Simeon’s season ended Saturday night at Gately Stadium with a 17-14 loss to Lake Zurich in the IHSA class 7A state quarterfinals.
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The loss ended the Wolverines’ quest to become the first Chicago Public League team to compete for a state title since Robeson in 1982. Simeon (10-1) was favored to win against Lake Zurich (11-1), but the Bears’ conservative game plan and the rough weather combined to neutralize the Wolverine’s potent offense.
Simeon scored 55 points in their last contest, a second-round playoff win at Schaumburg, and they expected to keep the scoreboard humming again in the quarterfinals. But scoring a bunch of points was nearly impossible as the wind gusted and swirled to over 30 mph on the football field, effectively grounding the Wolverine air attack.
“We couldn’t do what we usually do, we had to tone it down when we were going into the wind,” said head coach Dante Culbreath.
Culbreath’s theory is supported by the fact that Simeon’s two touchdowns came when they had the wind at their backs in the fourth quarter. The first TD was a 30-yard strike from quarterback Robert Gregory to wide receiver Darius Scott. The second score was a 30-yard connection between the same duo.
“When Bobby (Robert Gregory) threw the ball he couldn’t zip it in like he usually does,” said wide receiver Demarius Reed, who set up the two scores with key receptions. “When he threw it into the wind it kind of fluttered.”
But it wasn’t just the wind that held Simeon in check. The Lake Zurich defense also played well against the run, and their ball-control run offense (they only attempted two passes the entire contest) kept the Wolverines off the field, limiting them to just six offensive possessions.
“The game was over way too fast, it was like a blur,” Culbreath said. “They milked the clock and they executed their game plan really well.”
The agony of losing such an important game after such a successful season can’t be ignored. But coach Culbreath was a Wolverine player himself, and utilizing his experience, he was able to put the loss into perspective for his team.
“It was a good year and the Simeon football program is back to where it once was,” he told his team. “This is the first time we made it to the quarterfinals since 1992, and you should also be proud of leading the state in scoring.”
The future is also looking good for several Wolverine seniors who have excellent chances of receiving athletic scholarships to Division1 football programs, including Reed, who has over 10 offers himself.
“It was a good season,” Reed said. “I learned a lot about myself, our team, and the tradition of Simeon from our coaches. And I learned a lot about the city.”
“It was crazy how when everybody saw the potential of us going down and winning state we got everybody’s support, from the Morgan Park fans to the Hubbard fans. Everybody came together and wanted to see a Chicago Public League team do well.”
One last thing the Wolverines would have hoped to accomplish this season would have been the chance to compete for a city championship, but they went too far in the state tournament, and the city playoff competition is already set.
The scheduling inadvertently eliminates teams that are playing state playoff games to simultaneously play city playoff games. It hurts, but Culbreath takes it in stride.
“I think people would want to see us play together just one last time – but it just didn’t work out that way,” he said.
Reed also would have liked to defend Simeon’s city championship, and then play in the Prep Bowl.
“I wish we did have a chance to come back to the city and win a championship again, and play in the Prep Bowl,” he said. “We do feel that we were the strongest team in the city, and it kind of hurt when we found out we couldn’t come back and play.”
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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