Football By The Lake

The background and the foreground blend nicely, with the sky a clear chaser. In the background is the lake. A nice, calm oasis. In the foreground, you have the game. High school boys mixing it up with the energy of the young. The sounds all mesh together: grunts, exclamations of exertion, the pounding of helmets and equipment. And, the field. No turf, just old-fashioned dirt and grass that becomes a muddy mess when the rain shows up. High school football in Glen Ellyn. I love it.... I work the football games in the fall at the school I am at, Glenbard West. The work is relatively easy. My job consists of taking care of the officials before and after the game. Getting them paid and schmoozing with them. Also, when a spare locker room needs to be used by the visiting team, I am Johnny-On-The-Spot with my magic keys. The pay is not bad. So, I get to watch a game of football and go home with some extra green in my pocket. Put me in, coach, I will gladly work... There is a love of fall that I have that I have written about recently. The sweet smell of a new school year, and, new dreams and possibilities. My favorite time. Fall also coincides with my love of football. I love the pros, tolerate the college ranks, but, within the last few years I have become a fierce supporter of high school football. Now, it helps that the school I work at has a helluva good football team and program. And, I have a passing friendship with many of the coaches. One coach, Mike Hofland, has become one of my closest friends in the last few years. So, I am cheerfully biased for the school, its players, and, the men that guide the program. You cannot root for any team without a loyalty, I believe.... Many players I know through everyday school. They are good kids. I admire the enthusiasm that comes with playing as an army. When one scores a touchdown, or, amkes a great defensive stop, I pound the air with my fist like any proud parent does from the stands. It is enjoyable seeing students at events like this. I am not the ''Mr. Scoleri'' during the week that they know, but, rather, I am the Jim Scoleri that is joking and talking sports with them. It is a nice trade-off. They see a little of the real me, and, I see the fun them. A little reality to bond with them. It is the most rewarding part of a Saturday football game for me... We play Saturdays when we are home. We do not have lights or artificial turf. I work at an old school, opened in 1923. It is a beautiful looking, historic school. It rests on a hill [ which is why we are called the ''Hilltoppers'' ]. The school presides over a community like a mother hen. A short walk into town will reward the walker with signs and tee-shirts proclaiming strong support for ''West''. There is constant talk in restaurants and businesses about what the team is doing and who is our next opponant will be. The talk is fun, as sports talk should be. There is pride in the community over all of the sports at West. But, football, as it does all over this state, stands out a little more with the passion of the fans... We are good. Very Good. I say that without any ego on my part as a champion of the football team. We are in the second round of the playoffs now, as I write this. We are ranked first in the state for the second week in the row by the Chicago Sun-Times. We have been around the top of the rankings for many a year. That is because the coaches and the players merge as one with the program. These people know what they are doing. For me to explain their success, with my unschooled mind, would be an exercise in the absurd. That is where my place as a fan comes into play. I watch from the sidelines--- literally--- while others do their jobs. The analysis comes from others. I just bring the passion, and the fun of the spectator.... I wish I had gone to more games as a teenager myself when I went to high school. My school, Forest View, at least when I was there, was very poor in football. Our basketball team was good [ which featured a stud scorer and superb player named Tom Scoleri on it ] , but, football was pretty much a joke. My friends and I went, not often, to make an appearance, and, then to find out where everyone was going after the game. It was a pit-stop never to be taken seriously. I regret that lost oppurtunity to bond more with my school. When it shut down a few years after I graduated I didn't bat an eye. Now, I wish it was still going. It would be nice to keep an eye on my alma mater. I believe that is a big reason why I embrace the sports at West so strongly. Familiar faces on the teams, certainly, but, also, I am somehow reconnecting with my long-ago school and the memories of games that never were..... I really do not want to write too much about the playoffs because of the fear I may jinx them. The first rule in any poker game is to never show your cards. I think that applies to sports also. I will say that we all have high hopes of going to state in a few weeks. A couple of years ago, we went all the way to state and played our arch-rivals, Wheaton-Warrenville, in a most exciting showdown. I went downstate in the fan bus and had a great time!  We lost in, I believe, in triple overtime [ on a referee screw-up , if I may be say so ]. It hurt me as a fan, but, I hurt for the players and coaches. They deserved to win. So, we have that goal in mind to go back and finish some unfinished business. Our opposition in the next few weeks would be determined, obviously, on who wins. As for this week, we play Libertyville, at their home. Certainly, it will be tough, but, my heart is with our guys to bring a victory back to Glen Ellyn. And, after that, who knows. The most important part is that the kids are having the time of their lives.... So, as we say at the school, ''GO HILLTOPPERS!!!!!''''