Football: Loyola hurdles roadblock to make State final

Updated: November 25, 2011 10:04AM

John Holecek was never too concerned with how he felt after Loyola lost in the semifinals the last two seasons.

The Ramblers coach always was more interested in how the players dealt with season-ending defeats to Maine South.

“The players are the ones who bear the weight for a whole year,” Holecek said.

That’s why Holecek was relieved when the No. 1-ranked Ramblers hurdled their roadblock Saturday with their 28-13 win over Glenbard North.

“It was a very big moment for the players,” Holecek he said of the victory, which also gave Loyola (13-0) a program record for wins in a season. “It was nice to get that off their backs.”

Michael Paloian was at least one player who carried an extra burden with him the last two seasons. The Loyola senior linebacker and Park Ridge resident was on the sideline for both losses to the Hawks.

“I was supposed to go there,” Paloian said of Maine South, which is the three-time defending state champion in IHSA Class 8A. “It was tough losing to them knowing I could have been on those teams. But this is our year. It was a relief to win the semifinal game, but we have one more game to win. Our purpose wasn’t to get to the championship game. Our purpose is to win it.”

Loyola returns to the championship game for the first time since it won the title in 1993. Holecek was a junior linebacker at the University of Illinois during that championship season, and he will return to Champaign in hopes of bringing another title to the Wilmette school.

“After the win, (Holecek) told us, congrats, but to set our sights on the state title game,” Paloian said.

Bolingbrook (12-1) might be Loyola’s toughest opponent to date, and not only because it’s the championship game. The Raiders also last played for the state title in 1993, losing to Belvidere.

Led by junior quarterback Aaron Bailey, Bolingbrook is on a seven-game win streak after losing to Lincoln-Way East, which went undefeated during the regular season.

“Extremely athletic and very big,” Holecek said of the Raiders, who finished 5-1 in the regular season against playoff teams. “They are loaded with talent. They are an option team, almost like Gordon Tech, but they have the athletes. They aren’t similar to many teams we’ve played.”

In any case, Paloian expects another slugfest.

“It will be a tough, gritty, grind-it-out game,” he said.

Most likely, Loyola will be without senior Scotty Suhey, who intercepted two passes in the semifinal win. The starting cornerback left Saturday’s game with a broken wrist. Holecek said Suhey is doubtful for the title game.

“Very instinctive corner, smart and athletic,” Paloian said of his classmate. “He’s a big loss. But we have depth to our lineup, and we have corners who can play the run.”

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