Nov. 06--There seemed to be a "but" for everything South Elgin accomplished during the regular season.
The Storm finished with a program-best 8-1 record, but they lost their toughest game to Batavia and defeated only two playoff teams. They won the Upstate Eight Valley, but only after the "Valleys" -- Metea, Neuqua and Waubonsie -- joined the DuPage Valley Conference. They scored 115 points in their last two games, but that was against cellar dwellers with two combined wins.
Then came their Class 8A first-round playoff game: South Elgin 62, Evanston 10. No buts about it.
"We've recognized that we have something special here," third-year coach Pat Pistorio said. "We really worry about focusing on us regardless of what the media thinks. We're going to do our thing in terms of preparing the right way."
Preparation has been key for South Elgin (9-1) all season, and the Storm attributed their walloping of the Wildkits to their attention to detail in practice. At Tuesday's practice at Streamwood -- South Elgin's field has no lights, and the grass is in sorry shape -- an assistant coach bellowed, "If you think for a second that just because you got it done last week means it'll happen again, you're wrong!" And that was just during warm-ups.
The No. 20 Storm announced their presence but might have blown their cover before a tough second-round matchup Saturday at Catholic League stalwart Brother Rice. The No. 8 Crusaders (9-1) boast a potent offense and a crafty defensive front four. South Elgin's strength is neither size nor speed but rather its ability to limit mistakes and capitalize on turnovers.
Brother Rice took a 49-0 halftime lead on Bartlett last week before settling in for a 28-point win. The Storm beat Bartlett by eight in Week 4.
Not that anyone in South Elgin is counting.
"They're a good ball club," running back Shawn Griffin said, "but for us it's not who we play. It's how we practice and how we handle ourselves."
South Elgin opened fall camp without much fanfare but knew it could be a special season. The Storm won five games in 2014 but missed the cut for the playoffs. They had only two playoff appearances and only one postseason win in the program's first nine years.
"There wasn't much expectation for us, which I think was actually a good thing," senior quarterback Jake AmRhein said. "Playing almost as an underdog takes the pressure off of us."
As the season progressed, South Elgin got better. AmRhein and sophomore Nate Gomez split reps at quarterback for two games -- including the Batavia loss -- as the offense was consistent but not explosive. Once AmRhein (1,922 passing yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs) got the nod and the offense jelled around him, the Storm looked unstoppable. They topped 60 points three times in October and scored more points against Evanston than in their previous three playoff games combined.
Griffin has run for 1,541 yards and 21 touchdowns, and senior linebacker Justin Nutof (81 tackles, 16 for loss) leads a balanced defense.
"We wanted to make a name for ourselves and show people we're not a mediocre team," Nutof said. "We're a high-caliber team and can get the job done against a lot of good teams out here.
"The next step is making history, going past the second round, and potentially going further than that."
mstainbrook@tribpub.com
