Winning says it all for St. Joseph, Romeoville
To say that St. Joseph and second-year coach Mark Zavagnin rid themselves of the figurative monkey on their back with the program’s first win since 2002 last Friday night would be an understatement.
Try ‘‘a 1,000-pound gorilla off your back,’’ Zavagnin said about the Chargers’ 42-13 victory over Ridgewood.
(Jason Brown/Pioneer Press)
Of the 13 teams that went 0-9 last year, St. Joseph — which ended its 45-game losing streak with the win — is one of two teams (Morton is the other) that won their first games this season.
Similarly, Romeoville — which went 6-39 over the past five seasons but stunned Waukegan 29-28 on the road last Saturday — is one of five teams of the 25 that went 1-8 last year to win their openers.
‘‘There is only one way you stop [losing], and that is to dive in head first,’’ said Zavagnin, who starred at St. Rita and then at Notre Dame before being drafted by the Bears in 1983.
‘‘If you want to be successful, you have to put in the time and outwork your opponent. We are trying to instill things that not only make them successful football players, but successful people, too.’’
That is the same message first-year head coach Jeff Kuna, a former defensive coordinator at Plainfield Central, is preaching at Romeoville. Tonight the Spartans host Evergreen Park, a winless team last year.
‘‘This program had been down the past five years, but you have to forget about the past,’’ Kuna said.
‘‘We’re changing the whole program’s attitude. I think we showed everybody Saturday that we are a completely different team this year.’’
According to Zavagnin and Kuna, their season-opening wins are a testament to the players and their parents, who have bought into their respective programs — both of which have goals predicated on changing perceptions through dedication and hard work in the offseason, at practice and in the classroom.
‘‘All the players are really involved in the teamwork that goes into [winning],’’ said Romeoville linebacker Kevin Smidt, who credited Kuna’s private meetings with players and parents in the spring as a great start. ‘‘This year, everybody just wants to get better every day. [The mentality] has changed, and it shows.’’
The same is true for St. Joseph, which hosts Argo on Saturday.
‘‘Our mind-set has completely changed,’’ said Chargers lineman Joe Stella, whose senior class hadn’t won a game until this year. ‘‘We are a lot more confident. We don’t let our heads hang down.’’
‘‘Hard work definitely pays off,’’ said Chargers running back Tim Kelly, who rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns against Ridgewood. ‘‘Things are changing. We definitely feel like we have more wins coming.’’
ajahns@suntimes.com
St. Joseph notes…
Other than Kelly, quarterback Cameron Meredith and wide receiver/linebacker Ron Moore stood out in St. Joseph’s win over Ridgewood.
Meredith completed 16 of 26 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Moore caught five passes for 42 yards and two scores.
On defense, Davonte Kelly, who Zavagnin calls “an absolute pleasure to coach,” had seven tackles, including one for loss, and one forced fumble.
Stella and lineman Sean McCoy each had eight tackles for St. Joseph.
“We really believe in what we are doing,” McCoy said. “We haven’t put this much hard work in to go nowhere and just win one game.”
Romeoville notes…
Before Romeoville took the field against Waukegan, Kuna received anonymous letters and articles in the mail about “how good [the Bulldogs] were.”
“It was just bulletin board material,” Kuna said.
Romeoville had 288 rushing yards compared to a mere four for Waukegan on Saturday.
"Let's be honest everybody picked us to lose," Kuna said. "But we worked hard all week. We didn't have any letdowns."