Maine South's Tyler Fahey brings linebacker attitude to offense

Updated: October 26, 2011 9:05PM

Tyler Fahey won’t brag about being the only brother in his family to win a state title.

The way the Maine South senior sees it, state championships are to be shared with those who have played in the program, including his two older brothers. Chris came the closest when the Hawks finished second his sophomore season in 2005.

“That not something I boast about because both of them came close,” said Tyler Fahey, whose younger brother Justin is a freshman in the program.

Tyler Fahey and the No. 2-ranked Hawks hit the road Saturday in search of an unprecedented fourth state title in a row in the largest classification. Maine South plays Curie at Lane Stadium at 12:30 p.m.

“We take every game now like it’s our last,” said Fahey, a two-year starter at linebacker who started playing receiver midway through this year. “It’s not like it’s already won. We played last week like it was a playoff game. We try to feed off the pressure in a positive way.”

Like many other Hawks, Fahey began his career with the Park Ridge Falcons, suiting up alongside Jimmy Frankos, Pat Barrett and Pat Maloney, Luke Lenti and Mike White, among others.

Fahey moved up through the program ranks and was on the sideline as a sophomore for Maine South’s state title in 2009. He won another one last year.

“This year is our year,” Fahey said of the seniors. “It’s our time to make our mark.

“I don’t think we get enough credit for hard it is to win state titles. We’re almost expected to win. After last year, we play every game like it’s a big game.”

Not many play bigger than Fahey.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder is a presence on the field, on both sides of the ball. A two-way player most of his prep career, Fahey exclusively played linebacker last season. Not until the Niles North game in Week 4 did Fahey make an impact at receiver when he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Fahey, who caught his third TD pass of the year Friday in the CSL South-clinching win over Glenbrook South. “I love knocking people’s heads off. It’s my linebacker mentality, and it fires up the team. I definitely don’t shy away from contact.”

Inserra waited four games to insert Fahey in at receiver while his banged-up shoulder healed. Since then, the coach couldn’t be happier with Fahey on offense.

“We needed more potency on offense, especially at the receiver spot,” Inserra said. “We knew he could catch, but it’s also his blocking. He’s also fun to watch. He has a tough mentality at receiver.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.