No worries: Knights back in postseason

Pat Fleming of Kaneland turns a short pass reception into a long gain as the Batavia defense gives chase.
(Jon Cunningham/Beacon News)

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COMMENTARY

Kaneland football coach Tom Fedderly can finally breath a sigh of relief.

After Friday's 34-0 win over Yorkville in the regular-season finale, the Knights stood at 5-4, playoff eligible. But a lack of playoff points put them in a precarious position heading into Saturday's announcement of the playoff pairings.

Of the 256 schools in Illinois that reached the playoffs, Kaneland came in at No. 252. Phew.

Then, Fedderly got some film on the Knights' first-round opponent, Sterling, whom Kaneland will travel to face Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.

"We made it," Fedderly said. "Now, I'm looking at film of Sterling, and I'm scared again."

Of course, Fedderly was joking around when he said that. In fact, he thinks the fact that Kaneland beat every Class 5A team it faced and faced bigger powerhouses like Batavia and Geneva in the Western Sun Conference gives the Knights a fighting chance to stage a round-one upset. Sterling played only one team in a higher class, Lemont, and suffered its lone loss of the season in that Week 2 game.

"In the conference we play in, we play some great teams," Fedderly said. "We've had a playoff game every week. We've been tested pretty good. We're looking forward to playing a team our size."

Last year, Fedderly's first as the head coach at Kaneland, saw the Knights miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995 with a 4-5 record. And he headed into this season with a sophomore running his sophisticated spread offense, quarterback Joe Camiliere.

But Camiliere followed in the footsteps of Boone Thorgesen and Jody Henningson and impressed all season long, showing a maturity that belies his age. Friday's win was a typical performance for Camiliere this season. He threw for 201 yards and ran for 103.

"He's a bright kid," Fedderly said. "He just wants to get better. He learns from every game. We're real excited what he's been able to do this year. He's exceeded our expectations. He reminds me of Boone a lot."

But throughout the offseason, Fedderly saw the commitment of his young team in the weight room.

"They listened to everything we said in the offseason," Fedderly said. "That was the biggest thing. The kids wanted to get the program back to the playoffs."

When Fedderly first saw who Kaneland's first-round opponent was, his mind immediately went back to 2006, his last season as offensive coordinator and the team's last playoff appearance.

The Knights came as close as they ever have to duplicating their state championships of 1997 and 1998 by going 11-2 and reaching the Class 5A semifinals. The Knights' quarterfinal opponent that postseason? Sterling, and the Knights won that game 52-45 in a wild shootout.

"That was a great game and a great team a couple years back," Fedderly said. "They look very similar. They look really good."

Regardless of what happens Saturday, Fedderly feels like last year's hiccup is behind the team and that the future begins now.

"That was tough last year," Fedderly said. "We just feel so excited to be back this year. Big step for us. I can't tell you how important it is. We're getting valuable playoff experience."