Will Vikings fall victim to our cover curse?
The Sports Illustrated cover jinx has nothing on us.
You know the one. Year after year, athletes and teams who make the SI cover wind up underachieving, going into a slump, not living up to the hype.
The Madden jinx is even more certain. Whatever NFL star graces the cover of the popular video game is bound for an injury-filled year.
I'll put our recent run of prep football covers against either.
Geneva, we love you, we couldn't be more impressed with where your program sits today from the depths earlier this decade, but good luck now.
The odds are officially stacked against you.
In the last few years, whatever team makes our football cover seems destined for tough luck, injuries, more than their share of heartbreak, or some combination of all three.
It started with St. Charles East in 2003. "Happy and healthy again" exclaimed the headline, but three months later they were anything but happy, finishing 1-8 and looking for a new coach. (Which turned into Ted Monken, who has since turned around the Saints program.)
The next year was West Aurora's turn, sharing the cover with Geneva. The Blackhawks came the closest to breaking the jinx. Alas, on the last Friday of the season, West Aurora lost to fall to 5-4, and the next day they found out they were the 257th best team in the state - or the last one on the outside looking in at the playoff field. Just when they looked poised for their first playoff berth since 1994, fate - or the Daily Herald cover curse - stepped in their way.
In 2005 we decided to take a break from the jinx, going with a neutral cover that didn't feature one team. We were back the following year with Buck Drach returning to West Aurora. A 2-7 season followed.
Last year Batavia, fresh off its first trip to the state championship game, made our cover. The next night they lost 30-7 to St. Charles East.
That started a 5-5 season that saw the Bulldogs take their turn as the Cover Team that Can't Catch a Break, losing by 5 points to Rochelle, 3 points to Kaneland, 2 to Geneva and 6 points in the playoffs at East St. Louis.
So it's no wonder St. Charles North Mark Gould looks at the preseason hype teams like Geneva are receiving and doesn't mind the North Stars staying out of the spotlight.
"Last year I had to give a talk about what they'll read and this year they're not going to read much about us which is fine," Gould said. "It's nice that we don't have to worry about hype and expectations and they can just go to work. Everybody knows it's what counts at the end of the year and that's the goal."
Exactly. And on paper, Geneva looks poised to break the cover streak. They went 11-1 a year ago and return many key players from that team while welcoming a promising junior class to varsity.
But if they don't, if the season somehow goes south, then I'm prepared for a new complaint for our prep sports staff next fall. A complete 180 from the typical "You don't cover our team enough!"
Stay away from our team! We don't need your curse! And above all, keep us off your football cover!
jlemon@dailyherald.com