Kaneland hoping to keep perfect

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:04PM

No one will ever confuse Maple Park for Boise, Idaho, but the parallel

between loyal football fan bases and programs is eerily similar at this

juncture.

Approximately 2,100 people in the state of Illinois - the diminutive

population of the sleepy town hidden a stone's throw off I-88 - believe the

Kaneland football team, undefeated (12-0) and the IHSA Class 5A No. 1 seed,

should be respected if not feared among the typical state elite.

Case in point is this week's state semifinal home game (Saturday, 5 p.m.)

against No. 6 seeded Montini (10-2).

The Broncos are the defending 5A champions and are always a powerhouse. The

snap judgment says Kaneland can't keep winning and beating teams like Vernon

Hills, whom it defeated last Saturday 27-21 on a game-winning touchdown pass

in the closing seconds. The Knights, however, believe they can be victorious

even without having to play a perfect game or operate in the ideal weather

for their fast-paced aerial attack.

"We made some mistakes," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "I never thought

we'd turn the ball over four times and win, but that tells you something

about our team that we're good enough to overcome some mistakes."

Kaneland quarterback Joe Camiliere made three of those mistakes via

interception, but when the game was on the line - at several points during

the game, not just the final drive - the senior's moxie came through.

"That was amazing what he did at the end of the game, especially going into

the wind on that last drive," Fedderly said. "Joe's had a lot of experience.

He's had a lot of ups and downs and he knows how to control himself. We just

keep saying forget about the last play and try to win the next play. It's

exactly what Joe did."

But just like Boise State upsetting the upper level college teams like

Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia Tech time and again, Kaneland has to keep

proving its worth. They just don't care if anyone but them believes.

"We like being under the radar, that's fine with us," Fedderly said. "The

kids that are on our team, that's the only ones that matter who thinks we

can or not."

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