Team championships ordinarily are the results of building programs, unless pure talent taketh over and run away with the prize.
North Central College football strength was diminished, continually, until head coach John Thorne arrived in 2002 from Wheaton Warrenville South High School and now-defunct Wheaton Central High School in the early years.
Coach Thorne, with offensive explosion in high school, brought his son, Jeff, with him as the offensive coordinator. John and Jeff, dad and son, were head coach and quarterback in high school.
They started the building process, modestly, in 2002, and continued to make progress each year. Jeff became head coach when John retired and the building process continued. North Central reached the semifinals of the Division III playoffs in 2013 when a defeat ended the season. The process continued. Friday the goal was achieved with a strong program which led to the Division III national championship, the first in North Central’s program history.
Broc Rutter, a four-year starter as the team’s quarterback, will graduate and open the field to his successor. Rutter was named the top player in the Nation in Division III. He was given the Gagliardi Award, so named for John Gagliardi, longtime successful head coach at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn..
How North Central reacts to success and fills holes created by graduation, will be visible next year. Wheaton College was the only team to defeat North Central. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 most of the season.
Not to be overlooked is Aurora University’s entry in the Division III playoffs, even with a defeat in its first game. Led by first-year head coach Don Beebe, no doubt the plan is to build a program worthy of competing for national championships. Beebe has a history of coaching excellent offenses, which go in tandem with successful defenses.
• The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 announced by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) includes familiar names to our northern Illinois area, including Jim Platt.
Platt, a 1969 graduate of East Aurora High School, was named as a career coach. He started at Luther North High School in Chicago and went to college coaching, including nine years at two schools as a head coach. He led University of Arkansas-Little Rock, 1990-1994, and Charleston (S.C.) Southern, 2000-2005. He was an assistant coach at DePaul University, 1984-1990, and made stops as an assistant at Illinois State University, Tulsa University, twice, most recently in 2016, Florida State, Bradley University, Army at West Point, and St. Louis University.
Other coaches honored include: Jason Nichols, girls head coach at Montini and Trinity; Scott Miller, head boys coach at Plano High School, and now Glenbard East High School; players to include Samantha (Arnold) French, Lake Park High School, Vince Doran, at Driscoll Catholic and now head coach at York High School, Marcus Howard, Elgin and Indiana State University; Marcus Smallwood, Elgin and Northern Illinois University; Dan Witt, Kaneland High School and Illinois State; Kristi Faulkner, Glenbard West and Iowa University; Allie Quigley and Samantha (Quigley) Smith, Joliet Catholic Academy and DePaul University; floor official, Joe Fritsch, Bensenville; media members, Mike O’Brien, Chicago Sun-Times; Greg Swiderski, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, and Tim McKinney, Triton Junior College sports information; friends, Charles Feldmann, Dundee-Crown.
• Aurora Christian boys basketball player, Taaj Davis scored 33 points Saturday in the team’s 78-48 victory over St. Francis in Metro Suburban Blue play to become the ninth player at the school to reach 1,000 career points.
• There are many excellent high school boys basketball tournaments under way, including another year for West Aurora High School in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, Thursday, Dec. 26-Saturday, Dec. 28. The East Aurora has been improving its field each season recently; the York tournament continues its 32-team field, including 12 teams from The Voice circulation area; the venerable Jacobs tournament is always exciting; Oswego is seeded No. 1 in the tough DeKalb field, the Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic, which includes No. 4 Naperville Central, No. 5 Huntley, and No. 8 Dundee-Crown; and the Plano tournament, back to 16 teams from a 24-team field is consistently filled with quality mid-size schools.
• One of the best northern Illinois girls high school holiday tournaments traditionally is at the Bill Neibch Holiday Classic at Wheaton North, Dec. 23, 26-28.
The top eight seeded team in the field of 16 will be a true test for all teams: The top eight seeds, from No. 1 through No. 8: Downers Grove North, West Aurora, Bartlett, Willowbrook, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton North, Glenbard South, and Elk Grove. Other teams include: Glenbard North, Hinsdale Central, St. Charles East, Elgin, and Jacobs.
• There are quality high school wrestling tournaments at holiday time.