Mighty roar from Tigers

Joliet West (left) and Joliet Central captains prepare for the coin flip before the game.
(Michael R. Schmidt/Herald News)

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JOLIET -- After Joliet West's Mike Huffar put his toe into the ball on the opening kickoff, teammate SaVaughn Alexander raced downfield.

He delivered a bone-jarring hit on Joliet Central's Josephous Gaston that signaled the return of a high school football rivalry.

Whack.

The Tigers were facing Steelmen for the first time since the fall of 1992.

Sure, it was only a freshman football game. But the halftime split-the-pot prize of $120 spoke to the size of the crowd and the community's appetite for the return of a two-sports program in the Joliet Township High School district.

And the roar of the Tigers was like that of the real thing -- ferocious.

After West's defense forced a three-and-out on the first series, Danny Dorsey returned Edgar Cruz's punt 55 yards for a touchdown. Alexander ran 42 yards for a touchdown. Matt Koran recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. And Peety Holmes ran 15 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers (3-1) led 32-0 after running three plays from scrimmage and went on to claim a 65-0 victory, the clock running continuously for the final 5 minutes of the first half and all of the second half.

Holmes rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 10 carries and scored four touchdowns. Dorsey returned the second-half kickoff 80 yards for his second touchdown, picking up his last block from Alexander near the Central 20. Minutes later, Melvin Westbrooks returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers' defense forced five turnovers and limited Central to one first down -- that coming on a penalty -- and negative yardage on a night that was all about making statements.

"Coach is always telling us when you get in the game, do what you've got to do on that first play," Alexander said of the encouragement he gets from the Tigers' Steve Locke. "Let them know who we are. We saw last time how they had it in the (news)paper -- what they were going to do. So, we decided to give it to them on the first play.

"I saw the guy running (Gaston) and I took him down. That led to the game being 65-0, yeah. It set a good tone. I really enjoy hitting. I've been hitting with Alex Turner (an outside linebacker) and some of the sophomores for a while now, from our past leagues. And I really love the sport."

Locke was loving the moment.

"This is awesome," he said. "The atmosphere was phenomenal. It was great to see so people out here for a freshman game."

The reaction of Central coach Jason Cappel was somewhat more subdued.

"Well, West definitely showed that they have what it takes to be a great football team," he said. "I know a lot of the guys on the staff. I was able to coach with some of them. They've got a good staff. They've got good, young players on their team. I wish them the best.

"At some point, it was like we had that deer-in-the-headlights things going. I don't know if it's the fact we've been playing all day games. But, at some point, they just didn't believe they could do it. You don't get beat 65-0 in a freshman game often times, in my experience, unless there is a little fear involved.

"And a lot of the kids have never played football. We've got maybe six or eight kids who have played. We're playing against established programs. I know West probably has a few more kids that are playing youth football. So, really it's just teaching the kids the fundamentals. It's going to be tough, because they're going to have to live with this for a year.

“But, on the flip side, it’s good, because they’ll remember it and they’ll say, ‘Hey, we want to get better.’ ”

Many school district leaders were spotted milling around the chain-link fence that circled Klootwyk Field a couple of hours before the start of the “A” game. West won the “B” game 12-0. Cortez Woods and Anthony Fearn scored touchdowns on reverse plays.

“Yeah, it’s a great night, beautiful weather, and in fact I was commenting earlier how interesting it is to see Joliet Central on the other side of the field in the visitors’ stands,” JT superintendent of schools Paul Swanstrom said. “But it’s a great night. I think it will be good for the community. I think the most important thing is that we teach kids that they can be competitive on the field, but they need to respect each other and they’re still one community off the field.”

JT Central principal John Randich still was teaching math and coaching basketball and baseball the last time the two old rivals played each other — 16 years ago.

“Absolutely, I remember what it was like,” he said. “The rivalries were great between West and Central. I can remember in basketball, particularly, when we played at West. It was a packed gym. People were standing around the edges, and it always was a lot of fun.

“I think it will get back to that. And I’m kind of excited that our kids will have the opportunity to compete and play and not only in sports, but we’ve got more activities for kids as well. The field houses are going to be a nice addition to our schools.

“It’s going to give our P.E. kids a lot of opportunities. So, even for those kids who don’t make it in sports, we’re hoping to expand some intramural things after school.”

Cheryl McCarthy, principal at West, took in the scene — T-shirts on sale to commemorate the occasion — and was beaming like the colors of the two teams. It was blue and gold vs. black and gold.

“Well, as you look around, you can see the involvement, not only the number of kids that are on the field, but are here watching both games,” she said. “Look at how many people are here to watch a freshman ‘B’ game. So, as long as we can get our kids involved, that’s a great thing for education.”

JT athletic director Chris Olson paused long enough from his organizational duties to bask in the triumph, too.

“It has been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s all about the kids. We have almost double the amount of kids participating. The schools are gaining an identity. We continue to focus on ‘Township’ though, having said all of that. But it is exciting for freshman to be competing against each other. It’s all the sports. We’ve had great relationships between the two schools.

“We’ve really promoted the character and sportsmanship attributes. And I think the kids are responding well. We don’t have any worries about the kids. They’ll respond. They’ll do what they’re supposed to do. They’ll be highly competitive. It’s been a great fall as far as the success of the teams.

“We’ve actually been more successful splitting on both sides than we were combined.”

Steve Millsaps spoke to the buzz in the hallways in the days leading up to the game and the pep rallies and tailgating parties that added to the pregame hype.

“The buzz in the hallways and with the fans, it’s been amazing,” he said. “We have pep clubs getting started. The kids are going to have an identity. They’re going to be able to play right on campus. They’ll be home by 5:30. More kids are going to come out. And, you know, you can only be competitive with that kind of school spirit. Kids are going to want to be out there.”