By Troy Hayes
MaxPreps.com
Pawnee’s run on the football field this year has been nothing short of special. The Indians are 8-3 and face undefeated Salt Fork Saturday with a trip to the Class 1A semifinals on the line. Bur for one Pawnee player, football glory is just another perk to being in America.
Will Cohen, a senior offensive lineman for the Indians, emigrated to the United States from South Africa with his family 12 years ago. They’ve lived all over the country but settled in Pawnee in 2004 and Will has played football for the Indians since.
His family is used to rough and tumble sports. His dad, Willmar, and grandfather played rugby in South Africa, so American football was a natural for Will.
“Rugby was the closest thing to football for us,” Will’s mother, Arina, told Dave Kane of the Springfield State Journal-Register. “Willmar played rugby, and so did his father and so did my father. He’s got the rugby genes. We’re a sports-minded family, and we love American football.”
And while they’ve been in the states for years, the Cohens just recently began their journey toward U.S. citizenship. They’ve completed all the tests and paperwork and await notification of the official ceremony.
“We were entitled to citizenship last year, but we wanted to wait for (Will),” Willmar told the SJR. “You can’t accept citizenship until you’re 18, and he didn’t turn 18 until earlier this year. It’s such a huge thing for us, and we wanted to do it together as a family.”
Will is excited.
“It’s been a neat experience, doing it with my parents,” Will said. “The biggest difference will be, now I can vote. There won’t be a lot of other changes, but it’s still important.”
Good News for the Flyers
It’s taken five weeks but Demond Hunt Jr. finally went home from St. Louis’ Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. The East St. Louis High School football player had been hospitalized after suffering a series of strokes when a blood vessel burst in his brain during a Flyers game at Collinsville.
The 16-year-old junior linebacker had been in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Institute the past three weeks. He will continue his rehabilitation at Belleville’s Memorial Hospital.
Running the Course
Six state champions were crowned in cross country last weekend, three each in boys and girls classes.
The closest boys race at Peoria’s Detwiler Park came in Class 3A. Hoffman Estates Conant’s Jeff Thode (14 minutes, 18 seconds) nipped Elmhurst York’s Steven Sulkin by a second, while Sulkin’s teammate, Jordan Hebert, completed the 3-mile trek two seconds later.
Rock Island’s Tim Hird won the 2A title in 14:56, beating Dixon’s Kasey Ferrigan by six seconds. Winnebago’s Sean Smith (15:03) topped Hillsboro’s Blake Delong (15:14) for the Class 1A crown.
Elmwood, Dixon and Naperville North won the 1, 2 and 3A team tiles, respectively.
Running the Course, Too
Mount Vernon’s Margo Richardson won the tightest girls race last weekend, topping Peoria Notre Dame’s Jessie Wynn by two seconds (17:41 to 17:43) in the girls Class 2A event at Detwiler Park.
Bloomington Central Catholic’s Kelly Curran (17:27) beat Rockford Lutheran’s Sarah Kortze (17:43) to the finish line for the 1A crown and Lindsay Flanagan of Lake Park beat Geneva’s Kelly Whitley, 16:54 to 17:07 in the 3A race.
Winnebago, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin and Geneva, respectively, won the 1, 2 and 3A titles in the team events.
Volleyball Tidbits
Four-time trophy winner (and two-time champ) Freeburg is finally back in the state finals after a 26-year hiatus. The Midgets, who won titles in 1979 and 1982, are led by Syracuse recruit Andrea Bolt, a 5-3 libero. They are playing in the Class 2A finals.
If St. Edward were to win the Class 2A title it would break the record for most losses by a champion set last year by Mount Pulaski (27-14) in Class 1A.
Breese Mater Dei coach Fred Rakers easily has the most wins by any coach this weekend. Rakers, who has won five Class A titles, has 936 wins all time.
Prepvolleyball.com has ranked three of this weekend’s participants in its national top 25. Joliet Catholic (Class 3A) is No. 21 and Class 4A’s Mother McAuley and Benet Academy are Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. Mother McAuley and Benet, which has only lost to Joliet Catholic this season, play in the semifinals.
Playoff Game of the Week
Undefeated Columbia travels to play also undefeated Greenville in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
Host Greenville should have the upperhand in this game by playing at home but the Comets have been forced to play every one of their games on the road this year. Field renovations at the school have driven the team out of its element. During the regular season, Greenville played true road games all nine weeks. In the playoffs, the Comets have been fortunate enough to secure neutral sites for their home games. The Comets, who give up less than nine points a game, will take on Columbia, which averages more than 45 a contest, at Highland High School Saturday at 2 p.m.
Troy Hayes covers central and southern Illinois for MaxPreps. He can be reached at sportsgopher@yahoo.com
