SATURDAY SENTINEL: Watching the kids succeed this time of year is fun
One of the very best aspects of this job is watching a team work hard to achieve something, and then actually go out and achieve it.
Back in the fall sports preseason, as he prepared to enter his sixth season, coach Bert Kooi told me his team had worked hard all summer. Coaches say those things every year, but the players I talked to for season previews also kept talking about the dedication the team had shown in June, July and August.
During the past few weeks, I've seen the results of that hard work up close. The Indians have been smiling a lot, and with good reason. On three straight Friday nights, I watched them clinch a playoff berth with an upset of Oswego, knock off Plainfield Central to earn a share of the Southwest Prairie Conference championship and pummel Edwardsville in their first playoff game in several years.
You could certainly tell that the Indians were happy in the wake of their 34-14 defeat of Oswego on the next-to-last week of the regular season. But they seemed as fired up as they were joyous, having proven the people that doubted their ability to put it together and make a playoff run wrong.
"This is my third year on varsity, and this just shows all the people, who had no faith in what we do, what we're all about," said senior captain Cody Jones afterward.
It wasn't until the next week's 21-13 win at Plainfield that I saw the Indians at their happiest.
Since Kooi took over, the Indians traditionally meet on the field after each game, win or lose. Kooi addresses the team, as does offensive coordinator Frank Yudzentis, defensive coordinator Chris Ferko, another assistant or two and any players that speak up. Aside from stray media members standing outside the circle, the observance is usually only for players and coaches.
After defeating the Wildcats, the Indians immediately left the field and headed for an opening underneath the visiting-team bleachers. There, they went through their usual procession of Kooi and his staff saying a few words, except that this time, it was anything but private. As the first coach or two, a few Minooka fans stood just outside. By the time the final speaker finished, dozens of Indian backers had gathered. Most were wearing broad smiles and eagerly waiting their chance to congratulate the newly-crowned conference champs.
Once the speakers had concluded, I made my way through the crowded area to gather quotes from players I had sought out. Among them was Kenny Smith, who is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound offensive lineman. Smith's face looked more like that of a kid on Christmas morning than a punishing tackle, as he wore an ear-to-ear grin for the entire interview.
"It feels great," said Smith. "Being conference champs is something we really wanted, and we went out and made it happen."
The following week, the Indians really wanted a playoff win. They got one, but this time, there were fewer smiles, fewer hugs and fewer fist-bumps. This time, the Indians expected to win. Sure, they were pleased to have made it happen, but their postgame attitude was much more business-as-usual.
"That's why we play, to see what we can do and try to win," said running back Blake Montella. "We do what we have to do and play our game."
The day that this Sentinel will run, Nov. 7, is another day that the Indians might be expected to come up short. They play a second-round playoff game at East St. Louis, which the Associated Press rated the No. 1 team in the state at the conclusion of the regular season.
I don't know if the Indians can slow down the Flyers. I'm not sure if the area's two other remaining teams, Coal City and Morris, can keep their seasons alive, either. But I do know that if we see more area victories from here on out, we'll also see some happy kids.
