“This team is special. The kids are special. It’s a special kind of season.” said Brian McDonough
After the quarterfinal playoff game, Coach Sadek told me “So many magazines and newspapers want to label us as a Cinderella story. We aren’t a Cinderella story.” While I can understand why some newspapers and magazines call Oak Forest a Cinderella story, the team meets all the qualifying criteria, I prefer Coach Sadek’s thought process better.
Oak Forest has faced some serious adversity this year. Senior A-back Collin Gentile got injured and Oak Forest began starting a junior A-back, Ethan Copher, who showed great talent and ability, was not the highly touted Gentile. Copher has performed really well in the playoffs this year, and Oak Forest has leaned heavily on juniors Neiko Leflore, Will McMaster, and Copher. Gentile’s older brother Tyler played a year at Northern Illinois before hanging up his cleats, and Collin has every hope of playing at the next level.
“I’m not sure where I’m going yet, but I know I want to play.” said Gentile
Speaking with Andrew Dawson and Chris Jensen, both seniors, I asked them what this playoff run has meant to them… they both said the same thing, “It means everything,” and Jensen added:
“This is from years of us playing ball with our friends, our brothers, and wanting more for Oak Forest. Let’s be honest… Oak Forest has been bad for a long time.”
The truth is… he’s right. Oak Forest hadn’t won a conference title since 2012 before this year, and the last time an Oak Forest team made it to the final 4 at the state playoff was 2007. The 2007 Oak Forest team would go on to lose in the top 4 in a 27-20 game against rival Lemont. They hadn’t made it back to the top 4 until this season, 18 years later. Long time, legendary Bengals Head Coach Brian McDonough, who coached that 2007 team, told me:
“This team is special. The kids are special. It’s a special kind of season.”
I asked Coach McDonough if this team reminded any of his teams and he replied:
“A little bit. These guys are dynamic. Chopp throws well, runs well. McMaster is special, and the defense is great.” High praise from a legendary coach.
Oak Forest’s offense is led by 3-year starter and senior quarterback Danny Chopp who earlier was named to the All-State team. Only the 3rd All-State Quarterback for Oak Forest selection since IHSA started tracking selections in 1994, and the first since 2009 when Jon Wolf was selected. Juniors Will McMaster, Neiko Leflore, and Ethan Copher have been great alongside the veterans Dawson and Chopp.
The defense, led by seniors Dawson, Chris Jensen, Devin Booth, Niko Aldorondo, and Kevin Sullivan, has shown great strides forward in the playoffs, and have been really strong against the rushing game.
What makes this season so special are the players. This team is built of guys who have played their whole lives together, who have fought through adversity, fought through years of watching Oak Forest lose, and building a winning program together. When I say together, I mean it. Every Bengal that I’ve interviewed has talked about the same thing… “the team.” They never talk about individual glory, it’s always returned back to “team glory,” something preached at the collegiate level by Marcus Freeman.
This season started off differently than most, as there was uncertainty of who would be coaching the Bengals, another part of the adversity that this team faced. Head Coach Sadek was named the head coach only a few weeks before summer camp started. All of the players have praised this coaching staff, and Bryce Hoffman told me:
“Coach Sadek has helped me grow tremendously on and off the field since he’s gotten here.”
Navigating new coaches can be hard for anyone, but extremely hard for a group of high schoolers who were trying to build a winning program together. Coach Sadek and the assistant coaches saw the same vision, a winning vision, and they’re running with it.
Just to clarify, this is the new standard for Oak Forest, the coaches and players believe it, and the city believes in them. This isn’t a Cinderella story, as Coach Sadek said:
“It’s years in the making building this program”, and I’m excited to watch them move forward.”
Comment your thoughts on the Bengal’s playoff run, or your favorite Cinderella run in sports! Thanks for reading Behind the Coaching.
📷 Thumbnail Credit: Ian M. Ryan
My favorite Cinderella run was Loyola in the NCAA basketball tourney. That was electric!!