Head Coach Zac Sadek Leads the Bengals to their First Conference Championship in Over a Decade
In the south suburbs of Chicago, a small town echoes screams of excitement on Friday nights. From my childhood room, I could look out my window and see the Oak Forest High School Football Field lights on every Friday night. I’d hear the band playing, the roar of the crowd, and the joy of winning or the stillness of losing.
I have never heard Oak Forest louder than on Friday, October 24th. Oak Forest defeated rival Lemont High School to capture their first conference championship with Head Coach Zac Sadek. I was able to do an exclusive interview with Coach Sadek, and this is what he had to say about the conference championship…
“This team is setting a standard for what a student-athlete at Oak Forest should look like both on the field and in the classroom. Wins on the field are just a result of adhering to that standard.”
His response showed me he was leading men, not just football players. In his first year as head coach at Oak Forest, he was already growing a program; a system, and it was founded on simplicity.
The root of Oak Forest’s success this year has been an ideal vision of a do-your-job mentality. Every player, every coach has bought into it. It shows. Coach Sadek talked about relationships a lot in my interview with him. His relationship with his coaches, his players, and even the community. Sadek lives in Oak Forest, he has kids that will go to OFHS. His goal for his tenure as a coach? To build relationships. “Like most coaches I try to prioritize building relationships. In any organization, people who feel respected and heard tend to work harder and it is easier to communicate any issues.”
I spoke with senior defensive back Bryce Hoffman who told me…
“I have a good relationship with Coach. I’ve learned a ton from him and continue to every day during practice. He makes the game fun and it’s been a good year. I feel I’ve grown as an individual from the time (Coach Sadek) got here.”
The Oak Forest football team this year was led by the seniors. Hoffman, Chris Jensen, Niko Aldarondo, and Devin Booth led the defense as senior All-Conference players and Booth was an honorable mention. Senior Ryan King also had an interception in the game against Lemont. The quarterback and conference player of the year, Danny Chopp, had arguably the best season ever by an OFHS QB, and he showed why in the game against Lemont. Chopp completed 6/8 passes for 123 yards, and added 54 yards rushing and a TD on the ground. Seniors Niko Leflore, Kevin Sullivan, and Andrew Dawson earned All-Conference honors. While the line was led by a few players, most noticeably George Skirha… who most Oak Forest fans said “was snubbed” of All Conference honors, instead was named an honorable mention. Junior Louie Staszak and Senior Joe Farrell were All Conference linemen who helped the Oak Forest rushing attack take a major step forward this season. Junior running back Will McMaster rushed the ball 26 times for 175 yards and two TDs. In total 5 players rushed for 306 yards and 4 touchdowns. I asked what it was like having a player like McMaster in the backfield and Sadek told me…
“Will came on late in the summer, and after the first week, we knew he could be a difference maker. He is smart, gritty, is a tireless worker, and is quick to hit the hole. Defenses are forced to work inside out because of his presence and ability, which opens up opportunities for the other players on our offense.”
For me, watching Will McMaster made me reminisce on when Tevin Coleman, former NFL running back, played at Oak Forest High School. McMaster can change the outcome of the game with a single rush, just like Coleman did.
This season wasn’t easy though. The defense was tough at times, the offense fizzled against Hillcrest the week before playing Lemont. Coach Sadek told me…
“This team, particularly the seniors, faced a lot of adversity coming into the season. It is a testament to the work the players put in when no one was watching that really made the difference.”
This team has been building confidence in each other for years. They’ve gone through hard times together, they’ve faced rock bottom together, but now… they’ve faced greatness together. It wasn’t just this team either, Coach Sadek said it best, “The coaches that helped in building this program, some of which are still with the team, set the most important foundation for success,” and “(this success) has been building for years.”
I’ve truly admired Coach Sadek’s approach all season long. He has let his coordinators lead the offense and defense, and he’s led when he needed to. He didn’t go out of his way to impede on other coaches or overwhelm players. He was well balanced, methodical in his coaching. I asked him how he and his coaches approached schemes and different methodologies, and he told me:
“I think it is important our coaches are allowed to coach the style that fits their personality. We have an array of personalities on our staff, as every program does, and I think our kids benefit from watching grown adults who have different approaches to achieving the same goal work together and collaborate to accomplish that goal.”
What’s next for the conference champions? A game against Champaign Centennial on Saturday, November 1st, at Oak Forest High School, and a run at a state championship. I asked Coach Sadek about what Oak Forest has to do to win the championship,
“The same thing we have preached since June. If you can stay in the moment, commit to the practice or task of the day, game days work themselves out. If you stay committed to the process, you give yourself an opportunity to accomplish your goals.”
