One win does not a season make.
That was a point of emphasis Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans relayed to his team this week as the Mustangs prepared to play host to Lake Park.
It follows what may have been their biggest win in the young program’s history: last Friday’s 19-7 decision over Waubonsie Valley, Metea’s first-ever win over the district rival.
“It was a special night for a lot of reasons,” Kleinhans said. “One, we were in the spotlight, playing for the first time at North Central.
“Another was not only beating Waubonsie for the first time, but also because the last two times we played them were close losses, last year in the regular season (38-37) and first round of the playoffs (21-14). We walked away both times thinking those were games we could have won if a play or two goes a little different.”
Now, Lake Park comes to town, carrying the same 2-3 record as the Mustangs, and needing at least three more wins in the last four games to at least be playoff eligible.
“We’re hoping (the Waubonsie win) is a springboard for the rest of the year,” Kleinhans said. “We told them, we don’t want it to be the highlight of our year. We want it to be the game that started us on our run (to a second straight playoff appearance.”
Lake Park’s players and coaches have similar thoughts.
“They’re in the same position we are,” Kleinhans said. “In fact, they were 5-4 last year like us and didn’t make the playoffs because of their playoff point total.”
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Metea Valley had 43 playoff points (based on opponent wins), while the Lancers had 42, one short of qualifying.
Double trouble: That’s what opposing offenses see when facing Lake Park’s defense, which is led by a pair of brothers who play on the defensive line.
“They’re the whole package,” Kleinhans said, referring to 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk, who has committed to a scholarship from Michigan State and is thought to be among the best defensive players in the Chicago area.
His younger brother, 6-3, 220-pound Jacub Panasiuk, moves between tackle and end on the Lancers’ line and has a scholarship offer from Illinois.
“The older brother is a big boy and explosive,” Kleinhans said. “What’s nice for them is they don’t have to blitz to bring pressure on the quarterback because their front four is able to do that. You have to account for them and that’s not always easy because they move them around a lot.”
Quarterback Jaron Fields and running back Melvin Smiley help lead the offense. Kleinhans called Smiley “explosive.”
ACC files complaint: Aurora Central Catholic athletic director Sean Bieterman confirmed the school last week filed a complaint with the Illinois High School Association about the conduct of Guerin coach Glen Kozlowski during the teams’ football game at the River Grove school on Sept. 18.
ACC coach John Belskis alleged that Kozlowski threatened to fight him at midfield after the game and also had his players target Charger quarterback and the coach’s son, Johnnny Belskis, which led to several late hits. Belskis also said Guerin players threw rocks at the ACC bus as it left after the game.
“What we did was document what we believed to be the behavior and so forth and sent it to (retiring IHSA executive director) Marty Hickman and (Executive Director-Elect) Craig Anderson (whose responsibilities include overseeing football),” Bieterman said.
“They told me that it would take some time. We’re waiting to hear what they decide. I’m sure they’ll talk to people from Guerin and the officials who worked the game. I don’t have a lot of experience with this, thankfully, so we’re not sure how long it will take or what will become of it.”
Anderson had not yet responded to a message left with him at the IHSA offices in Bloomington when this story went to press.
Twitter: @RickArmstrong28
AREA FOOTBALL LEADERS
PASSING
Player, school Comp.-Att. Yds. TD Int.
Drew Clippert, Aurora Christian 107-192 1,332 16 11
Kyle Niemiec, Batavia 89-138 1,192 8 1
Conner Lovely, Metea Valley 82-149 1,038 4 6
Sean Chambers, Geneva 69-119 971 13 2
Jake Marczuk, Kaneland 68-99 895 6 2
Steven Frank, Oswego 56-113 726 12 4
Tyler Ward, Plano 44-79 871 11 6
RUSHING
Player, school Att. Yds. TD
Bryce Shewan, Yorkville 134 752 7
Jay Winter, Plano 94 721 12
Jeremiah Wright, Aurora Christian 89 640 4
Justin Taormina, Geneva 106 597 7
Zach Garrett, Batavia 102 524 9
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DaQuan Cross, West Aurora 46 444 7
Max Ihry, Waubonsie Valley 81 432 6
RECEIVING
Player, school Rec. Yds. TD
Canaan Coffey, Batavia 36 465 4
Ryan Skibinski, Geneva 30 395 6
Devan Cross, Aurora Christian 26 221 1
Brock Harner, Aurora Christian 25 399 5
Dylan Leschweski, Aurora Christian 25 365 5
Jeremiah Wright, Aurora Christian 24 287 4
Tanner Robertsen, Kaneland 23 424 4
Mitchel Groen, Kaneland 22 188 1
Jack Wassel, Geneva 21 322 4
Based on weekly submissions from coaches to [email protected].