1) You must have a current physical on file in order to tryout or practice. There will be no acceptions. Physicals are good for one calendar year.

2) A participation fee of $100 per sport, $100 per season for cheerleaders (please indicate season on check), and $100 for pompons per season.

3) The Kaneland High School Athletic Department will host a mandatory pre-season meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the east gym beginning at 7 p.m. for fall athletes. One or both parents are required to attend the meeting with their athlete(s) in order to meet Kaneland High School’s eligibility requirements. Parents and students will meet with their fall coaches. The mandatory part of the meeting will be available on the Kaneland website as a podcast that fall parents and students must listen to by Aug. 27.

FOOTBALL— Equipment handed out on Monday, Aug. 9, from 5 to 6 p.m.

Football insurance is available to or parents may sign a waiver and use their own medical insurance.

Practice begins on Wednesday, Aug. 11. All levels will meet in the east gym at 7:30 a.m.

Practice will be from 8 to 10:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. (lower levels—bring your lunch. Practice for varsity is from 8 to 10:30 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Meetings will take place at 2:15 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL—Tryouts are Aug. 11 and 12, all levels 8 to 10:30 a.m. First practice is on Aug. 13, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. in the east gym.

TENNIS—Tryouts begin on Wednesday, Aug. 11, for all levels from 9 to 11 a.m. The location is at the tennis courts behind the high school.

GOLF—The opening meeting will take place on Monday, Aug. 9, at 8 a.m. in Room C114. You will not be playing at this time but will turn in physicals, receive practice schedules and go over team expectations. Tryouts take place on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and Thursday, Aug. 12, at Hughes Creek at 6 a.m.

SOCCER—Tryouts begin on Wednesday, Aug. 11. V/JV/Frosh from 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. at the soccer fields. All players must purchase from the school a spirit pack for $30. Bring cleats, shin guards, water and gym shoes (in case of inclement weather).

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY—Practice begins at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The team will meet in the high school cafeteria. The XC team will also embark on an overnight camping trip on Thursday-Friday, Aug. 12 and 13. Parents with questions can e-mail head coach Chad Clarey at theclarey5@yahoo.com.

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY—Practice begins on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 6:30 a.m., meet in Room C117.

POMS—Mandatory practice begins on Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 8 to 11 a.m. Meet in the high school commons.

CHEERS—Mandatory practice begins on Thursday, Aug. 12, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Meet in the east gym balcony.

Mandatory fall sports meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.

Knights Under The Lights is Thursday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Opening Contests for KHS Fall Athletics

Football—
Friday, Aug. 27, at
Burlington Central,
7:30 p.m.

Volleyball—
Wednesday, Aug. 25, at
Wheaton North Tourney,
TBA

Tennis—
Tuesday, Aug. 24, vs.
Wheaton Academy,
4:30 p.m.

Golf—
Monday, Aug. 16, vs.
Wheaton Academy,
8 a.m.

Soccer—
Tuesday, Aug. 24, at
Marengo,
4:30 p.m.

Boys’ XC—
Tuesday, Aug. 31, vs.
W. Chicago/Wheaton Admy,
4:30 p.m.

Girls’ XC—
Tuesday, Aug. 31, vs.
W. Chicago/Wheaton Admy,
4:30 p.m.

After the Western Sun Conference burned out rather than faded away in four years time, the new Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference comes on the football scene, with the group split into two divisions, East and West.

With the IHSA officially releasing the football schedules on Friday, the Knights fill up the East side with former WSC schools DeKalb, Rochelle, Sycamore and Yorkville, but also see former Little 7 and Suburban Prairie Conference rival Morris added to the mix once again.

Once again, the Knights will face Burlington Central and Huntley for the non-conference part of the schedule, but replacing Batavia, Geneva and Glenbard South will be Dixon and LaSalle-Peru of the NIB12 West and Morris.

The Knights visit Rocket Hill to face Burlington Central on Friday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m., and visit Huntley on Friday, Sept. 3, at 7:15 p.m.

