C-G coach Kay set bar high

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Cary-Grove football coach Bruce Kay did something last summer he never had done before.

With former teams, Kay talked about winning games and maximizing their potential as best they could. This team, with so many important components in place, was different.

“It was the first time I talked to them about winning state,” Kay said. “I never came out and said it before. We had experience at quarterback [with Tyler Krebs], and he’s such a competitor. We had a healthy [running back] Alex Hembrey, and we saw this season what he can do. The offensive linemen were developing, they were great-looking high school linemen.”

Kay knew what he was talking about. The Trojans were dominant in every way as they rolled to the IHSA Class 6A state championship with a 34-17 victory Saturday against Providence Catholic.

For his leadership in bringing C-G its first state football title, Kay is the Northwest Herald Football Coach of the Year, selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

Woodstock coach Steve Beard, whose team lost to C-G, 60-6, in Week 3, then won a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title and advanced to the Class 5A playoff semifinals, was given strong consideration.

C-G was ranked among the top Class 6A teams all season and had only one game it won by fewer than 10 points – a 31-28 come-from-behind triumph against McHenry in Week 7.

Kay’s assistants have been with him as a group longer than most area staffs, and his team was loaded with seniors who were strong leaders. But it was still Kay, the former C-G quarterback, who brought it all together.

“He’s a guy who always believes in his players,” Krebs said. “The coaches guided us. [Kay] has a humble nature, but without him and the other coaches, we wouldn’t be able to do it. Every player appreciates the time they put in.”

To a man, C-G players frequently spoke about how well prepared they felt they were for everything their opponents threw at them.

“Running the option and the [3-3-5] defense we use are complex,” Hembrey said. “That takes a lot of work. Every single day they do something for us.”

The Trojans were at their best in the playoffs, where Highland Park gave them their closest game, 42-28, in the second round, before the final. In the championship game, Providence had grabbed some momentum in the third quarter with a 17-14 lead when Kay made a pivotal call.

Facing fourth-and-1 from the C-G 36-yard line – it was really about one foot to go – Kay decided to go for it. Hembrey turned the corner on Steve Hapanovich’s block and took it all the way for a 64-yard touchdown.

C-G intercepted passes on Providence’s next three series, and Hembrey scored two more times to seal the game.

“The difference between a gutsy call and a stupid call is great players,” Kay said.

Kay made several decisions that worked this season. He played Chad McCarron at split end most of the season but moved McCarron, a defensive back last year, over to defense in the playoffs. C-G, as usual, platooned most of its players but used Matt Leibforth and Rich Kersten, its offensive tackles, in a rotation at defensive end. Hembrey even played some defense in the playoffs, adding speed to the defensive backfield.

“The key is knowing your leaders and knowing your team,” Kay said. “What guys can perform at what positions. What can we do to maximize a person’s ability. To know what everyone can do.”

Hembrey said a great deal of the coaching was done in the offseason.

“We were taught by the kids on past teams and the coaches,” Hembrey said. “We worked harder than ever and it really showed.”