Things were looking pretty bleak for Conant in late September after the defending Mid-Suburban West champion had stumbled to a 1-3 start.
“It was gut-check time because we were running out of second chances,” Conant coach Dave Pendergast said. “If this kept up, we’d be calling it a season after nine games.”
The Cougars’ coaching staff redesigned the practice format in hopes of increasing the players’ focus. A concussion sustained by fullback-linebacker Tyler Sellergren forced wingback Leon Wiggins to fullback and receiver Evan Shy to wingback.
Conant went on to thrash rival Hoffman Estates 42-0 in the MSL West opener and brings a seven-game winning streak to Lincolnshire for its Class 8A quarterfinal showdown Friday night against Stevenson (9-2).
“After going to the quarterfinals last year [a loss to Naperville Central], our kids felt things would just fall into place again,” Pendergast said. “But we don’t have a lot of Division I [prospects] around here. We have to go out and battle in every game.”
Recognizing the abundance of talent at running back, the Cougars converted to a wing-T offense last year. This season, juniors Wiggins and Shy and sophomore Tyler Rice have combined to rush for 2,005 yards and score 28 touchdowns. Opening the holes are 6-foot, 290-pound Stu Schmidt and linemate Bill Gruzynski (6-3, 255).
“All three have game-breaking speed, and the beauty of it is the difficulty defenses have of knowing who to stop,” Pendergast said. “And when teams play us real tight with 10 men in the [tackle] box, our quarterback, Scott Blecha, has been throwing well in recent games.”
In Conant’s playoff-opening victory over Maine South, Blecha hit Shy with a 75-yard touchdown pass, and Blecha passed for 122 yards in last week’s victory over Barrington.
That was Pendergast’s 100th victory in 16 years as head coach.
“I’ve been blessed with continuity among the coaching staff,” Pendergast said. “Defensive coordinator Bill Modelski has been with me all 16 years.”
Modelski’s unit is led by defensive back Kevin Koski and linebacker Sean Carr.
“Koski has five interceptions in nine games and is great in pass coverage with his quick break to the ball,” Pendergast said. “Because of that speed, he is critical to our run defense because he can chase down running backs.”
