Hundreds of football fans in two suburban communities braved bleak skies and sinking mercury Sunday to cheer on their favorite teams–and there wasn’t a Bear in sight.
No, it wasn’t the NFL that made their temperatures rise and their banners wave.
In north suburban Woodstock, the Blue Streaks ruled the day–and the town’s annual Christmas parade–as returning state champions of Class 5A high school football.
And in the south suburban towns of the sprawling Lincoln-Way High School District, cheers rang out as the Knights rode by in a procession honoring their accomplishment: In winning the Class 6A crown, they gave their school its first state title.
Sunday’s procession brought sometimes rival communities together in a sense of Knight spirit. Communities with disparate images united, at least for this one day, to focus on a single goal: celebrating their new champions.
“Look who shows up at the games, it’s a little bit from everywhere,” said Tim Kohler of Frankfort Square, whose daughter, Brandi, plays clarinet in the Lincoln-Way band. “We’re just like one big family.
“I think it’s done a lot for the community,” Kohler said. “It’s given (residents) something to feel good about.”
The Lincoln-Way victory, also marked with a post-parade rally, was especially sweet because it comes on the heels of last year’s disappointing championship loss to Wheaton-Warrenville South. In beating out Addison Trail, 52-22, Saturday night, the Knights happily laid to rest their season-long slogan: “unfinished business.”
The team and its cheerleaders rode atop five firetrucks, sirens blaring, and yelled and waved their way through a 3 1/2-hour-long parade route, criss-crossing Mokena, Frankfort Square, Frankfort, Manhattan and New Lenox. A similar procession was held last year, planned before the Knights’ defeat.
“Last year they were asking, `Why are we up here?’ They didn’t want it,” said Jackie Correa, whose twin sons, Nick and Tony, are both on the team.
In Woodstock, the Blue Streaks also boarded fire engines and commandeered the attention of the crowd that turned out for the annual holiday parade. This was the first time since 1983 that the team came home with a state title.
Fresh from their Saturday victory over Rock Island, the boys returned to welcoming signs on homes and minivans. They also returned to the cheers of the cheerleading squad, who chanted “undefeated,” in honor of the team’s 14-0 season.
“It was cool being way up high looking down on everybody,” said Woodstock senior Tony Maggio, 17, who plays tight end.
Though the team members tried to appear nonchalant as they chewed gum while acknowledging their well-wishers in the crowd, the show of support from the blue-clad residents meant a lot, they said.
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“I think it was pretty nice to see the town just being there to cheer us on,” said Steve Stoltz, 15, a sophomore from Woodstock, who also plays tight end.
“We knew we were going to have a good team this year, but to win a state title . . . you dream about it, but I don’t know if you expect it,” said Ed Brucker, the Blue Streaks’ head coach.
In New Lenox, government officials were a little more than cautiously optimistic. The village board voted Nov. 25 to proclaim their town “Football Capital of Illinois.”
Their exuberance was justified by the Knights’ win, as well as by the Providence High School Celtics–who were victorious Friday in winning the statewide Class 4A football crown. Providence High will celebrate with a pep rally Monday afternoon.
“I don’t think it’s just a matter of football,” said New Lenox Mayor John Nowakowski, bubbling over the dual win. “It’s pride in our high schools and our kids.”
Knights fever swept Lincoln-Way throughout the football season, said students who marveled over near-capacity crowds at their home games. Friday red-and-black days at school, when teens are encouraged to don team colors, were ignored at the start of the year. But more recently, they were recognized with painted faces, hair and clothes.
“It’s a lot of school spirit. We’re still pumped up,” said Kim Jenckes, a Lincoln-Way junior.
In Woodstock, fans said it isn’t unusual for everyone in the city to take an interest in their football team’s progress.
“These kids worked together for four years for this ultimate goal, and they were able to achieve it,” Gordon Brunsell said.
Rich Huebner, attending a post-parade rally to cheer on his son, Matt, and other players, said, “The community supports its own. When you get a winning team that’s had the success they’ve had, people rally around them.”