Sophomore quarterback Brady Behringer was looking for something to click for Sandwich.
Early in the third quarter Friday, Behringer connected on a 41-yard pass to junior running back Nate Hill. Slowly but surely, Behringer started to settle into the flow of the game.
“I was just trying to get my confidence up,” said Behringer, whose team would then cut the deficit to a more manageable 28-7. “Get it to my playmakers to make big plays.”
It was Sandwich’s biggest play in a Class 4A state quarterfinal in West Chicago. Behringer capped that drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Brodie Case.
That was all the scoring the Indians could muster in a 42-7 loss to Wheaton Academy, ending an uplifting run after seeing their season suspended in 2022 due to lack of numbers.
For a brief time on this cold night, however, Behringer and Sandwich (8-4) could feel hope again — of being back in a postseason game the Indians only once had in their dreams.
“After that play, it brought the energy up,” Behringer said with a nod. “The defense played better in the second half. It just brought the energy up for the whole team.
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“We knew it could be our last half of the season, so we were just laying it all out and giving all we had.”
Sandwich coach Kris Cassie wasn’t surprised his young quarterback hung in there.
“Brady is a playmaker for us,” Cassie said. “It’s hard to believe he’s only a sophomore. He’s such a good athlete and so intelligent. I’m just so proud of him.”
Behringer’s father, Dusty, was Sandwich’s head coach from 2011 to 2013, making the playoffs all three seasons. He decided to step away to be around his young children.
After four years out of the program, Dusty came back when Cassie took the job.
Behringer came to a sudden realization, though, after the Indians canceled their varsity season last fall before reviving things in the offseason.
“I was like, ‘Brady is going to be the quarterback,'” Dusty said. “I was a little hesitant, but I knew he was around the whole time, always at practice, always at the fields.
“You hear about a ‘coach’s kid.’ That’s what Brady is. After seeing how he performed last year and the offseason work he put in, there was really no hesitation.”
Father and son shared the sideline again Friday night, and Brady confirmed he enjoys having his father on the Sandwich’s coaching staff.
“It’s pretty fun having him as a coach,” Brady said. “I’m able to ask him questions to be the best player I can be.”
Dusty got the best of both worlds. He had the chance to be around his young children more often for four years. Now, he gets to be there as his son quarterbacks the team to the state quarterfinals.
“To have an experience like that, back from the glory days, sharing all of this and living this again 10 years later and having my son be a part of it, it’s been so special,” Dusty said.
The word special was used quite a bit around the Sandwich program this season. The Indians went 0-9 with three forfeits in 2021 before canceling the 2022 season.
But the program went 8-1 at the JV level last season, prompting the resumption of the varsity schedule. As the wins kept piling up, Sandwich’s support swelled.
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“It’s crazy,” Brady said. “Before the game, I told my friend, ‘Look how many people are here.’ More people came as we started to win, and it was pretty cool.”
The remarkable run of his team is not lost on Cassie.
“They’re a resilient bunch,” Cassie said. “They’ve been through a lot. They respond well to adversity. I’m just so proud of them.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.