North Stars playoff march a long time coming

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A look back at the 2009 Courier-News high school football preview offers a reminder why I pegged St. Charles North as the area's top team this fall.

You see, the North Stars had big-time aspirations from the start, as coach Mark Gould made clear in a comment he made back in August.

"This group has a goal of advancing farther in the playoffs and doing more than any other St. Charles team has done before," Gould is quoted as saying in his team's preview story.

Those were lofty expectations for a program that for the past seven years saw notable success in the regular season fizzle out in postseason disappointment. Coming into 2009, North was 1-7 in playoff games.

But this year, the school's eighth straight trip to the playoffs is taking a much different course.

The North Stars broke through to reach the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history with a heart-stopping 20-14 win against Elk Grove on Friday in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.

With the goal of going farther in the playoffs than any North team already accomplished, the North Stars can focus their attention on becoming the first team from St. Charles to reach the state semifinals.

Crosstown rival St. Charles East lost in the quarterfinals in 2005, and the Saints also bowed out in the quarters in 1994, 1996 and 1998 when there was only one high school in town.

Gould was on the sidelines for a few of those St. Charles quarterfinal losses in the 1990s as an assistant coach. Now that his North Stars are on the verge of a trip to the final four, he hopes his players can seize the moment next week against Glenbard West.

"You're here, so keep going," Gould said. "You can't be content. This is fun. You want to keep playing."

North senior linebacker Dominic Imbordino no doubt had fun in his team's win against Elk Grove, making arguably the biggest play in program history when he intercepted a pass from Grenadiers quarterback Nick Meyer in the back left corner of the end zone with 43 seconds left.

The play offered sweet redemption for Imbordino, who bit on a fake and was burned on an 80-yard touchdown pass against South Elgin in Week 8 that accounted for the only touchdown North's defense allowed in a 10-7 overtime loss to the Storm.

Imbordino carried the weight of that defeat, but he worked to make sure he wouldn't get beat again. He said he practiced ball drills with the defensive backs and focused on his mechanics following the loss.

The miscue against South Elgin is now a distant afterthought for Imbordino after his leaping, twisting, game-winning interception against Elk Grove.

"I can completely forget about it now," Imbordino said. "This is just pure ecstasy. I don't even know what to say. This is awesome."

It was only fitting that a North linebacker would make the game's biggest play.

The North Stars kept the pressure on Meyer for most of the night as senior linebackers Spencer Swarts, J.J. Weaver and Matthew Scanlon wreaked havoc in the backfield.

The talented junior quarterback from Elk Grove entered the night averaging 96.2 rushing yards per contest. Meyer could only muster 12 yards on 23 carries against the North Stars, who seemed to stuff his every move on the ground.

"When (Meyer) wanted to run up the middle, the linebackers were there," Gould said. "I think our linebackers did as nice a job as just about anybody did against him this year."

North's defense has been the backbone of the team's success this season. Only once has the unit allowed more than 16 points, thus doing its part to keep the team in every game.

The North Stars have just enough offensive weaponry to keep opponents on their toes, and the offense deserves ample credit in helping the team tie the school record of eight victories in a season set by the 2004 North Stars.

The question now becomes whether this year's group can take it one step farther and go where no team in St. Charles history has gone before.