Stone says team 'never gave up on us'

Although Mundelein (1-8, 1-5) struggled during the season, including a 56-0 loss at Stevenson (5-4, 4-2) on Friday, there were positives to look back on as the team rebuilds under new coach Bob Stone.

"When you look at the season in general, obviously for everybody it's disappointing," said Stone. "But fortunately there were a lot of positives that happened on the football field. They never gave up on us. Never quit."

The hard work by his team was epitomized by the play of senior defensive backs Cameron Kinder and Bryan Whitson, along with senior linebacker Matt Thoenes against the playoff-bound Patriots.

Kinder closed strong from the secondary to make a game-high 13 tackles, 2 for losses.

"All year, he's been one of our leaders on the field," said Stone. "He's a real intelligent kid, who's pretty tough for a defensive back. He made some good hits out there (against Stevenson)."

Whitson had 9 tackles and 2 pass break-ups, while Thoenes contributed 8 tackles, with 1 for a loss.

"He's (Whitson) not the fastest, but he's very smart," said Stone. "He knows the game and does a nice job."

As for Thoenes, who became a starter at midyear, Stone said, "He's as undersized (5-foot-8, 160 pounds) as you can get. But he will hit himself silly. You can't ask any more than how hard he's played for us."

Despite the final record, Kinder summed up what high school football is all about.

"Maybe not score (Stevenson) or record-wise, but it was a lot of fun to play with these guys," said Kinder. "They were all great teammates."

"The kids stuck with it and it's a tribute to them," Stone said. "It would have been real easy for them to say 'hey coach, forget it, we're done.'"

Stone recounted one story in particular that pleased him.

"One kid (Steve Bergquist) who never played before this year -- he was more of a skateboarder, came up to me (after the game) and said that this was the best experience of his life."

With more than half the roster being made up of juniors this season, including several starting positions, Stone should have a solid nucleus to work with next year.

Yards were hard to come by for the Mustangs as they advanced into Stevenson territory only twice in Friday's game. Overall, Mundelein was held to 94 yards. Nevertheless, there were still some offensive highlights for the Mustangs.

Late in the first quarter, Mundelein moved into Stevenson territory on back-to-back first downs. Wide Receiver Dan Spillone caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Joe DeJesus and then Tyler Adams burst off tackle for a 14-yard gain to the Patriots' 44-yard-line, before the drive stalled.

D'Shea Frison came off the bench in the fourth quarter and ran for 29 yards on 3 carries.

Offensive tackle Eric Barraza had the so-called 'lineman's dream' when he showed nifty hands in catching a deflected pass and gaining 6 yards.

The Mustang defenders swarmed to the ball throughout the contest. In addition to the aforementioned play of Kinder, Whitson and Thoenes, several other players contributed.

Chris Marthinsen had 7 tackles from his defensive line position. Safety Andy Ahonen, linebacker Tyler Adams and safety Mike O'Donoghue all had 5 tackles each.