Kickoff: 1 p.m. Where: Naperville Central, 440 W. Aurora Ave. Last met: Oct. 13; Central won 31-14. Playoff meetings: 1987 — North 24, Central 6 1992 — North 31, Central 28 1994 — North 21, Central 11 1995 — Central 35, North 12 1997 — Central 16, North 12

Larry McKeon, 154-49 in 18 seasons  

No matter what the odds, Naperville North coach Larry McKeon will have his team fired up. Just like his counterpart on the other side of town, McKeon has a state title and a runner-up finish to his credit with the Huskies taking the 1992 championship and finishing second in 1994.

  Naperville North coach Larry McKeon breaks it down.

   "We've got to prove ourselves again. We've got to take that attitude into the season," McKeon said, nine months following a first-round loss in the 1999 state playoffs to Downers Grove North.

   McKeon processed the significance of the loss, wrapped it up as bait and packaged and delivered it to the Huskies in training camp. They bit — hard. The Huskies have worn their invigorated hearts on their sleeves ever since, almost literally. They made T-shirts before the season started, displaying this year's campaign slogan: Believe. State 2K.

   Twelve weeks later, North's only flaw remains a 31-14 loss in Week 8 to Naperville Central, the defending state champions. Central puts its 25-game winning streak on the line in the Class 6A state quarterfinals against North, placing McKeon on the front line for at least one more battle.

   McKeon's preseason statement reads easy and sounds even simpler, but it remains perfect — prove ourselves again. It's ground-floor material, painfully patient for a team that wants penthouse success. That's where McKeon succeeds as a coach — delivery.

   He has the calming presence of Mel Gibson in "The Patriot," handing out muskets in the form of loaded playbooks to his children, soothing them into battle with bravery and brains.

   "It's probably a lot more fun for the kids than the coaches," McKeon said. "We're trying to prepare the kids for what they're about to go through. I think we sweat more than they do. For the seniors, they know it's their last gasp. They know if they want to play on Monday, they have to win on Saturday."

   Again, the message is simple — North's last gasp. McKeon doesn't need to reinvent the motivational wheel for the Huskies, just make sure they know how to use it.

   "I think you're always looking for originality," McKeon said. "In a game like this, the kids don't need a lot of motivation, and I think Joe (Bunge) will tell you the same thing."

   Baby steps. McKeon took a team that may have felt like crawling after last year's playoff loss and empowered them each week with compact evaluations, putting them another level closer to the top floor. In Week 3 against Glenbard East, McKeon incited the Huskies to improve.

   "I told the kids we're still about 65 percent of where we're going to be."

   His quote floats at the top of his glass-is-half-full approach. He could have said to his team "We're nowhere near where we need to be," or "We need to pick it up," conveying empty enthusiasm and lifeless hope. Instead, he takes the average words, enthusiasm and hope, and gives them a stage to become something glorious, something inspiring. McKeon dresses enthusiasm with attainable, and hope with tangible.

   After squeaking out a victory against St. Charles East in Week 2, the Huskies displayed more belief than a group of first-graders on Christmas Eve.

   "I don't want to lose any games this season," David Choi said after beating the Saints, just minutes after popping a dislocated jaw into place and finishing the game on the field.

   But North possessed something first-graders don't have when anticipating something glorious — patience. North took it one contest at a time this season and always stuck to its game. McKeon doesn't concern his players with names and numbers of the opponent. He teaches them his game plan and asks them to carry it through to the best of their ability regardless of who it is against.

   In the rematch with Central, the Huskies will certainly look back to their first meeting.

   "I think what we're focusing on is just trying to make sure that the kids have a great idea of what they're going to do," McKeon said. "Since we've played them once before, they remember what Central did. Now we're just refreshing what they saw before and paying attention to the new things Central's doing right now."

   Before their first meeting in Week 8, McKeon broke it down.

   "Everybody's basically moving all the chess pieces right now, and then once the game starts they're going to try to recognize what we're doing and try to make adjustments. And we're going to do the same thing," he said.

   Who will start with the right pieces in place? Who will adjust better, faster? Who will get one step closer to the state title game?

   "Our expectations are high like they are every year," McKeon said. "We have pretty good athletes that can make an impact for our team. We go into every season thinking we can win the state championship." 

Contact Brad Engel at (630) 416-5289 or brad.engel@copleypress.com.  

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