Maine West counting on quarterback and defense

It would be safe to say that Maine West's football program is hungry for success.

Second-year coach Jason Kradman tried to sharpen that sensation by offering Morning Grind sessions to players in February and March. After conditioning work before school, participants were rewarded with free pancakes in the cafeteria.

"Other kids in school see that and think, 'What's going on?' and that just helps build more interest," said Kradman.

One result is better overall numbers in the program. Combined with a subsequent strong summer showing, which included a three-day, two-overnight trip to Wisconsin, Kradman feels a lot better about the state of Maine West football than he did a year ago at this time.

It helps to have a handful of proven varsity performers in the lineup. Kradman specifies senior quarterback Jake Riportella, junior wideout Marteen Robinson and senior running back/linebacker Woody Corey as the kind of competitors who could help elevate the program this fall.

And that's the goal for a team that hasn't won more than two games in a season since 2005.

"We're talking about making enough progress that we can finish 5-4 and make the playoffs," Kradman said.

Riportella is expected to be a dual-threat quarterback, in a scheme change from last year's pro-style offense. Kradman said Riportella made big improvements in the off-season by working on his throwing mechanics.

Robinson (5-11, 180) earned all-conference honors last season as a sophomore and gives Riportella a target with varsity experience.

Corey (5-10, 180) is the son of former Maine East coach Gabe Corey and figures to provide quality play on both sides of the ball.

Meanwhile, Kradman also has high hopes for his defense.

"We've definitely improved our skill level," he said. "We'll have a much more athletic secondary."

A concern remains the offensive line, where the Warriors lost some size with graduation, as three players from last year's team are playing at the collegiate level.

Experienced players Kradman expects to contribute quickly on the offensive side include linemen Tony Vilchis (senior, 6-1, 215) and Jake Murphy (senior, 6-3, 305) and receiver Chase Michalak (senior, 6-1, 180).

The defense is looking for plays from defensive backs DJ Frey (senior, 5-11, 180), Daniel Estrada (senior, 5-9, 170) and Sam Kindle (senior, 6-1, 180), linemen Malik Siem (junior, 6-1, 190) and Vlad Rasmussen (senior, 5-10, 190) and linebackers Karl Scott (senior, 5-8, 17) and Saverio Pinto (senior, 5-11, 205).

One simple way to measure success at Maine West is how competitive it can be against the Central Suburban North's traditional powers. Lately, that means Highland Park, Glenbrook North, Deerfield and Niles North.

"I think it can make a big difference with our kids if we can get to the fourth quarter against those teams and have a chance to win," said Kradman.

Maine West opens up the season by hosting Proviso East, which could provide some clues to the future. Last year Kradman said the talent gap against the Pirates was too much for his Warriors to overcome.

"We feel like we've narrowed that gap," he said.

So Maine West is hoping to extend the success it found in Week 9 last year, when it handled Maine East 43-6.

"That was a good feeling, and maybe it gives you a little spark of momentum," Kradman said. "More important than that is what we did with our off-season, and how we really started to come together as a group."