All remaining games have a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Last year, KHS split the first two contests with a win over BC and loss to Huntley.

On Friday, Sept. 10, the Knights have their home opener against the visiting Dukes from Dixon, under coach Tony Agrimonti. Dixon finished 2-7 a year ago.

Friday, Sept. 17, sees Kaneland host LaSalle-Peru High School with coach Joe Sassano. The 5A Cavaliers finished 7-2 in regular season play and lost in first-round playoff action.

Friday, Sept. 24, brings proper divisional action with a trip to Rochelle for the second straight year. In 2009, the Knights blasted the host Hubs 33-12.

Kaneland hosts DeKalb on Friday, Oct. 1, after traveling to the Barbs’ homecoming and coming away with a 35-6 win. Friday, Oct. 8, sees the Knights travel to Yorkville once again and try to capitalize on last year’s regular-season-ending 10-0 win.

On Friday, Oct. 15, Kaneland tries to get revenge on visiting Sycamore for last year’s 40-13 elimination in round one last Halloween. Kaneland did hand the Spartans a 21-14 loss in Sycamore last year in week four.

The regular season ends on Friday, Oct. 22, with the Morris Redskins coming to Maple Park. This will mark the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron since Oct. 18, 2003, when the Knights fell victim to a 62-14 result in Morris.

The Knights, who finished 6-4 overall in 2009, have the schedule on paper in their favor. Their opponents finished a combined 41-48 last year.

Week 1
Northern Illinois Big 12 Opponents
Friday, Aug. 27

EAST
DeKalb at Ottawa
Kaneland at Burlington Central
Oswego at Morris
Corliss at Rochelle
Sycamore at North Lawndale Charter (Lane Stadium, Chicago)
Yorkville at Streator

WEST
East Moline United at Dixon
Geneseo at East Peoria
LaSalle-Peru at Rock Island Alleman (Augustana College)
Sterling at Moline

File Photo

Kaneland High School junior WR/LB Blake Serpa, who had carries and catches galore for the Knights the last two seasons, made a verbal commitment to the Central Michigan University Chippewas on Friday.

Serpa joins 2007 Kaneland High School graduate Boone Thorgeson, who suits up for Northern Illinois University football at safety, in MAC football.

The 6-foot-2 Serpa, resting up some nagging injuries in boys track, is excited to have the major decision on his post-Kaneland future tucked away.

“It came down to the coaching staff,” Serpa said. “They’re a good group of guys. They said they could try me out on both ends, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Serpa visited CMU in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. last week.

“It’s nice to get it out of the way and concentrate on having fun,” Serpa said. “We’ll have to see how I fit into the program once I get there.”

KHS head coach Tom Fedderly thinks the Chippewas get a talented asset for their program.

“He’s a big kid and he’s getting bigger,” Fedderly said. “He’s a good athlete for his size and after watching some tapes, they saw something they liked.”

Serpa also visited fellow MAC school Western Michigan.

“He seems like he’s happy with the decision and he’s got it behind him now and meeting the coach (Dan Enos) went well,” Fedderly said.

The 12-2 Chippewas won the MAC Championship in 2009 and also nabbed a GMAC Bowl win on Jan. 6.

Kaneland, helped by Serpa’s five touchdowns, finished 6-4 in the 2009 football season, ousted with a 40-13 loss to Sycamore on Oct. 31, 2009.

“We have about six or seven guys coming back who are three-year starters, so next year could be pretty special,” Serpa said.

file photo

Fleck comes to Rutgers after three seasons as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Northern Illinois. Fleck also served as the Huskies’ recruiting coordinator last year.

“We are excited to have P.J. join our football family at Rutgers,” said Schiano. “He will fit in well on our staff and we look forward to having him and his family with us at Rutgers.”

A native of Sugar Grove, Ill., Fleck spent the last three seasons tutoring the Huskie wide receivers. Two of his 2008 receivers – Britt Davis and Matt Simon – signed free agent contracts with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, following their collegiate careers.

