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player ready...In 2013, the last time Argo made the playoffs, Johnathan Walker was in the stands watching his older brother, Drake, play for the Argonauts.
Now a senior running back/defensive back, Walker is hoping to complete his comeback by leading Argo back to the postseason.
“That was my brother’s senior year in 2013,” Johnathan said. “It’d feel amazing if we can make it my senior year, too. Making a memory and history for Argo would be exciting.”
Argo (5-3) got its key fifth win Friday night with a 32-29 victory over Shepard.
Although some current playoff projections have all five-win teams and potentially even a couple four-win teams making the postseason, the Argonauts could find themselves on the bubble due to low playoff points if they can’t beat Evergreen Park (6-2) on Thursday night.
No matter what happens, it has been a special season for Walker, who has returned after tearing the ACL in his left knee midway through his junior year.
“The fifth game against (Evergreen Park) last year, they hit me in my left knee and it kind of twisted,” Walker said. “I heard it pop. I had to go to the hospital. I got an MRI, and I knew it was bad news.
“It was tough. I shed a few tears. But all I had to do was bounce back, focus on my recovery so I could come back stronger. Now we’re here. We just have to keep rolling.”
Walker has been on a roll, running for 793 yards and eight touchdowns on 131 carries while catching three passes for 53 yards and contributing 18 tackles and three fumble recoveries on defense.
“He’s been our workhorse,” Argo coach Phillip Rossberg said. “He’s averaging a little over 15 carries a game. The kid goes 100 miles an hour every day in practice, every game. You can just watch the passion in him, the fight in him. He plays like he’s 20 pounds bigger than he actually he is.
“Seeing him come back and do what he’s doing, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Walker said he almost gave up on his senior season, but credits teammate Davonte Evans for getting him back.
“At times, I wanted to quit and just watch from the stands,” Walker said. “Davonte is the one who kept me going. I told him, ‘This is stressful. I don’t want to do it.’ He told me ‘Keep pushing. You’re going to get through it.’ My family kept me pushing.
“Without that motivation, I probably would have never been playing. But they helped me out and made me want to come back stronger.”
Evans has scored 18 TDs as a running back, receiver, defensive back and kick returner.
“Jonathan’s my partner, my brother out there,” Evans said. “When he got hurt last year, he had to come back strong.
“Argo, we aren’t known for making the playoffs. This whole team wants to bring that history.”
Honoring Holmes: Coach Michael Holmes will be a saluted with a ceremony at Leo following the Lions’ regular-season finale against Rich Township at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Rita.
Holmes is stepping down after coaching the Lions for 24 seasons over two stints. Holmes led Leo from 1993 to 2000 and then returned in 2007.
A 1976 Leo graduate, Holmes won the Lawless Award for Catholic League MVP in 1975 and played running back at Colorado and Illinois.
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“This journey has never been about recognition — it’s about helping kids,” Holmes said in a news release. “And I’m blessed to have been able to do that at Leo because it’s the greatest investment. I’m proud to be part of it.”
Drive for five: Six area teams are looking for key win No. 5 in Week 9 to become playoff eligible.
Chicago Christian (at Ridgewood), Providence (vs. St. Laurence), Ag Science (vs. Chicago Richards), Hillcrest (at Oak Forest), Marian Catholic (vs. Carmel) and Rich Township (at Leo) are all 4-4.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.