Green Wave, Eagles set for showdown

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St. Edward will try to take the next step in the evolution of its football program tonight against Aurora Christian at Greg True Field.

The Green Wave can clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2003 and reach the six-win mark for the first time since 1992 with a victory. As if that's not enough, tonight's game will also go a long way toward deciding the Suburban Christian Conference Gold Division champion.

That certainly makes this one of the biggest games in recent memory for a St. Edward program that combined for seven wins the past five seasons. But count Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe among the group not surprised by the Wave's success under fifth-year coach Mike Rolando.

"When Mike got there we noticed a big difference in the kids' attitudes right away," Beebe said. "I told my brother, who is our defensive coordinator, 'That guy is going to turn that program around.' Here we are a few years later and they are vying for a conference championship.

"They were the doormat of that conference for years, and it just shows you the importance of the coach."

Beebe has enjoyed his own run of success, leading the Eagles the past five seasons. Aurora Christian is 29-4 the past three years and lost in the Class 4A state championship game in 2008. A win tonight will make the Eagles playoff eligible for the eighth straight season.

At 3-0 in the SCC Gold, Aurora Christian can also claim at least a share of the of the conference title with a win. The Eagles are coming off a 26-20 overtime victory against Immaculate Conception last week in which junior running back John McGee totaled 272 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns.

Junior Sheldon McGee, John's brother, is also a dangerous playmaker. Adding to the ground attack is the return of senior running back Donald Patterson, who has been sidelined since Week 1 with a high ankle sprain.

"(AC) was always known as a passing team, but they've proved they can run the ball on some of the best," Rolando said. "They have a lot of speed with the McGee brothers. A team with speed can obviously hurt you at any time."

St. Edward also has a plethora of offensive weapons, which is a big reason why the Wave leads the area averaging 41.3 points per game.

Junior quarterback Ben Lehman is the top passer in the area with 903 yards and 11 touchdowns. His top targets are junior receiver Sam Pozezinski and senior tight end Zach Von Ahnen, who both rank among the top five in the area with more than 320 receiving yards.

That passing proficiency is set up by a punishing ground attack led by seniors David Hoebbel and Jordan Torres. Those players are both in the top four among area rushing and scoring leaders, which comes as no surprise considering St. Edward averages 8.4 yards per rushing attempt.

"We're not worrying about who gets the carries or who gets the catches or who gets the yards or who gets the touchdowns," Rolando said. "We spread the ball around almost randomly and everybody gets some touches. We may not have the leader in the area, but we're going to have No. 2 and No. 3."

The Wave lost to Aurora Christian in two previous meetings in 2006 and 2007. That was before the teams joined the newly formed SCC, making this their first contest as conference foes.

St. Edward beat Guerin 55-6 last week, improving to 2-1 in the SCC Gold. Despite being only one game behind Aurora Christian in the standings, Rolando knows his team has little room for error if it hopes to accomplish its goal of claiming a league title.

"Every game is a conference championship for us now because nobody is going to win it with (2 losses)," Rolando said. "We have to win this one for sure and (Aurora Christian) has proven themselves to be the top dog so far."