Goals in high school sports includes success in postseason play.
East Aurora High School’s football team entered Friday’s final regular-season game with hopes kindled for the school’s first postseason berth since 1982. Host Elgin’s last playoff trip was in 2010.
East Aurora head coach Nick Kukuc had collected his players in the north end zone following a comeback rally which fell short, 32-26. Somber players listened to his message intently. Quiet East Aurora fans filed to the exit adjacent to the playing surface.
A single voice of an adult male rang out, succinctly: “Way to change the culture, East Aurora.”
That was the message of the second-year head coach. “I told them this is just the beginning,” Kukuc said later. “They had built off of the foundation the teams before them created. They had set the standards and expectations of what it means to be a Tomcat football player. What makes this team so special compared to teams in the past is that we were able to compete for four quarters.
“This season proved that no matter the score, you can’t count the Tomcats out. The culture the team created allowed us to attack adversity head on (even after trailing 32-12 in the second half).
“I will remember the preparation. How hard these young men worked in the off-season, Summer camp, and week-to-week to earn this historic season. These guys were given nothing. They earned every opportunity.”
East Aurora finished with an overall record of 4-5 and in sixth place in the 10-team Upstate Eight Conference.
Elgin moved on to a first-round playoff game with a 5-4 record and in fifth place in the Upstate Eight. Elgin, seeded No. 28 in the 32-team field in Class 8A, will play Friday at No. 5 Oswego, 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Southwest Prairie West.
Anthony Mason, head coach at Elgin, has seen his team win six consecutive games following a 0-4 start. He cites five reasons: Xavier Bonds is a dynamic playmaker with college interest; Alex West, Mr. Everything; Jeffery Lomax performing above standard at quarterback; the offensive line and defense improvement. Bonds returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
The Elgin-East Aurora game both reflected a playoff atmosphere and the agony and ecstasy of sports. It is why games are played, sacrifices are made, and why interscholastic sports is a teaching tool and not just fun and games.
• State tournament championship play finished the second Saturday of seven consecutive in the girls State tennis championship in northwest Chicago suburbs with Buffalo Grove High School as the headquarters. Benet Academy took second place in Class A of the two-class tournament. Doubles tandem of Kendall Schrader and Kaitlyn Lee won the State doubles championship. Hinsdale Central finished in second place in the AA team championship with 33 points. Glenbard West and Stevenson were tied for fourth place, each with 18 points. Glenbard West doubles team State championship duo was Sienna Lopez and Shannele Lopez and defeated in the championship match Zoe Limparis and Katie Dollens of Hinsdale Central.
• The Class 1A State final soccer meet will be Saturday at EastSide Centre in East Peoria, along with sectional meets in boys and girls cross country and boys Class 2A and 3A soccer sectional meets.
Oswego defeated Waubonsie Valley Monday in a regional soccer tournament championship game. See thevoice.us/high-school-soccer-oswego-regional-tournament-oswego-vs-waubonsie-valley.
• Conference football championships were settled in many cases last week. Minooka defeated host Oswego, 28-21, in the showdown game of two teams in the Southwest Prairie Conference each 8-0. “We lost the turnover battle and they beat us in the specials tam,” Oswego head coach Brian Cooney said. Regarding Elgin’s Bonds, Cooney said, “Knowing where (Bonds) is on the field at all times is important.”
• John Belskis, Minooka head coach: “The difference was overcoming adversity after being behind at halftime and in the third quarter. We got the ball with nine minutes left and a 21-1=21 tie. We used over seven minutes n the championship drive. We sealed the victory when our DL, Drew Gutknecht, deflected a pass that allowed our DB, Zach Grayson, to make the game-ending interception.” Minooka, based opponents’ victories, was seeded No. 1 in Class 8A, the largest group, and will play host to Joliet West, which qualified with a 4-5 record as the Southwest Prairie East championship. See thevoice.us/ihsa-state-football-playoffs-selected-first-round-pairings.
• Yorkville, 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the Southwest Prairie West, one of five of the six teams in the SPC West to qualify for the playoffs, will play host to T.F. South at 7 p.m.. Friday. Yorkville was seeded No. 2. Yorkville defeated host Plainfield North,31-7, Friday to finish 7-2 overall.
“Defensively we played very well and took away their big plays,” Yorkville head coach Dan McGuire said. “They have quite a bit of speed. Offensively we controlled he clock and ran the ball pretty well. We are proud of this group to have two home playoff games in a row, something we have not done here in a long time.”
• Batavia defeated Wheaton North, 28-3, to clinch a tie for the DuKane Conference championship with Glenbard North, each 6-1. Batavia has been the DuKane champion in the conference’s first two years. Dynamic back Art Taylor had a big week for Batavia with more than 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
• Dan Thorpe of Marmion Academy: “Our defense will be challenged (against Amundsen in Chicago), however, if the Chicago teacher’s strike is not over by Wednesday, we unfortunately would receive a forfeit victory.”
• Brad Kunz of Plainfield East on the playoff first round at 9-0 Warren: “Our kids are willing to stick together. We are an underdog with nothing to lose. Keep the game close…for a strong finish.”
• Nate Eimer of West Aurora stays home from the playoffs this year. “A good life lesson. Just because you don’t get the results you want, you still need to show up and continue to work hard.”
• The obituary of champion Harvey Sterkel, as fastpitch pitcher and in life, is at thevoice.us/famed-aurora-sealmaster-fastpitch-softball-pitcher-harvey-sterkel-passed-away-at-age-85.