Teamwork will be key for Vikings

H-F players include: (front row, from left) Michael McWhorter, Derrick Goard, Nick Hay, Dorian Reese, Derrick Goard; (second row) Jeffrey LePore, Khevon Karim, Nelson Martin, Travis Thomas; (back row) Mark Williams, Cody Albano, Michael Rouse, John Thibideau, Zach Fulton.
(Scott Powers/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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Most football teams would be hard-pressed to replace two players as valuable and as talented as Homewood-Flossmoor graduates Supo Sanni and Russell Ellington.

The Vikings, though, are not like most teams.

“We’re losing top-end talent guys – guys that if the game was on the line we could count on them to make a play,” H-F coach Kenneth Smith said of Sanni and Ellington, who both play for Illinois.

“This year we have players that really buy into the team concept. And overall, we’re a better team for it.”

It helps that H-F returns four of five starters on its offensive line in seniors Cody Albano (6-1, 235 pounds), Zach Fulton (6-4, 290) and Chris Staten (5-10, 285) and junior John Thibideau (6-5, 300). Kheron Karim -- “arguably the strongest player up front,” Smith said -- fills out the line, while Alex Mitropoulos (6-1, 265) will play tight end.

“We’ve all developed and gotten stronger,” Albano said. “We should be able to dominant other defensive lines.”

Quarterback Dorian Reese, who started six games last season, and running back Aaron Phillips, the team’s second leading rusher, are also back for the Vikings on offense.

The most notable returning starter is linebacker Michael Buchanan, who has scholarship offers from Illinois, Kansas, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia, California, Colorado and Arizona. Buchanan (6-6, 220) played defensive end and tight end last season. Also look out for defensive backs Mike McWhorter and Jeff LePore and nose tackle J.T. Brown.

“We have some good players who were juniors last year that are back as seniors,” Buchanan said. “For me, I plan on putting this team on back and carrying this team to the state playoffs.”

Last season in Smith’s first year as head coach, the Vikings went 5-4 in the regular season, upset Downers South in the first round and then won their way to the Class 8A semifinals, where they fell to eventual state champ Naperville North.

“It took us the entire regular season to click and that’s why we do so well in the playoffs, said Smith, who also pointed out the losses of graduated linebacker Stephan Sewell (Air Force) and corner Lyndon Crawford (Drake). “Now this year, we’ve had an entire offseason to click.”

ajahns@chicagosuntimes.com 

H-F BY THE NUMBERS

Conference: Southwest Suburban Red

Coach: Ken Smith 2nd Season (8-5)

2007 Record: 8-5 (4-3) Class 8A Semifinals

2007 Final Rank: 16

2008 Schedule

August

29 Marian Catholic

September

5 @ Hillcrest

12 Lincoln-Way East

19 @ Lockport

26 @ Lincoln-Way North

October

3 Andrew

10 @ Bradley

17 Mount Carmel

24 Stagg

Key Game: October 17 vs. Mount Carmel: The Vikings won't be sneaking up on anybody this year. So a late-season clash against the Caravan has the potential to be a great one.

Phil Barnes