Rebels rebound from unlucky season

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:14PM

After 11 straight years of qualifying for the playoffs, T.F. South found itself on the outside looking in last season. The Rebels finished 4-5, with every loss coming to an 8-1 team.

There were a handful of games the Rebels flat-out gave away, unable to secure or build on fourth-quarter leads.

The inability to close out games cost them a spot in the playoffs, something coach Tom Padjen stressed to this year's team - beginning with the first day of offseason conditioning.

"We emphasized to the kids we had games we didn't finish," Padjen said. "We kept telling them that during the summer and during the season. The kids made it a point to finish strong in the fourth quarter. That was the difference between 2009 and 2010."

The Rebels finished 8-1, good enough to earn a No. 2 seed in the Class 6A playoffs and a first-round match-up Saturday against Thornridge.

As important as finishing strong was to T.F. South's success, so were the performances of a few unsung heroes.

Rob Williams stepped in to fill a huge void at defensive tackle. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound senior never played organized football in his life before transferring to the Lansing school last year.

"He never put on pads before, but he's done extremely well," Padjen said. "He solidified a position on the defensive line that was a huge question mark."

Williams' play allowed Tim Cardona, who was expected to play defensive tackle, to shift to strong safety and linebacker.

"Tim's a very unselfish kid," Padjen said. "He has a good attitude and he bought into the team concept."

Who's laughing now?

Mount Carmel has allowed just 14 points over its last three games while beating Brother Rice, St. Laurence and Providence Catholic.

That's quite a contrast from the season opener, in which the Caravan dropped a 47-41 decision to Simeon. According to coach Frank Lenti, it was just a matter of his team returning to the basics.

"We had to get back to fundamentals," Lenti said. "Our performance also had to do with maturity. It was our first game of the season. The kids have matured a great deal since then."

Few teams enter the postseason as hot as Mount Carmel, which outscored its opponents 129-14 in its final three games. The Caravan also handed Loyola its only loss of the season and crushed Fenwick, which finished 6-3, 41-7.

The doubters who emerged after the Simeon game haven't been forgotten by Lenti.

"Everyone was pooh-poohing Mount Carmel because we lost to Simeon," said Lenti, whose Caravan will play Bolingbrook in its Class 8A opener. "They finished 9-0. The two teams we lost to (St. Rita being the other) are a combined 17-1."

Concussion workshop

Shepard High School is hosting a "Care and Management of Concussions in the High School Athlete," presented by Elizabeth M. Pieroth, board certified neuropsychologist from the Midwest Center for Concussion Care, at 6:30 today in the cafeteria. Admission is free.

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