By Paul D. Bowker
MaxPreps.com
Win a state football championship, and the entire school smiles along with you. Actually, make that entire community.
That’s what happened this week at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, a Chicago western suburb. After the Hawks finished their unbeaten season with a 41-21 victory over Hinsdale Central in the Class 8A state championship game last Saturday at Champaign, the real fun began.
Monday morning, the school celebrated with an assembly. That night, the team was honored at a Park Ridge City Council meeting.
The Hawks’ record 14-0 season and its first state title since 2000 has bonded the school and Park Ridge and other surrounding communities in ways that probably haven‘t happened before.
“It’s been an incredible unifying experience,” said David Claypool, Maine South principal who was a teacher and assistant football coach the last time the Hawks won the championship.
Walk down a school hallway this week, Claypool said, and you see smiles. It’s the same thing around town, considering the team built a following of thousands as the season went on.
Maine South quarterback Charlie Goro, a Vanderbilt recruit, established himself as the top passer in the Chicago area with almost 3,000 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. But in the title game, Goro showed why he has been the anchor runner on Maine South’s 800-meter relay squad. He rushed for 164 yards, a state championship game record for a quarterback.
“This is unbelievable, what a way to go out,” Goro said.
Maine South coach David Inserra has been talking up Goro’s running abilities all season, and the title game showed why. Goro’s rushing was certainly complemented by running back Matt Perez’s 119 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
What made this so sweet for the Hawks is that they had lost the state title game in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and last year lost to Mt. Carmel in the quarterfinals. Since Inserra was named head coach in 2001, the Hawks have had a winning record every season and never lost more than three games. But until Saturday, they didn’t win the big one.
“I think that makes this even more special,” Claypool said.
“Our coaching staff, they are just remarkably dedicated guys, the hours they put in,” he said.
“This is a proud moment for my team, my coaches, myself and the entire community,” Inserra told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The question around Maine South is, does all this feel-good stuff end with football?
Maybe not. The school’s boys basketball team has won its first four games.
Knights Make History
Immaculate Conception of Elmhurst left no question of its postseason dominance in breaking state tradition at the football championships. The Knights became the first team in state history to win a championship with four losses, defeating previously unbeaten Casey-Westfield 36-17 in the Class 2A finals last Friday at Champaign.
The Knights, a 15th seed in the playoffs following a 5-4 record in the regular season, blasted through the playoffs. They scored 214 points in five playoff games and went over 40 points four times. The Knights began their run with a 42-6 pounding of No. 2 seed Orion, and went on to knock off another No. 2 seed (Casey-Westfield), a No. 3 seed, a No. 5 seed and a No. 7 seed.
All this came from a team that had lost three of its last five regular-season games, including 28-0 to Driscoll and 45-21 to Wheaten St. Francis.
The Knights piled up 306 rushing yards in its title game triumph, including 138 by Paul Hornstra, who scored two touchdowns.
More State Finals
* Wheaton St. Francis ended Metamora’s 27-game win streak with a 49-35 victory in the Class 5A championship game. Mark Kachmer and Stan Bobowski combined for 249 rushing yards and six touchdowns. St. Francis (13-1) was winless just two years ago.
* Aurora Christian quarterback Jordan Roberts set three title game records in the Class 4A game, but Bloomington Central Catholic still won, 37-28. Roberts, who broke the state all-time record for passing yardage and passing touchdowns during the regular seasons, completed 27-of-55 passes for 365 yards, all title game records.
Prep Bowl: Loyola Shuts Out Lane
Loyola quarterback Lucas Ruske threw for a touchdown and ran for one, leading the Ramblers to a 17-0 win over Lane Tech in the 75th annual Prep Bowl last Saturday at Soldier Field. Ruske was named the game MVP.
Ruske threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Joseph Gross in the first quarter, then ran in the 2-point conversion, and the Ramblers were on their way.
The Ramblers got into the Prep Bowl tournament, courtesy of a 26-7 loss to eventual Class 8A champ Maine South in the second round of the state playoffs. Loyola finished 11-3.
Boys Basketball: Holiday tourney lineups
The lineups are settling in for holiday boys basketball tournaments. The Big Dipper 36 Basketball Tournament will feature at least seven games every day (Dec. 26, 27, 29 and 30), concluding with the championship game at 7 p.m. Dec. 30 at Rich South.
Among the teams entered: Bloom Township, Rich East, Seton Academy and Bolingbrook, all ranked within the city’s top 10.
The 48th annual Proviso West tournament, which also begins Dec. 26 and concludes Dec. 30, will include defending state champion and defending tournament champion Whitney Young (among the team’s stars: Michael Jordan’s son), Homewood-Flossmoor and Proviso East and West.
But even before all the holiday hoopla begins, all eyes will be on the Public League Shootout this weekend, which includes five games Saturday at Attack Athletics and five games Sunday at Chicago State.
The marquee game may be Whitney Young’s 7:30 p.m. game Sunday against Homewood-Flossmoor. Forgive the Dolphins if they play a little tired, though. Saturday night they play St. Benedict’s (N.J.) at a tournament in Kentucky.
Girls Basketball: Young wins seventh straight
Whitney Young’s 97-16 victory over Clark on Wednesday pushed its record to 7-0.
Marish King had a huge double-double for the Dolphins: 32 points and 16 rebounds.
Young will play Heritage Christian on Friday in Indianapolis, just one of several road trips coming up for the Dolphins, who are nationally ranked. They also play tournament games this month in Newark, N.J., and Phoenix.
Awards: Naperville North AD wins honor
Doug Smith, athletics director at Naperville North High School, will be one of eight athletic directors honored Dec. 16 at the 39th annual National Conference of High School Directors of Athletics. Smith, an athletics director in Illinois for 26 years, was cited by the National Federation of High Schools for his work in athletics with schools.
“I was humbled when I found out that I had been chosen for the award. This ranks right up there with some of the top moments in my career,” Smith said.
Smith is the only 2008 recipient from Illinois.
Paul Bowker covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com
