal St. Charles North's 20-14 second-round Class 7A playoff victory over Elk Grove. It also helped the North Stars reach the state quarterfinals for the first time.
Working overtime: St. Charles East went 2-0 in overtime contests, edging Waubonsie Valley 21-14 while outlasting St. Charles North 14-13 in double overtime on Nolan Possley's quarterback keeper for a TD on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and Dan Keller's PAT kick.
Top individual performances: Kaneland quarterback Joe Camiliere threw for 321 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 2 other TDs during the Knights' 35-0 win over Burlington Central; Aurora Christian tailback John Magee enjoyed three 200-plus yard rushing efforts, including a 239-yard, 4-TD performance in a victory over Wheaton Academy; St. Charles East RB Zach Zajicek had 124 of his 149 rushing yards in the second half along with a TD during the Saints' 21-14 win over South Elgin; St. Charles North WR/KR Jeff Stolzenburg had 6 receptions for 115 yards and added an 84-yard kickoff return for a TD during the North Stars' win over Streamwood; Geneva RB Michael Santacaterina scored 4 TDs and rushed for 104 yards against DeKalb; Batavia RB Danny Seiton ran for 175 yards and 2 TDs against Yorkville; West Aurora SS Marcus Waller made 19 tackles and returned his own blocked punt 25 yards for a TD against West Chicago; and Marmion RB/LB T.J. Lally made 12 tackles and rushed for 128 yards and 4 TDs against Lincoln-Way West.
Double vision: Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe was certainly happy to have junior twin brothers John and Sheldon Magee on his side this season (they transferred from Plainfield South).
"I've been telling every single college recruiter I know that these kids are special athletes," said Beebe. "It's great to have one player like that - I'm fortunate to have two from the same family."
Slippery when wet: Six consecutive Friday nights featured rainy weather and poor field conditions that tested players, play-callers, cheerleaders, band members, fans and sportswriters alike.
The quote: "You love the kids and respect the kids and you hope they buy into your system. I don't think I've ever been around a team that bought in like these guys did. I'm just so proud to be a Saint."
- St. Charles East first-year head coach Mike Fields.
End of the line: Batavia, Geneva and Kaneland all bid farewell to the Western Sun Conference after the 2009-10 school year. The Vikings won or claimed a share of the conference title during all 4 years of the Western Sun's existence.
They'll be back in 2010: TE/DL Kent Brauweiler, QB Stewart deWaard, Aurora Central Catholic; FB Mitch Holtz, RB/DB John Magee, WR Sheldon Magee, LB Sam Miller, QB Grayson Roberts, Aurora Christian; QB Noel Gaspari, DE Alec Lyons, WR David Peskind, RB Danny Seiton, Batavia; RB/TE/LB Connor Quinn, WR Chase Williams, Geneva; WR Ryley Bailey, TE Quinn Buschbacher, QB Joe Camiliere, PK Chad Swieca, Kaneland; RB/DB Mike Carbonara, PK A.J. Friedman, RB/LB T.J. Lally, DE Nate Pacer, QB Bobby Peters, RB/DB Nick Scoliere, OT Jake Winkel, Marmion; LB Michael Caddy, DE Andrew Carrano, DB Spencer Motley, RB Zach Zajicek, St. Charles East; QB Jake Bergren, RB Ben Hodges, WR Josh Mikes, RB Dirk Schmitt, St. Charles North; WR/DB Marcus Waller, RB/LB Brandon Warren, WR/DC Nate Zinzer, West Aurora.
Team to watch in 2010: Kaneland.
Anticipated milestones in 2010: Mike Gaspari will coach his 250th career game at Batavia during the third week of the season (his 25-year record is 134-113); Mark Gould will coach his 100th game at St. Charles North during Week 8 (he owns a 53-39 record); and Geneva will play the 800th football game in school history (spanning 90 years) during Week 8. With 8 victories, the Vikings will also reach the 450-win mark.
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