Bogan football coach Bob Jurka fired up a big cigar and smiled contentedly last week after his Bengals had defeated Robeson in the Public League title game.
While many coaches might have been looking ahead nervously to the Bengals’ next opponent, Mt. Carmel in Friday’s Prep Bowl, he was calm.
“After what we’ve been through this season, I just want to enjoy this cigar,” he said.
Bogan (10-3) will be a decided underdog Friday when it meets Mt. Carmel (10-2) in the Prep Bowl at 1 p.m. at Soldier Field.
Then again, the Bengals have been bucking the odds all year.
Bogan started the season with just 12 seniors, the fewest in Jurka’s 18 seasons at the Southwest Side school. Then came the threatened school shutdown.
But by far the biggest hurdle for Bogan this season was the thorny problem of having to practice in the dark. Because of overcrowding, Bogan switched this year to a 10-period school day ending at 4:40 p.m.
onsequently, Jurka often did not get his entire team out on the practice field until after sundown.
Despite the setbacks, Bogan has performed well enough to reach its second Prep Bowl in three years.
Mt. Carmel is coming off a 34-8 victory over Gordon Tech, and will be seeking its 12th Prep Bowl crown in 16 appearances.
The Mt. Carmel-Bogan matchup gives this year’s Prep Bowl an old-time feel.
Unlike most recent years, when the top teams in the Public and Catholic leagues advanced past the second round of the state playoffs, this year’s Prep Bowl arguably can be called a true city championship.
Mt. Carmel won the Catholic League South title this year, while Bogan defeated Public League North champ Whitney Young 21-18 in the city playoffs two weeks ago.
For Jurka, that just means one more obstacle.
“It’s like coach (Ken) Bringe said, it’s too bad we can’t play Mt. Carmel at 5 o’clock at Soldier Field, no lights,” Jurka said. “Then I think we’d really give them a game.”
