Trojans lack hype, show lots of will

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CHAMPAIGN – The prevailing assumption was that Cary-Grove didn’t stand much of a chance against Providence Catholic on Saturday.

The Celtics had beaten powerhouse schools including Chicago Mount Carmel, Chicago St. Rita, and Joliet Catholic. They were a big team with a stud running back and a defensive lineman who, it was rumored, could bench press a Volkswagen.

But most people never had seen Cary-Grove play. They didn’t realize what the Trojans were capable of with their combination of speed, teamwork and big-play ability.

So naturally, they were surprised when C-G dashed to a 34-17 win to take the IHSA Class 6A football championship – the first football title in school history.

“We knew a lot of people were favoring [Providence] in this because they’d definitely played one of the toughest schedules out of any team in the state,” C-G running back Alex Hembrey said. “We knew people were going to say that they were going to take it to us and we couldn’t handle their size, their speed and everything, so that was motivation to get the job done.”

The Trojans believed in themselves, and their fans believed in them, too. C-G drew the largest crowd of any of the schools that played at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium over two days of state title games.

After the Trojans' first 13 wins, people knew what this team could do. The Trojans had proved it by beating the pants off their competition, week-in and week-out. The 2009 Cary-Grove football team never had met its equal, and it never will.

Trojans linebacker Kyle Leibforth finished with seven tackles and a crucial interception that helped put the game away in the fourth quarter. He said his team never was intimidated.

“[Defensive coordinator Don] Sutherland prepared us amazingly, he always has the best schemes to beat teams, and we used our speed and our hands to get around their blockers and make plays,” said Leibforth, whose brother, Matt, also starts at defensive end. “It was awesome. They were the biggest line, and we just used our hands and our feet and our speed, and we got around them.”

The Trojans were too good to get rattled. They had an answer for everything the Celtics did Saturday.

Whenever it looked as though Providence might gain some momentum, a C-G player stepped up and made a play.

Celtics coach Mark Coglianese said as much after the game.

“Give them credit. They’re as good as we thought,” Coglianese said. “... We never got to that point when we had them on their heels.”

The Trojans were too good to rattle. The Celtics had played some of the biggest powerhouses in the state, but the statistics show they’d never played anyone as good as C-G. The Trojans – led by Hembrey’s 187 rushing yards – gained 414 yards against Providence; their 34 points were more than any other team put up on them all season.

The Trojans played without mistakes. They played together. They played to win, going for it without fear on fourth down. And they played for their hometowns of Cary and Fox River Grove.

It added up to a Class 6A state title for the Trojans. It also made up for the one that got away in 2004, a 13-3 loss to Libertyville in the Class 7A title game that Hembrey and many of his teammates watched from the stands.

“We all came down for the trip and saw the team, all the success they had, and then to fall short," Hembrey said. “We all looked at each other and said when we’re seniors, we want to win state, we’re going to do everything we can, and we all came together as a team and we got the job done.”

• Eric Olson is the Northwest Herald’s sports editor. Reach him at 815-526-4554, or e-mail eolson@nwherald.com.