“I am extremely grateful and super excited for the opportunity Coach Schiano has given me and my family,” said Fleck. “I look forward to joining the Rutgers football family and the entire Scarlet Nation.”

A leader on Northern Illinois’ 2003 10-win team, Fleck began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2006. He worked with the Buckeye tight ends and wide receivers and assisted with the special teams in his one season in Columbus, which culminated in a trip to the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz.

Fleck began his coaching career after two seasons as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. After signing with the 49ers as a free agent in 2004, he spent most of that season on the practice squad before making an appearance versus New England late in the year. He was placed on the injured reserve roster in 2005 before retiring from professional football in June 2006.

Fleck earned first-team All Mid-American Conference honors for Northern Illinois in 2003 while helping NIU to a 7-0 start that included upset victories over Maryland and Alabama. As a senior, he led the Huskies with 77 catches for 1,028 yards and six touchdowns, a reception total that still ranks second on the school’s single-season list.

Fleck still owns the school record for career punt returns (87), is second in punt return yards (716), ranks third in career catches (179) and is fourth in receiving yards (2,162). He was a second-team Academic All-American as a senior and was twice voted team captain by his teammates.

A 2004 graduate of Northern Illinois in elementary education, Fleck is married to the former Tracie Striebel. The couple has one son, Carter Joseph (C.J.).

Fleck and his wife annually host the P.J. Fleck “Live Your Dream” Football Camp that benefits the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation (Friends of Carra), Alapecia Foundation (Locks of Love), Coach Kill’s Cancer Fund and the P.J. Fleck Scholarship Fund.

For girls cross country, Shelby Koester and Lisa Roberson were recognized by the team as captains, while Shaela Collins and Jessica Stouffer won the most improved runners nods. Junior Andie Strang took home the Most Valuable Runner award and was also recognized for her all-Western Sun Conference nomination.

In Knights golf action, the varsity most improved player award was given to Adam Grams, while Most Valuable Player was Hayley Guyton. Rhys Childs took home the frosh/soph MVP, and Dan Miller was named the frosh/soph most improved player. Guyton was also lauded for her second-place finish at the girls’ golf State gathering.

For soccer, Kevin Szatkowski, Marcos Dorado, Joe Garlinsky and Genaro Garcia were recognized as captains, and Alex Dorado and Sam Rymarz were given coach’s awards. Jake Tickle won the most improved player award, while J.P. Minogue was named team MVP thanks to his play in goal. Marcos Dorado, Derek White and Minogue were named to the All-WSC squad, while Dorado was also named the 2009 All-Sectional team.

For the tennis troops, Randi Bader, Lindsay Jurcenko and Kelsey Lenhardt were recogznied as garnering the best individual records this season with 18-7 records. Most Valuable Player awards were dished out to Jurcenko, Olivia Emmanouil and Liz Webb. Bader, Webb, Megan Cline and Mel Mazuc were recognized as captains. Jordyn Withey took home the team spirit award, while Stephanie Rosenwinkel and Jess Woodward nabbed the most improved player honors.

For the State-going boy cross country, Joe Levita, Edgar Valle, Dominic Furco, Matt Reusche and Logan Markuson were recognized as captains.

Trevor Holm and Reusche took the most valuable runner awards, while Levita was named most improved runner. Valle and Markuson were given the Larry Eddington Award for Courage, Leadership and Strength. The Golden Knight award, given to one representative of each grade level, was given to freshman Brad Kigyos, sophomore Jake Ginther, junior Tommy Whittaker and to Furco, a senior.

Reusche and Holm were lauded for their nomination to the all-Western Sun Conference team.

John Meisinger, Ginther, Billy Hart, Nate Rehkopf, Conor Johnson, Holm, Reusche, Levita, Valle, Furco, Markuson, Whittaker and Clayton Brundige were recognized as State qualifiers.

For the playoff-going Knight football team, Brock Dyer, Ryley Bailey, Brett Ketza, Eric Dratnol and Derek Bus were recognized as captains, while Kyle Davidson won the most improved player award. Dratnol was named the Most Valuable Player. Bailey was named the offensive MVP and Taylor Andrews won the defensive MVP award.

