Yes, Naperville Central fell three victories shy of its stated goal coming into the 2014 season: repeating as Class 8A state champions.
But the disappointment of Saturday’s 34-20 loss to Simeon in a Class 8A state quarterfinal shouldn’t cloud the message that Mike Stine has the program headed back in the right direction.
After missing out on the postseason twice in a three-year stretch, Naperville Central pieced together a 6-3 regular season before going on its postseason run last year, which culminated in a 13-10 upset of Loyola in the Class 8A state title game.
The third nine-win season and fourth state quarterfinal berth in Stine’s tenure should keep the line moving as the likes of Conor Joyce, Emmanuel Rugamba, Rick Hatton and Garrett Purdy all returning next year to guide the 2015 Redhawks as seniors.
“I mean, these juniors are something special. We got a lot of juniors on our team that are great athletes and have the potential to be great,” said Iowa State-bound linebacker Bobby McMillen, who paced Naperville Central’s defense with 140 tackles. “All they got to do is just take it in stride. Don’t waste a moment of it because it goes fast. It goes by fast. I wish them the best of luck next year and I’ll definitely be coming back and supporting them.”
Taking over at quarterback for Jake Kolbe, who led the Redhawks’ offense on their way to the second state title in school history, Joyce completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,285 yards and eight touchdowns while running for 164 yards and six touchdowns.
Michael Kolzow, headed to play with Kolbe at Illinois State, was Joyce’s go-to-guy for much of the year in hauling in 48 passes for 626 yards and three touchdowns.
Rugamba, who was up on varsity as a sophomore last year and has received a scholarship offer from Illinois, should step into that role next year after catching 27 passes for 298 yards and three TDs.
Finding a reliable running back for Joyce to hand the ball off to next year is a question that will needs to be answered as Kevin Clifford, the 2014 DuPage Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, leaves the program after rushing for 1,571 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“You know, our seniors are a special group. That’s what I just told them,” Stine said. “I said, ‘you’re a class … you’re part of a state championship team and a part of a team that went to the quarters.’ They’re a special group of guys. Not only are they good football players, but they’re good kids. And it’s been great to watch them grow up and be involved with them and we’re going to miss them to death. I know that they hurt a lot right now, but in time they’ll be able to reflect back and be proud of what they accomplished.”
Behind McMillen, the 2014 DVC Defensive Player of the Year, Joe Schweikart and Dan Delgrosso, the Redhawks’ defense proved to be quite stingy throughout the year and the backbone in which they rode all year.
Purdy, a cornerback who led the defense with five interceptions, Hatton, who recorded 58 ½ tackles playing alongside McMillen, and Jon Barker, who tallied 73 tackles out of his cornerback spot, will lead defensive coordinator Mike Ulreich’s unit.
McMillen has helped establish a standard for future Naperville Central defenders to aspire to.
“I mean, going off next year (to Iowa State)—it’s going to be a blast and I can’t wait for it. But I wouldn’t trade these last four years for anything,” McMillen said. “I love every single one of those guys in that locker room and on the coaching staff. All the student sections that came out, all the families that have been supporting us the past four years, I appreciate them so much and each and every single one of them holds a special place in my heart.”
The seniors that comprised the structure of the defending Class 8A state champions came to the varsity level looking to stop the slide that had seen the program miss out on postseason play in 2010 and 2012.
After combining for 20 victories, seven postseason victories and a share of the program’s first DVC title since 2001, the seniors undoubtedly will leave the program in better shape than in which they found it.
“I’ve never met a group of guys, this senior class, that has worked so hard and you know what? We won a state championship. We got to … obviously (the state quarterfinals) this year, didn’t finish,” Kolzow said. “But you know? I’m proud of the guys. We should all be keeping our heads held high because we were a pretty successful bunch.”
