Lemont continues to climb

Lemont quarterback Nick Lawrence hands off to Tyler Burns during the Class 6A semifinals against Antioch. The Indians are perhaps mistakenly viewed as the underdog in today's state final.
(Larry Kane/Special to The Herald News)

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When the Lemont High School football team steps onto the Memorial Stadium turf at the University of Illinois in Champaign today, don't misinterpret what you are seeing.

Even though the Indians reached the Class 6A championship game a year ago, losing to Joliet Catholic Academy 49-7, there still is the tendency to view today's 6A final as a perennial powerhouse, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, against the Johnny-come-lately, Lemont.

But truth be known, a progression has occurred during the tenure of Indians coach Eric Michaelsen, and it is pretty darn impressive. Lemont is no recent wonder.

Michaelsen's first two Indians teams, in 2002 and 2003, both finished 4-5. But the groundwork was being laid then for better things to come.

The first step was to conquer the regular season, thus qualifying for the playoffs. Next, advance in the playoffs until you run into a better team. Then, you want to reach the championship game. And finally, you want to bring home the big trophy.

Over the last five years, Lemont has followed the formula almost to T. Now the Indians are ready to take that final step.

In 2004, Lemont went 8-1 in the regular season and reached the second round of the playoffs, where the Indians fell to Richards 47-0.

The 2005 team also had an 8-1 regular season and advanced to the quarterfinals before suffering a 24-21 defeat at the hands of Rock Island Allemen.

In 2006, the Indians went 7-2 in the regular season, exiting the playoffs with a 24-13 loss to Marian Central in Round 2. That night, Lemont was hampered by the injury bug and was up against a very good opponent.

Last fall, after a 7-2 regular season, the Indians surged to the 6A final before falling to JCA.

And now, after a 9-0 regular season, Lemont has worked its way into a second straight state championship game.

Granted, Sacred Heart-Griffin is tough. Anyone who witnessed the Cyclones' 24-17 semifinal victory over Providence Catholic last week in New Lenox would second that notion. Sacred Heart-Griffin is solid defensively and runs a spread-gun offense that is second to none.

But what has been happening at Lemont, under Michaelsen's direction the last five years, is a buildup to where the Indians' program is equipped to compete against -- or dare we say beat? -- the best.

In my scenario, I might have skipped one important step in the process. I have Lemont making the leap to winning the championship game the year after being defeated soundly in its first state final. Some say you need to prove you can go toe-to-toe against the best, on the state stage, before you are ready to be No. 1.

But this Lemont team plays together so well, in all aspects of the game, that you truly can say the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That may make the difference today.

e-mail: dgoss@scn1.com

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