Naperville Central coach Joe Bunge isn't a man of many words, at least to reporters, but his teams do the talking as the Redhawks have posted just one losing season in his tenure and are playing for their second consecutive state title.Naperville North vs. Naperville Central

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

  For Joe Bunge, this is just another game. It's no different from the state championship game last season or the season-opening rout of Lockport this year. It's no different from the 249 other high school football contests he's coached during the past 22 years.

Or so he'd have you believe.

Joe Bunge isn't a man of many words, especially when it comes to talking with the media. After his squad narrowly edged New Trier in the second round of the playoffs Saturday, Naperville Central's coach spoke to a throng of interested reporters for less than two minutes.

 That was less than two minutes longer than usual. After most Central victories, Bunge appoints one of his assistants to field questions and bask in the glory of the win.

 It's not that he has a disdain for the press or that he's elusive or anything like that. He just doesn't have a whole lot to say that hasn't been said before.

 So it was no surprise that his take on this weekend's showdown with crosstown rival Naperville North in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs was short and sweet.

  "Our attitude is that it's a big game," Bunge said. "Right now, we're willing to spend the time that's required and make the effort that's needed to move on in the playoffs."

 All the flavor of microwaved chicken.

Coachspeak isn't new to the veteran head coach, who's won 132 games in 15 seasons at Central. As he said himself earlier this year, "I'm not a quote guy."

What he is is a solid football coach, annually molding a new group of individuals into a team united for a common goal.

In high school football, there are formulas. Kids play two, maybe three seasons of varsity football, then move on. The coaching staff is the one constant. And at Central, that constant has been a winning one.

Since Bunge took over the program in fall 1986, the Redhawks have had a losing record only once, in 1988. Now the Redhawks are on a streak in which they've won at least seven games in each of the last nine seasons and advanced to the quarterfinals eight times in that span.

Bunge keeps it simple. When asked about his game plan before the crosstown showdown last season, he answered straight-faced.

"We're gonna run the ball, and we're gonna throw the ball."

All the flavor of overchewed bubble gum.

Listen to one of Bunge's pep talks and it'll surprise you. He says things you've heard before, other things you'd expect to find in the "Air Bud" sequel. Yet, with his authoritative voice — part Jimmy Stewart, part Joey Tribiani — and sanguine approach, you're ready to run through a wall.

"He's not so much one of those coaches that's a yeller or a screamer," Redhawks linebacker Drew Kocsis said. "It's just the way he talks to us. We can look in his eyes and see the confidence he has in us by just looking at him and the way he carries himself. It translates over into our play."

The legendary aura that surrounds Bunge causes him to exude confidence in his players because he believes in himself.

He has a knack for knowing, for understanding opponents' weaknesses and calculating how to exploit them. And for the past 25 games Central has played, that knack has been close to perfect.

His philosophy is more leather helmet than Arena League. But it works. This season, Central's offense is averaging 35 points per game. That mean has dipped only slightly since the quarterback change from Wisconsin-bound Owen Daniels to junior backup Phil Horvath.

There's something to that.

"A lot of people think he runs the ball too much," Kocsis said. "But (the offensive players) have that offensive scheme down. They know what they're doing. They work so hard on getting everything perfect on every play. The blocking has to be perfect. The receiver's routes have to be perfect. Everything has to be perfect."

Just like Central's win-loss record.

Redhawks players thrive in a system that takes the college approach. Hours of film study. Days of repetition in practice. Fundamental execution at game time.

"It's all the coaches," Kocsis said. "Yeah, you get the horses every once in a while. But even when they don't have good teams, we're always above .500, we're always in the playoffs."

So coach, what about the chances of winning a second consecutive state crown?

"To get to that point we have to beat Naperville North," Bunge said. "Really we're just taking it one game at a time."

Oh well. It was worth a try.  

Contact Dan Wiederer at (630) 416-5287 or dan.wiederer@copleypress.com.

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