Oct. 08--Tinley Park senior middle linebacker Eric Schultz prefers to not dwell on the trend.
Senior wide receiver Maurice Robinson occasionally mentions it for motivation, even reminding his teammates on the sidelines late in a 47-12 loss at Lemont in Week 5.
The Titans' senior class knows nothing other than a 5-4 record. That's the mark the varsity team finished with last year, as did Tinley Park's sophomore team in 2013 and the freshmen of 2012.
"I expect our record to be a lot better than 5-4 this year," Schultz said. "It's not really in my thought process."
Robinson said the senior-laden Titans are inspired to shed the 5-4 stigma. Thirty of the 48 players are seniors, including all 11 starters on defense and eight on offense.
The Titans already own five wins this season with three to play, so they should break their barrier. Tinley Park (5-1) hosts Oak Forest (6-0) on Friday, then finishes the regular season against Bremen (1-5) and T.F. South (3-3).
"Everybody thinks we're going to finish 5-4 again in Tinley Park for 2015," Robinson said. "We're here to show everybody we can play with the big dogs. We can go 8-1 or 7-2."
Coach Nick Johnston said the Titans have been tap-dancing for too long, even on the varsity level, with a .500 record. The Titans have won more than five games three times -- 2011 (8-3), 2010 (7-4) and 2000 (9-1) -- in the past 16 seasons.
"We've been so up and down, and seem to stick near the five-win mark a lot," said Johnston, who is 54-66 in his 13th season at Tinley Park. "We're right there again, real close to having a special season. If we want to be a good team, we have to beat a good team. We have the talent to take that next step."
If they do so, Schultz will be a big reason. The wrestling standout with offers from Virginia and Oklahoma owns the Titans' season record for tackles and is approaching the career mark. Both records were set by Schultz's father, Eric Sr., a star on Tinley Park's 1986 Class 4A championship team.
On Wednesdays, Tinley Park's first-team offense scrimmages against its first-team defense. Schultz, who also plays fullback and tight end, often gets so competitive in those sessions that Johnston has to calm him down.
"I'll say, 'Eric, you also play offense. You have to relax. You're playing your own guys and you don't want to hurt them.'
"He'll remind me that defense wins games."
The Titans have scored 42.7 points per game with a spread offense led by first-year starting senior quarterback Dan McCullough. Senior Lamont Brooks, a transfer from Rich South, has rushed for 854 yards on 93 carries. Robinson, a three-year starter, and Garrett Maas create matchup problems at receiver.
Led by Schultz, who has a team-high 68 tackles, the defense has allowed 13.5 points per game.
"We're definitely ready for the playoffs," Robinson said. "We're trying to get over this hump, and we feel it would be a major accomplishment for the seniors and our program."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
