Super 25 countdown: Cary-Grove

Updated: August 4, 2011 11:14PM

Sam Mago has a pretty good idea of what he has to live up to as he switches roles this fall. Ditto for Brad Seaburg.

Mago, a starter on the defensive line for Cary-Grove last season, moves to center this season. Seaburg, who's been an assistant for the Trojans for 10 years, takes over for Bruce Kay, who retired as head coach after 22 seasons.

The goal for both Mago and Seaburg is to have a seamless transition and to carry forward the legacy of excellence at Cary-Grove, which is No. 22 in the Sun-Times preseason Super 25.

Three of Mago's brothers played for the Trojans, who made a habit of long playoff runs under Kay. In the past seven years, Cary-Grove has one state title (6A in 2009), a runner-up finish (7A in 2004) and four trips to the quarterfinals.

"There's been great tradition," Mago said. "Since '04 I've been going to every game. We're playing for everyone that's come before us."

And in a sense, Seaburg is coaching for Kay.

"Bruce helped out a lot," Seaburg said. "Getting hired in January (as head coach), it was nice having Bruce around. Now he's a cell phone call away."

After the Trojans had an undefeated run to the 6A title in 2009, they put an almost entirely new team on the field last fall. But that team went 8-4 and made it to the Class 6A quarterfinals, raising expectations for this season.

"It's really nice to be able to come in and right away know where everybody is going to play," Mago said.
Though he's moving from defense to offense, it's not a big deal. "I've been playing offensive line since third grade," he said. "I played it sophomore year on our sophomore team."

He isn't the only Trojan on the move this fall. Andrew Sobeski, a slotback last season, shifts to linebacker. There also is competition for several positions, including quarterback, where returning senior starter Corey Laktas and junior Quinn Baker were both taking snaps during 7-on-7 competitions this summer.

For an option team like Cary-Grove, the summer events aren't as telling as for teams that rely more on the pass. Still, Mago said, "the 7-on-7s are kind of fun for us. We get to throw the ball more than we do in a game."

And the Trojans got to show off their improved speed, which Seaburg credits to many of them running track in the spring.

"We saw significant (improvements) in their 40 (yard dash) time," the coach said. "Last year, they were 5.0, 5.1 kids. Now they're 4.8, 4.9 kids."

Among the playmakers on offense are backs Ryan Mahoney and Connor Carlson, while some other defensive mainstays include middle linebacker Sam Babick, free safety Sean Keady and cornerbacks Owen Carey and Josh Buckingham.

That talent and experience will come in handy as the Trojans tackle a challenging schedule. After opening at St. Charles East, Cary-Grove travels to Lake Zurich to face the 2010 Class 7A runner-up Bears. Then comes a Fox Valley Valley schedule that features one team that made the 6A semifinals (Prairie Ridge) and another that reached the 6A quarters (Crystal Lake South) plus up-and-coming Jacobs.

But facing good teams is nothing new for the Trojans and Mago figures the payoff will come down the road. "It's the reason we can do what we do in the playoffs," he said of playing a tough schedule.

On that, Mago speaks from experience - his own and his brothers'.

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