There's excitement in the air at South Elgin

What few holes the South Elgin football team had in 2009 have been plugged.

A senior class largely responsible for lifting the Storm to a 7-3 record and the school's first playoff appearance last year has been joined by a junior class that was only beaten once on the lower levels.

Competition for jobs was fierce throughout camp as the players on the 60-man roster fought for 22 starting spots.

"Both groups of kids have won. They want to win and they get after it," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "They'll play the close games and fight for that win.

"We're excited about where we're at right now, and we're going to have to be because that schedule - I guess you could term it very ambitious. It's a tough schedule."

True, the Storm will face five teams that qualified for the playoffs last season, including a Week 2 matchup against defending Class 4A champion Metamora at Millennium Field. They'll also face Bartlett and Neuqua Valley, two perennial playoff teams left out of the postseason last year.

However, South Elgin is arguably more talented this season than in 2009, when it competed against one of the toughest Class 7A schedules in the state. The Storm played seven games against playoff qualifiers last year, going 4-3.

With two excellent classes of successful football players from which to choose, South Elgin could prove to be a dynamic force in Class 7A.

The Storm return senior quarterback John Menken (6-3, 205), an All-Area selection as a junior in football and baseball. A tenacious competitor, Menken completed 108-of-219 attempts for 1,412 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also rushed for 246 yards and 3 scores.

Joining him in the backfield will be third-year varsity tailback Bradley Birchfield (6-0, 205). The senior rushed 137 times last season for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns. Junior Adolfo Pachecko (6-1, 210) was a big playmaker at the sophomore level and will get his share of carries as well, Schabert said.

Junior Geno Passarelli (5-7, 210) will play fullback. Defensive tackle Jake Randich (6-0, 250), an all-state wrestler, will also see time at fullback.

The Storm graduated leading receiver Jake Kumerow, but senior receiver Domico Failla (6-4, 205) returns. He was Menken's second-favorite target last year with 17 catches for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns. Kenny Lowden (6-5, 195) had 2 receptions for 37 yards and gives the Storm bookend receivers with height and experience. Junior receivers Andrew Weedman (6-4, 195) and Tommy Asa (5-10, 170) add to Menken's array of weaponry along with returning tight end Derek Hurschman (6-2, 215).

Schabert said the offensive line has "made a jump" from last season. Returning starters include senior guard Jon Murillo (5-11, 230), senior center Mario Verzillo (5-9, 245) and junior tackle Christian Guerrero (6-4, 265). They'll be joined by juniors John Slania (6-2, 265) and Kevin Jakowitsch (6-2, 245).

The defense returns seven starters, including three on the defensive line: Randich, Hurschman and Andre York (5-11, 215). York finished second on the team in tackles last year with 46.5.

Linebacker is another strength. Senior Justin Wright (6-0, 220) moves from outside to the middle this seasons, while athletic senior Dillon Gardner (6-3, 195) returns on the outside. Brandon Vongsaga (5-11, 220) gained some experience last season. Also in the linebacking mix are junior Zachary Marotta (6-2, 210) and Chris Bingham (6-1, 190), the only sophomore on the roster.

Senior cornerback Robbie Green (5-7, 180) returns. He led South Elgin last year with 8 pass breakups, and his 26 tackles were third best on the team. Junior Zack Werba (6-2, 175) mans the other corner.

Failla returns at safety. Junior Zachary Gross (5-10, 175), the sophomore quarterback last year, and senior Kyle Rodriguez will each get playing time at safety.

Junior David Reisner will kick for his third varsity season. He hit 5-of-6 field-goal attempts inside the 29-yard line last year and has connected on 50-yarders in practice.

What is Schabert's expectation of this talented, experienced, deep squad?

"It's high," he said. "Coaches always say that at this point, but it's high. We have a lot of nice parts and we have a lot of depth we haven't had in the program.

"We're going to have to play good football. We can't turn the ball over and we have to play really good defense in all games. And we have to stay healthy. Everybody we'll play will give us physical ballgames."