Fall, Football & Fun

by Mark Loehrke

With all due respect to Monday through Thursday—fine, sturdy weekday citizens that they are—autumn revolves around the other three days of the week, and for one very simple reason: Football. After all, baseball may have its warm, sun-drenched summer afternoons, hockey its winter charm on a frozen pond and golf its spirit of spring renewal, but no other sport more perfectly connects with its natural season quite like football in the crisp, cool air of fall.

From the top-flight high school action to the explosion of youth programs to an unassuming hometown collegiate powerhouse, Naperville becomes a pigskin paradise from the time the sun goes down on Friday evening through the Sunday afternoon hours. Here's how you can score your share of the action in a typical weekend this fall:

Friday Night's Brightest Lights
One of the pleasures of being a high school football fan in Naperville is the sheer embarrassment of talent that rolls out every Friday night. Just grab your foam finger and a seat in the bleachers and you'll have a pretty good chance of seeing a few future college or pro players do their prep work before they hit it big. So which of the area's stars have the chance to go supernova this season and beyond? We checked with the guys who would know best.

North
Coach Larry McKeon is confident that both WR James O'Shaughnessey and LB Nick Lifka will be impact players for the Huskies this season as they continue to draw interest from college recruiters. "James is a starter on the basketball team and has great leaping ability and runs great routes," McKeon says. Lifka, meanwhile, is only the second junior ever chosen to be a captain at North. "Nick works very hard on the field and in the weight room and is one of the strongest players on the team."

Neuqua Valley
The Wildcats will look to QB Joey Ippolito to lead them both on the field and in the locker room. Coach Bryan Wells thinks the athletic senior is one of the fastest and most explosive players on the team. "We're excited to have the ball in his hands for every snap," he says. Wells also has high praise for Christian Ebel, who he expects to help out at multiple defensive positions. "At nose guard, he's capable of being one of our top five linemen ever," Wells says. "To mention him with some of the greats we've had here is pretty special."

Central
Versatility seems to be a common trait for Coach Mike Stine's two offensive all-stars—both TE Cam Brate and QB Nick Linne are three-sport athletes for the Redhawks. Linne's name, it turns out, tends to come up often among opposing coaches as well. "He's one of the best in the area," Stine says. On the other side of the ball, Stine believes DL Alex Schaefer will make his mark in the DuPage Valley conference before the season is out.

Waubonsie Valley
Like any good coach, Paul Murphy preaches a team-first philosophy, which is why he's reluctant to single out any specific players for mention. "To name only one player would be an insult to the others and contrary to our team approach," he says. However, among the half-dozen he grudgingly singles out when pressed, WR Scott Kuehn and DE Rickey Simpson seem to have attracted the attention of both college recruiters and opposing coaches.


Pint-sized Projects
So just where do all those promising young stars come from? Spend a fall Saturday driving from park to park and you'll quickly realize that growing up, most of Naperville's current high school players likely spent far more weekend mornings under the helmet than in front of the TV. Youth football is such a popular pastime, in fact, that the city is home to three thriving programs for the elementary school set, complete with uniforms, referees and accompanying cheer squads.

Naperville Patriots
Much like the NFL franchise with which they share a name and logo, the Naperville Patriots is a much-lauded and much-accomplished program. In the last two seasons alone (out of five short years of existence overall), the organization has fielded four American Youth Football national champion or runner-up teams in several divisions.

Field: Benedictine University
Contact: Doug.DiFusco@napervillepatriots.org or 630-624-2718

Naperville Youth Football League
Keeping with the NFL counterpart theme, the NYFL is like the Chicago Cardinals or the Decatur Staleys—a venerable franchise that has been around from the beginning. In the case of NYFL, that means 51 years and thousands of tiny tacklers.

Fields: Knoch Park and Commissioner's Park
Contact: Doug McCabe at president@nyfl.org

St. Raphael Football
In terms of longevity, the NYFL can hear the footsteps of St. Raphael, which has been serving the Naperville community since 1963.

Fields: Parks and schools all over town—check www.straphaelfootball.org/maps
Contact: info@straphaelfootball.org  or 630-527-9244

Root for the Home Team
While many college football fans in Naperville may instinctively think of a road trip to one of the nearby Big Ten burgs if they want to see a game in person on a Saturday afternoon, they may be wasting not only gas money but a great opportunity to see a championship-caliber team without ever leaving town.

In 2008, the North Central College Cardinals completed an undefeated conference season in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) to capture their third consecutive league crown, and head coach John Thorne was named the conference Coach of the Year. It was yet another successful campaign in what has been a remarkable renaissance for the NCAA Division III program over the past decade. Thorne gives at least part of credit for the program's success to the community around it.

"Naperville is a terrific city and the community has always been very supportive," he says. "It's a great feeling to know how much Naperville cares about the entire college."

Indeed, the Cardinals are a true local team to get behind, with six hometown players on the roster, including D3football.com pre-season All-American QB Aaron Fanthorpe, a former North Husky.

"Aaron is a fierce competitor, a terrific leader, and a daredevil who makes things fun for the coaches and his teammates," Thorne says. "We're excited to enjoy one last season with Aaron and the rest of this fantastic senior class."

North Central's remaining 2009 home schedule at 5,500-seat Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium includes:

October 10 at 6 p.m. v. North Park University
October 24 at 2 p.m. v. Wheaton College
November 14 at 1 p.m. v. Elmhurst College