Nov. 25--Sitting in room 231 at Phillips Academy on Monday, four team leaders -- seniors Quayvon Skanes, Donald Gardner, Amir Watts and junior Chris Elmore -- were reflecting.
They considered the 24 wins in the Wildcats' last 25 games, their already sizable footprint in Public League lore, everything learned from losing last year's state title, their defensive dominance, and the elated calm felt campus-wide before Friday's Class 4A state final against unbeaten Belleville Althoff.
But then the conversation shifted to the violence in the city, their city, and the ghosts of the Public League -- and its zero football state titles -- rooting for them from across Chicago. It got quieter, more introspective. The group has inspired nothing but positivity since putting itself on the map last year, a beacon of light amid a swirling dark cloud.
"Coming from where we come from, we can make an influence in the city," Watts said. "We don't come from indoors, you know, from the best facilities. The hardships we've been through just shows, with a little dedication and sweat, you can make something worthwhile."
Phillips' tale already has become modern legend. As the story goes, Canadian, red-haired coach Troy McAllister showed up at Phillips five seasons ago, just as the school was designated an Academy for Urban School Leadership turnaround school. Twelve players showed up for his first summer practice. That season, the Wildcats finished 3-6. Since, they've gone 6-3 in 2011, 5-3 in 2012, 8-4 in 2013 and 12-2 last year. This year, Phillips is 13-0.
Before McAllister arrived, the last time Phillips made the playoffs was 1985, a first-round exit. Thinking back, the coach and his players distinctly remember their pregame experience last November before taking on Rochester, the four-time defending 4A champion.
"Last year, we showed up in pads to the indoor facility before the game," McAllister said. "We saw Rochester, and they were just chilling, just in their pants, throwing the ball around, having a good time. We're fully dressed and ready to go, and I'm looking around going, 'What do I not know?'"
The group of leaders pointed to a strange combination of nerves and overconfidence. They couldn't act as if they'd been there, because only one other team in CPS history -- Robeson in 1982 -- ever had. The result was a 49-28 drubbing and a "more humble" approach to 2015, according to Elmore.
"Nobody ever expected us to do anything (last season), so when we did that, we got cocky," Elmore said. "We felt like we couldn't lose. Then we didn't go out there and do what we were supposed to do. We've got a better group of leaders this year, our captains, you can see it. We're ready. We're all ready."
Entering the season, McAllister made a definitive yet essential switch. J'bore Gibbs, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore who McAllister calls "the future," opened the 7-on-7 season at quarterback. McAllister didn't like the results early on, and called then-wideout Skanes into his office. "Do you want the ball 5 to 10 times a game, or do you want it 50 or 60?" he asked. Skanes thought for a moment, looked his coach in the eye and said, "50 to 60." Gibbs was put on ice for a year, and Connecticut recruit Skanes took the offensive reins.
Phillips has torn through their 2015 schedule. The Wildcats have trailed only once all year, by seven points to Simeon in Week 3. They've outscored opponents 543-87, beating teams by an average of about 35 points per game. Skanes (460 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 1,317 rushing yards, 32 touchdowns, 3.7 GPA) and junior running back Kamari Mosby (2,246 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns) lead an attack that has compiled a Madden-esque 4,393 rushing yards this season.
Defensively the numbers are equally as eye-popping. Elmore (146 tackles, 22 for loss, 11 sacks) and Watts (128 tackles, 31 for loss, 7 sacks) head a unit that allows 6.69 points per game.
"We could put 60 on the board, but everybody would get so mad if they get one touchdown," Watts said. "I know how mad I get, because you just want that donut so bad. That's what we're fighting for, and I think that's what makes us so good. We fight for zero points."
Belleville Althoff stands between Phillips and their perceived destiny. The seniors -- from state quarterfinals in 2013, to the finals, then back to finals -- are likely the winningest class in Public League history. The final step comes at 7 p.m. Friday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
Back in room 231, cornerback/wide receiver Gardner was thinking. He hadn't said much during the group discussion, but was clearly taking in every word, eyes locked onto whoever was speaking, processing the magnitude of the moment. When the question was posed about what a win would mean to the Public League, both past and present, the moment of silence was broken by his strong, measured thoughts.
"Honestly," he said. "I think it would be just amazing 10 years from now to say we were the first CPS team to win the state championship."
rmayor@tribpub.com
Class 4A state championship
Phillips (13-0) vs. Belleville Althoff (13-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb
2014 final: Rochester 49, Phillips 28
