When St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said the playoffs began for his team with the start of the Suburban Catholic Conference portion of its schedule back in Week 3, he wasn't joking.
The SCC might not get the respect it deserves around the state on account of the size of its schools, but outside of the DuPage Valley Conference, there may be no other league in Illinois that touts the level of competition that the SCC does.
This is proven year in and year out as several teams from the conference vie for state championships. Driscoll has won seven in a row and might just be on its way to No. 8. Meanwhile, Montini and St. Francis have the look of state title contenders this year.
So it's no surprise that a much improved St. Edward team is going to miss the state playoffs for the fourth straight year. However, after last week's spirited 33-27 loss to unbeaten Montini, the Green Wave players didn't just have to listen to Rolando offering lip service about how far the program has come. That's because Montini coach Chris Andriano stopped by to say a few words.
"(Andriano) just kind of took it upon himself to come over and talk to the guys," Rolando said. "He shared a lot of good thoughts and told the kids that they've arrived and that they are as good as anybody in our conference. He had a lot of nice words, and it's a really classy program over there. That's why they've been able to sustain that dominance that they have through the years."
According to Rolando, that type of respect has been commonplace during this 2008 SCC season.
"Instead of the teams and coaches coming across from the other side at the end of the game with pity in their eyes and feeling bad that they beat you 52-0, we get a different look this year," Rolando said. "It's a look of respect and I think the teams in our conference are proud of the progress we've made, and we're really proud of our kids."
Several St. Edward seniors have been with Rolando every step of the way for the past four years as he's attempted to take the Green Wave from a program in disarray following the abrupt departure of former coach Rich Sanders to the competitive squad it is today. A number of those players also played for Rolando while in junior high, so Rolando knows this week's season finale against Marmion will be an emotional one.
"A lot of these kids I've been coaching for six years, and I don't think there's a quitting bone in their body," Rolando said. "They are going to come out and fight hard. They know this is the end of the long road with me as their coach and for playing with each other after coming up to the varsity team as 14-year-olds. They've accomplished a lot of great things, and they do want to go out with a win."
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