Gaspari contemplates what's next with football
Batavia's athletic director since 1992, Mike Gaspari is retiring at the end of this academic year.
As football coach his role is less certain.
"I'll definitely coach another year, but it hasn't been determined which capacity it'll be in," said Gaspari, entering his 26th campaign as head of the Bulldogs' varsity squad. "My biggest concern a year from now is for the current juniors when colleges come calling, because I will not be in the building full-time."
Gaspari said that during the months of November and December it's common that four or five college recruiters a day visit athletes. Gaspari, who will be 55 at his retirement, wants to make sure those visits get handled appropriately.
Coming out of North Central College in Naperville, Gaspari debuted as a physical education teacher in that town's Lincoln Middle School and spent 1977-78 at Naperville Central before moving into the Batavia district to stay in 1978. He began as a junior high PE teacher and joined the high school faculty in 1985.
"I've been very blessed to do this work regardless of whether it's teaching, coaching or administrative work," said Gaspari, whose wife, Marcia, is a counselor at Aurora University. "I've had an opportunity to work with the finest kids in the community. They've had a greater impact on me than I've had on them."
It would be natural for Gaspari to stick with football since his son, Noel, a quarterback, won't graduate until 2012. He said he's felt no pressure to relinquish the head coaching job, noting administration would allow him to be top Bulldog "probably till I died. I think that would be selfish on my part."
He admitted it might be time to do something else but maintained he's not tired of either job.
"I still love every second of what I'm doing," he said. "It's a little bit strange (to retire) but it seemed like the right thing to do. It's one of those professions you don't want to hang around beyond your time, and I still feel like I'm on top of my game as far as being a coach.
"It's kind of like an athlete, you kind of would like to go out when you're feeling your best."
As with the athletic director post his football preference is to help his successor.
"I would like to help ease the transition if possible, work with the person who'll be my successor for a year," Gaspari said. "I don't know how it's going to work out. I may end up being the head coach another year."
Air forceKaneland is rarin' to go behind strong-armed quarterback Joe Camiliere. The three-year starter will be the focus of all opposing defenses, and after throwing for 20 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions as a junior, rightly so.Kaneland isn't just a one-man gang. Camiliere is surrounded by a trio of receivers who have become a focus of college recruiters.Tyler Callaghan, all 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds of him, has fielded a call from Wisconsin and has also been contacted by Illinois and Purdue, Knights coach Tom Fedderly said. That's in addition to interest by Northern Illinois and other Mid-American Conference programs.When Callaghan broke an ankle riding an all-terrain vehicle this summer Fedderly instituted a team rule against riding on those darned things.Taylor Andrews, who excels in track as well - fifth in the 110-meter hurdles last spring for the Knights' Class 2A second-place finishers - attended track as well as football camps at Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, Fedderly said. The senior receiver goes 6-3, 205.Blake Serpa, who bulked up to 230 pounds from 215 last year, ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at Central Michigan. He committed there in the spring. The college likes him on the defensive side of the ball. Last year Serpa played linebacker but with his size and speed Central Michigan sees him as a defensive end. They'll see more of him there as Fedderly plans to play him at end in Kaneland's 3-5 defense."It ranks right up there with our (2006) semifinal team with Casey (Crosby) and all those guys," Fedderly said of his receiving corps.Fathers and sonsAurora Christian's Don Beebe is a man of God first, a football coach second. His emphasis is to mold young men and if the Eagles happen to win some games, all the better."We're not about football," Beebe said. "Football is just a byproduct of our mission."While most area football programs were in the midst of run-of-the-mill double practices, from Aug. 15-18 Aurora Christian was at Dickson Valley Camp Retreat Center in Newark. Beebe's done this for seven years.Players have a pair of practices, get in some team meetings, jump in the pond, consume much food and have Bible studies at night. On Aug. 18 a bonfire finale lasted from 8:30 p.m. till 2:30 a.m.Earlier this summer Aurora Christian had a father-son retreat in a remote area near Kokomo, Ind., a faith-based excursion that saw 92 people camp out."It's a neat thing to see fathers bond with their sons when there's so many broken relationships out there. I just want to be used by the Lord to help restore father-son relationships that are broken daily around the country we live in," Beebe said."Sons need their dads."Location, locationEntering the Upstate Eight Conference has "shaken our tree a little bit," said Geneva coach Rob Wicinski.Last season Geneva beat St. Charles East 13-6, but the matchup on Sept. 10 will mean more with bragging rights compounded by conference stakes. Same with St. Charles North on Sept. 24."It's awesome that everybody is right in our back yard," Wicinski said. "I think that creates a lot more excitement for our fans, a lot more excitement for our players.He said the hardest part of this new alliance is "the unknown," strapping it up against programs mainly from larger schools, and some Geneva and Batavia haven't faced."I never thought we'd be playing the St. Charles schools, I never thought we'd be big enough," Wicinski said. "They were the cat's meow with (former Saints and current West Aurora coach) Buck Drach, the premier team in the area. Now to be playing them it's pretty exciting.'A familyThe greatest difference between Years 1 and 2 in the regime of St. Charles East coach Mike Fields?"The relationship with my coaches," Fields said.There's nothing like the camaraderie and trust of familiar faces. "Head coaches don't do it by themselves," Fields said. "If there's one out there I'd like to play him."Fields' right-hand man remains defensive coordinator Brian Teresinski, among several former Saints that also include Max Payleitner, Ryan Moss and Neil Wilcox plus 1973 graduate Mark Vitali, "instrumental in the off-season with the offense," Fields said.Head sophomore coach Bryce Farquhar has brought in volunteer assistants such as Justin Gerkin, Bobby Honeyman and Kyle Biehl, who Fields coached at Geneva years ago. Noted former Saints baseball coach Len Asquini returns to head the freshmen, and with these and other men in the program like John Connell, Brian Melvin and Chuck Abate - Fields said he's buying Abate a hat with FBO (football operations) on it - the head coach has a group working for players' interests on and off the field."It's teaching these kids life lessons that they will carry on as husbands and people in the work force," Fields said. "I've surrounded myself with guys who want to do that."True20001600Kaneland's Taylor Andrews scores the first touchdown for the Knights in the first half of game vs Geneva on Friday, October 16.Laura Stoecker | Staff PhotographerTrue