By Dan Wiederer
Posted on October 25, 2000
Fremd's highest-profile win came against Hoffman Estates, which finished the season out of playoff contention at 5-4 and was the only team with a winning record the Vikings beat. Fremd also lost 51-29 to a Palatine squad that wrapped up a 3-6 season. Moline (6-3) at Naperville North (8-1)When: 7 p.m. Friday The lowdown: The Maroons recovered from a 1-3 start to finish with five consecutive wins and their sixth straight playoff berth. After recording a 38-14 win against Belleville East in the season opener. Moline fell to Dunbar, Pekin and Rock Island before recovering against conference doormat Quincy. The Maroons were helped by a soft second-half schedule but did score a win against rival East Moline United, who made the playoff field at 7-2. DuQuoin (6-3) vs. St. Francis (8-1)When: 1 p.m Saturday Where: Wheaton North High School The lowdown: Like St. Francis, the Indians finished in a three-way tie in their conference, the Southern Illinois River-to-River Mississippi. DuQuoin tied Chester and Anna-Jonesboro at the top spot and also beat teams with fairly good records, including Highland (7-2), Anna-Jonesboro (7-2) and Nashville (6-3). A one-point loss to Chester kept DuQuoin from winning the conference title outright.
Naperville Central
For Naperville Central, the quest to repeat as Class 6A state champions begins Friday when the Redhawks play host to Fremd in the first round of the playoffs. Central finished the regular season undefeated for the second consecutive season with a 28-20 win over Glenbard East last week.
This week's matchup with the Vikings should serve as a warm-up for a postseason run that will get progressively harder.
Fremd, which finished the regular season with a three game-winning streak to improve to 6-3, bought its ticket into the playoffs by virtue of a coin flip. The Vikings, who were tied for the final spot in the 32-team playoff field with Hinsdale Central and Prospect, won the final tiebreaker when officials executed a coin flip at Illinois High School Association headquarters.
"We found out through the Internet just like everybody else," said Fremd offensive coordinator Steve Patton. "We knew it was going to come down to that. You hold your breath and wait and see."
The Vikings employ a run-oriented offense led by tailback Brian Duncan. Defensive end Brian Zaworski and linebacker Steve Crowl face the difficult task of stopping the Redhawks' efficient attack.
"They have a multitude of talented players," Patton said of Central. "Watching them on film, you can see they're very well coached. This will be quite a task."
Naperville Central, which opened the season with six consecutive shutouts, suddenly doesn't look as invincible as it once had. In the regular season's final three games, the Redhawks allowed 64 points and had to come from behind twice to win.
To make matters worse, Central lost starting linebacker Luke Summers for the season after a back injury sidelined him in Friday's finale. The Redhawks defense, which lost star linebacker Ryan Amberson to a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago, is suddenly scrambling to fill holes.
Central will be a considerable favorite this week. But the Redhawks have some tough foes standing in their way on the road to Champaign. In the second round, Central will face either New Trier, which won the Central Suburban League South with an upset of Maine South on Saturday, or Loyola, which finished the regular season at 7-2 by knocking off Catholic League power Providence.
Other intriguing matchups include a possible quarterfinal rematch with Naperville North and a potential semifinal showdown with upstart Glenbard North.
Right now, though, the focus is on Fremd. The Vikings hope to use Friday's game as a benchmark for their program. "This is a nice challenge for our kids," Patton said. "It's an opportunity for our program to play one of, if not the top program in the state. This will show our kids what one of the best programs in the state is doing and how we can try to elevate to get to their level."
Last year, Naperville North saw its football season end in the most heartbreaking of ways. The Huskies, who scored an apparent game-winning touchdown in the final minute of their first-round playoff matchup with Downers Grove North, were stunned moments later when the Trojans capped a game-winning drive on a 27-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds to play.
"We remember Downers North," Naperville North coach Larry McKeon said. "It's sticking in a lot of our seniors' minds about losing that game last year, and they're not going to want to lose the opener this year."
North opens the 2000 postseason Friday night at home against Moline. The Maroons, who finished the season 6-3, placed second in the Western Big 6 Conference. With an option offense led by versatile quarterback Jay Molina, the Maroons will attack North from several angles.
Defensively, a huge front line, led by junior tackles Andy Bundy and Wayne Desmet, will make running a challenge for the Huskies' usually potent ground offense. That makes senior quarterback Jay McCareins' arm accuracy just as important as his fleet feet Friday.
"We'll have to balance our offense, which I think we normally do," McKeon said. "We try to throw 15-20 times per game, and I think we can attack their defense with the pass a little better than we have the last couple games."
North's backfield is beginning to return to form after being shaken by injuries throughout the regular season. Senior Kevin Hahn, who returned from an ankle injury two weeks ago, capped his regular season in style, rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns in Friday's defeat of West Aurora.
Fellow senior Bill Jurjovec, who is recovering from a broken leg, might be available for Friday's playoff opener. But if Jurjovec can go at all, it will be in a very limited role.
"He got tested by the doctor last Friday, who basically left it up to our trainer's discretion," McKeon said. "He's still a ways away. I'm being very honest when I say if he does play, it'd be a miracle. I think he's another week away before he's physically ready. But he may surprise us by Thursday or Friday."
Moline, which closed the season with a five-game winning streak to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth straight year, suffered a bad break in its season-ending defeat of Ottawa. The Maroons' leading rusher, Larry Turner, broke a bone in his hand and will be unavailable Friday night. That makes things even tougher for Moline and coach Dan McGuire.
"I know about the tradition that not only North but the (DuPage Valley) Conference has," McGuire said. "I'm concerned with their team speed. They're extremely fast all over."
Contact Dan Wiederer at (630) 416-5287 or dan.wiederer@copleypress.com.
10/25/00