This is a story about underdogs, hot dogs and relishing the burgeoning excitement of state playoff football.
The biggest surprise in the Class 6A field is No. 27 seed and ultimate underdog Andrew (9-3), which has advanced to Friday night’s semifinal at Lincoln-Way (12-0).
Then there’s the tale of Addison Trail running back/linebacker Taso Nikolaou and the feeding of his offensive and defensive linemen.
Nikolaou’s mother, Kathy, owns a popular hot dog stand in Glendale Heights. After two years of watching the big guys open holes for Taso on offense and strip away blockers for her son on defense, she decided to reward them.
Whenever they wander into the fast-foot joint off Glen Ellyn Road, the hot dogs, burgers and gyros are all on the house.
“We’ve got to beef these guys up for the big games,” Taso Nikolaou said with a laugh. “They don’t take advantage of my mom’s offer, but they come by about once a week. That includes my fullback, Travis Zipper, because he blocks so well for me too.”
Addison Trail (11-1) comes in as a slight underdog Saturday to play host to Naperville Central (11-1), which was ranked third in the country until the final game of the regular season.
“They are as good as Palatine,” Nikolaou said, referring to the No. 1 seed the Blazers upset last week. “Watching films, I was very impressed with Naperville Central’s defense.
“But I think they are beatable. Sure, they were third in the country, but they’re still 17- and 18-year-old kids just like us. They’re not superhumans.”
Addison Trail coach Paul Parpet is concerned about Naperville Central’s diversified offense, which can spring breakaway back D.J. Johnson for long runs, pound opponents with 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound fullback Joe Chirumbolo or burn foes with the long-distance connection of quarterback Christian Pearson to receiver Blake Allen.
“Anytime you face a team with all the publicity and hype of a Naperville Central, we probably are the underdogs,” Parpet said. “But it’s hard to tell your kids that. We came into the playoffs as the second-smallest school in 6A, but if we hang in there and don’t make any foolish mistakes, we have the capability to play with anybody.”
With playoff victories over Fremd, Lockport and Palatine, the Blazers are shredding the image of being a two-man team.
“Everyone kept thinking all we have are (Michigan recruit) Dan Rumishek and (Stanford recruit) Brian Taylor,” said Nikolaou, who has rushed for 1,120 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading the defense in tackles. “There is so much more to our team.
“Our linemen are outstanding, and our defensive secondary is second to none. I’d put them up against any receiver. We even did a good job against Palatine’s Yaacov Yisrael. Our overall talent comes as a shock to a lot of people.”
Andrew coach Mike O’Neill isn’t surprised at his team’s postseason run, even though his Thunderbolts lost their last two regular-season games.
“I expected us to beat (sixth seed) Waubonsie Valley and (11th seed) York,” O’Neill said. “Coaches out that way told me we were the better team. Fans and the media see things one way, we coaches see things another way.
“Even beating (third seed) Evanston last week wasn’t an upset to me. Certainly, the bad weather helped us. But again, coaches I talked to who had seen Evanston said we had the advantage in certain areas.
“Remember, we come from perhaps the toughest conference in the state this year. Six of the eight teams in the SICA Gray finished with a winning record.”
So what does O’Neill’s coaching network say about Friday night?
“Oh, we’re definitely the underdog,” he said. “Lincoln-Way has improved greatly from the last time we played them, especially on defense.”
In the second game of the season, Andrew lost to Lincoln-Way 33-32 in overtime in Tinley Park. Homewood-Flossmoor hung tough before losing in the season opener 37-24. Last week, Lincoln-Way pounded H-F 48-21.
“They will be out to prove that the first game against us was a fluke for being so close,” O’Neill said. “They want to put all that to rest.”
