Lincoln-Way East was 24 minutes away from perfection.
The Griffins had won all 13 games heading into its Class 8A state championship showdown against Loyola, but the outcome to most of those victories was determined by halftime.
Not on this day.
East held a slim 7-0 halftime lead, and victory was anything but certain. Senior defensive lineman Jaden Hacha recalled how a halftime speech by coach Rob Zvonar provided inspiration and a sense of urgency.
“He said, ‘We have 24 minutes left in the season, how do you want to be remembered?'” Hacha said. “It hit us. It was like, this is it. We had worked so hard to get to this point. This is the last time we’re going to play together — ever. We knew we had to give it everything we had.”
East went on to earn a 23-14 victory, securing the program’s second undefeated state title in 12 seasons. Zvonar, the Daily Southtown 2017 Football Coach of the Year, has been front and center for both.
That speech wasn’t the first time he’s tried to rally his team. It likely won’t be the last. The only coach in the program’s 17-year history, Zvonar has a 165-38 record at Lincoln-Way East.
“These are teenagers we’re talking about,” Zvonar said. “Sometimes, you need to put things in perspective during the heat of battle. The guys responded.”
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On the surface, Zvonar can appear gruff. Senior defensive end Devin O’Rourke, a Northwestern recruit, pointed out there’s a softer side to the man everybody calls Coach Z.
“You wouldn’t expect it, but he has a good sense of humor,” O’Rourke said. “He’ll be the one to crack a few jokes when things are too serious.”
Zvonar confirmed his team had great skill this season, but he also made it clear talent alone doesn’t guarantee success.
“Something has to take over for the talent,” Zvonar said. “You have to have some luck. The biggest thing is you have to have a commitment of one goal. To be willing to go on this mission together and put the team ahead of yourself.
“These kids did that. They had great chemistry. The senior class was very driven. In this day and age of entitlement, to get these kids to buy into the team mission is very satisfying.”
Zvonar credited his coaching staff for keeping the players focused on the task at hand and the Lincoln-Way community for its support.
“I have some incredibly talented and loyal assistant coaches,” Zvonar said. “A lot of these guys could be head coaches at other places. We have great feeder programs, a supportive administration and loyal communities.”
A graduate of Monticello and Illinois Wesleyan, Zvonar preferred not to debate which state championship team was better. East also won in 2005. He did acknowledge how much the game has changed.
“The physical development and the speed is pretty incredible,” he said. “But there are resources today that weren’t available 12 years ago. I think our team speed and athleticism hit its peak this year.”
The most glaring difference for Zvonar between the two state championship teams? In 2005, Zvonar and his wife Kristin didn’t have any children.
Now they’re the parents of three sons: 11-year-old twins Tyson and Trey, and 9-year-old Colton.
Sharing this journey with them made it that much sweeter.
“They were ball boys for us, along with a few other kids,” Zvonar said. “It was really special having them on Friday nights and sharing this with them.”
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