Joliet Catholic Academy football players huddle for a prayer Nov. 24 at their school. The team had just won its 13th state title in football.

JOLIET— It has been a while since Joliet Catholic Academy fans waited for their state championship football team to arrive on campus with the state championship trophy in hand. The Class 6A team had a bit of a dry spell, considering it won five state titles from 1999-2004. The fans went home during the 2005 and 2006 season without recreating the pandemoniac scene at the school that had been replayed 12 times earlier as JCA won the state title. The celebratory tradition resumed Nov. 24 as the JCA Hilltoppers defeated Lemont High School Indians 49-7.

So when the team arrived 45 minutes late for a scheduled rally, no one complained that the 40-plus pizzas were getting cold or that the line for purchasing state championship T-shirts had grown too long.

Ringing cow bells, the crowd erupted in a roar as the state champs made their way into the gymnasium of the JCA Student Activity Center. Many who accompanied the team were still feeling the chill from the time spent earlier in the day in the bleachers of Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. Fans waved signs of all shapes and sizes, rooting for certain numbers, promoting the trip as a “victory tour” for the Hilltoppers.

“How sweet it is!” exclaimed one of the biggest fans of all—Franciscan Sister Faith Szambelanczyk, JCA president and CEO. The nun’s smile stretched from ear to ear as she addressed the hundreds of fans in the crowd. She expressed her pride for the players, the coaches, the parents and fans. She declared, “God blessed this community. … There are many schools that wish they could come home with one championship; we’ve come home with 13.”

Several dignitaries from the community stepped forward and offered words of praise for all those who have contributed to such a successful legacy, especially the boys that continued it this season. The numerous generations of JCA graduates cheering in the gym brought the point home.

The legacy extends beyond the football field, pointed out Sharp when he stepped up to the microphone and addressed the crowd. He discussed how football is a “microcosm of life” and that his players will be better people as a result of this season.

Sharp shared his coaching philosophy that includes more than a good playbook for the game; it also stresses academics and faith. Team members averaged a grade point average higher than a 4.0, and they participated in a prayer at every game. He said, “One of the greatest joys of my life is coaching these young men—not just because they’re good football players, but because they’re good young men.”

He called attention to one particular player—No. 90—that exemplified his philosophy. Sharp expressed pride in the way his son Danny Sharp handled an injury which prevented him from playing past the third game of the season. He turned to his son, and stated, “No. 90, I’m more proud of you than anything you could do on the football field. Football is football, fellow, but I know you’ve got bigger things.”

Overcoming adversity and thinking about life in a broader context are some lessons the Driscoll Catholic High School Highlanders proved that they understood this season when they brought home the Addison school’s eighth state title in football, said Mike Burzawa, head coach. During a telephone conversation with the Catholic Explorer, he said, “They have hearts of gold.”

Burzawa praised the character the boys showed when assistant head coach Mike Loconsole died Nov. 7. Despite the loss of a coach, who was on staff for 16 years as the school earned its first state championship in 1991 and then seven consecutive titles starting in 2001, the boys exhibited “trust and loyalty,” said Burawa.

The 33-year-old graduate of Driscoll added, “We get our enjoyment as coaches when we put a plan together and they execute it.”