By Reid Hanley
Tribune Staff Writer
August 23, 2000
He doesn't know the names of the anchors on the Weather
Channel, and don't call him a weather geek--he is 6 feet 4
inches and weighs 220 pounds.
But Naperville Central quarterback Owen Daniels has more
than a passing interest in the weather.
Daniels, who helped the Redhawks to the Class 6A state
championship last November, wants to be a meteorologist
when his football days are over. One of the top quarterback
recruits in the country, Daniels likely will attend
Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Miami or Oklahoma. It's no
coincidence all five schools offer a major in meteorology.
"I don't think I want to be on TV," said Daniels, whose
hair he sports a buzz cut might not be television
material. "There are a lot of opportunities. Guys who work
for the National Weather Service give the guys on TV the
forecasts. That's what I want to do if my football career
doesn't work out."
So that's the long-range forecast.
As far as the 2000 football season, with apologies to Bob
Dylan, you don't have to be a weatherman to know which way
the wind blows. The Redhawks, with Daniels back at QB, will
put up a strong defense of their state championship.
Daniels played a big role in Central's title run last
season. He completed 91 of 148 passes for 1,701 yards and
16 touchdowns as Naperville rolled to a 14-0 record.
"I thought he'd be good, but not quite that good," Redhawks
coach Joe Bunge said. "He really had an outstanding year.
He had only one interception and he led us to a state
championship. That's hard for a junior to do. He didn't
surprise some of the coaches on the staff, but he did me."
Daniels did a great job of getting the ball to running back
Ryan Clifford, who has graduated, along with his 2,400
yards and 47 touchdowns. Daniels and wide receiver Kevin
Noel, also a top college recruit, are the keys to this
fall's offense.
"Owen and I are the only returnees on offense," Noel said.
"But we have a lot of good juniors who were undefeated on
the lower levels. I think we can be pretty good. Owen has
great size. He's like a college quarterback. He has all the
tools." Central's defense, led by tackle Joe Alvarez and
linebacker Ryan Amberson, could be the key to the Redhawks'
season. With tough competition in the DuPage Valley
Conference, matching the 1999 season might not be easy.
Daniels remains optimistic.
"I think we have the talent to be better than last year,"
Daniels said. "We have eight starters returning on our
defense. They played real well last year, so we're hoping
for even more improvement this year. I think we're going to
be real hard to score on. We do have a couple of key
returnees on offense Kevin and myself. We've been working
hard all summer to try to get better."
Daniels actually has been working toward that goal since
last November. He's bigger, stronger and faster than he was
a year ago. He's also throwing better after working with
quarterback coach Jim Rexilius Jr.
"I've just tried to get better and be a leader," Daniels
said. "It's nice to be in the spotlight. I think we're
going to pass more than we did a year ago. We're excited.
And I think coach is excited, although he doesn't show it."
Daniels' forecast for the season isn't cloudless. He knows
Naperville North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Glenbard East
and Wheaton North are among those who want to end the
Redhawks' winning streak.
"It's pretty sunny," he predicted of the season. "We'll try
to keep it that way, but there will always be some clouds
and showers along the way.
"But the outlook is good."
Copyright 2000 The Chicago Tribune