No shortage of champions at state

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COMMENTARY

CHAMPAIGN — I didn’t hear a better perspective about champions, those that won football games here this weekend and those that didn’t — than the words of Dave Villarreal, whose son Dustin, a classmate and teammate of Geneva’s seniors, tragically died on May 5, 2006 of a heart ailment after collapsing while out with friends.

“I love all of these kids,” said Dave at halftime of the Class 7A championship, wearing a sweatshirt with Dustin’s No. 66. “They’ve all told me they want to win him a state championship. But that doesn’t matter. I already consider all of these kids champions.”

Leading at halftime 7-6, the Vikings lost 33-14 to East St. Louis. But that didn’t dim the glow that Dave Villarreal had while taking photos on the sideline.

Geneva assistant Marc Fagot, who coaches the running backs including his son Drew, was also here while battling a terminal case of cancer.

“This was all about how coach Fagot handled the situation,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “Any day he was walking was extremely positive. When he had chemo [therapy], we all shaved our heads. This was all about him living, not about him dying.

“Coach Marc was never a distraction. He told the kids, ‘This is life, I just know when mine is going to end, and play your season.’ He never missed a beat, never missed practice. It is a real testiment to him.”

For the first time since 1985, a state football finals were held without Joliet Catholic, Mount Carmel or Providence. And multiplier or not, there were four non-boundaried state champions — Immaculate Conception, Bloomington Central Catholic, St. Francis and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin. It kind of makes you wonder whether the Illinois High School Association is thinking of making a change.

For the seven area coaches that guided their teams to Memorial Stadium, there was a sense of satisfaction from the winners and the losers.

In Class 8A, Maine South’s Dave Inserra and Hinsdale Central’s Mike DiMatteo both had a lot of help from the football community.

DiMatteo received counsel from Mount Carmel’s Frank Lenti after his Red Devils knocked off the Caravan 24-21 in a semifinal. Inserra has been practicing at Niles West, Niles North and Evanston the past two weeks.

“Our league [Central Suburban] really got behind us,” Inserra said. “Niles North and Niles West let us practice on a turf field and under the lights. [Maine South has a grass field and no lights]. This week, we practiced at Evanston because their turf is like what they have at the University of Illinois.”

“Getting here wasn’t easy, but it isn’t supposed to be,” DiMatteo said. “It wouldn’t mean as much without doing what we had to do

“We had a couple of mistakes that put the defense in a hole,” said Lemont coach Eric Michaelsen, whose team lost to Sacred Heart-Griffin in Class 6A. “But I was very proud of the effort we got from our kids.”

In Class 5A, champion St. Francis shocked everyone. This was a team that didn’t win its conference [the Suburban Catholic]. It was a team that was 3-6 in 2007 that no one picked to win its league with the like of Driscoll, Marian Central and Montini.

“I’d like to take credit, but it is just good kids from good homes,” St. Francis coach Greg Purnell said. “I like to say that this is not about X’s and O’s, it’s about Billys and Joes. This was a tremendous day for St. Francis High School. In the last 52 years, the football team has had 12 winning seasons. I had 12 seniors who decided to make a difference this year.

Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe is no stranger to a big stage. He was on the largest as a member of six Super Bowl teams, four for the Buffalo Bills and two with the Green Bay Packers.

“Being a faith-based school, I have my own view of what is most important in life, and it’s not the Super Bowl,” Beebe said. “As an athlete, there is nothing better, but I remember Marv Levy always said that it is the players who win games. To see a community like ours come together the way they came together feels great. My rings are collecting dust, but this gives me a chance to affect these kids life. Nothing means more than that.”

The Eagles also had 27-year-old assistant coach Chris Risch, who has has a rare form of lung cancer, on the sideline.

There was euphoria surrounding the Immaculate Conception faithful after the Knights won the Class 2A title and after I.C. coach Bill Schmidt gave credit to runner-up Casey’s players. For Schmidt’s players, it was still a dream come true. “None of this hit me until I saw the signs [on the way to the stadium ],” I.C. lineman Matt Purdom said. “Winning state is incredible. I’m on Cloud 9.”