Bailey, Joe Camaliere, Andrews, Tyler Callagahan, Dratnol, Ketza, Jimmy Boyle and Blake Serpa were given all-WSC honors, as mentioned in last week’s Elburn Herald.

In volleyball, Jessica Lubic was named the Most Valuable Player, while Katy Dudzinski was given the top offensive player nod. Kylie Siebert won the top defensive player nod. Tara Groen was named best server, and Meredith Ament took home the spirit award. Mackenzie Curran won the most improved player nod, and Lubic and Dudzinski were nominated for the all-Western Sun Conference roster.

Photo: Tennis asset and tri-MVP Lindsay Jurcenko was one of the many KHS athletes noted for exceptional play during the fall season. File Photo

Linemen Brett Ketza and Eric Dratnol, cornerback Taylor Andrews, linebacker Tyler Callaghan and quarterback Joe Camaliere were named to the Class 5A All-Academic All-State team last week.

“That’s what we really strive for,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “To achieve in the classroom and to be leaders on the field is great.”

Not only did those five get recognized for classwork and ability, they also joined lineman Jimmy Boyle, linebacker Blake Serpa and wideout Ryley Bailey for the final version of the All-Western Sun Conference team.

The offensive co-MVP’s of the conference were Glenbard South QB Trace Wanless and Sycamore RB Marckie Hayes.

The defensive co-MVP’s of the conference were Glenbard South DL Austin Teitsma and Geneva DL Frank Boenzi.

No. 3 Glenbard South (9-2) also faired well in 5A, defeating No. 6 Vernon Hills 33-27 in Glen Ellyn. The Raiders will now take to the road to face No. 7 Woodstock Saturday at 7 p.m.

In class 7A, No. 3 Geneva fell to No. 2 Wheaton-Warrenville South 30-16 in Wheaton. The Vikings finish the year 9-2.

Getting revenge for a September contest in which the Kaneland Knights beat the Spartans 21-14, Sycamore ran, ran and ran some more in a 40-13 first-round beating of Kaneland.

The loss on Saturday evening put an end to the KHS Class 5A playoff quest at 6-4. Sycamore will now host 16th-seed Wheaton Academy on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m., after the Crusaders upset top-seeded Hillcrest in the lower bracket.

Sycamore gained an immense 415 yards on the ground, while passing only once for 13 yards. Kaneland gained 207 yards on offense, while rushing for 62 yards.

For Sycamore, running back Joe Dougherty ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, while teammate Markie Hayes had 172 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.

QB Joe Camaliere was 17-for-32 for 145 yards for the Knights, passing for two touchdowns. Blake Serpa rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries.

Taylor Andrews caught five balls for 79 yards and a touchdown.

The Spartans got the scoring underway with 6:34 left in the first quarter on a Hayes 9 -yard touchdown run. Kaneland tied matters just 61 seconds later with a Andrews touchdown catch from 43 yards out.

Hayes gave Sycamore a lead it would never relinquish on an 8-yard touchdown run to go up 14-7 with 1:08 left in the first.

Sycamore scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, beginning with Dougherty’s 51-yard touchdown run with 5:28 left for a 20-7 lead. Dougherty struck again with a 29-yard scoring run to go up 27-7, with Spartans QB Trevor Mathey hitting CJ Compher on a 13-yard touchdown pass with eight ticks remaining in the half for a 33-7 lead.

With no scoring in the third quarter, Dougherty scored his third TD of the contest, a five-yarder with with 10:16 to go. On the final play of the game, Camaliere found Ryley Bailey for a 9-yard touchdown for the final 27-point deficit.

Photo: Knight Taylor Andrews (11) takes to the air during Kaneland’s first-round exit to visiting Sycamore on Saturday. Photo by Ben Draper

The game marks the second meeting between the two stingiest defenses in the
WSC. Sycamore allowed just 113 points during the season, while KHS allowed
114, highlighted by two shutouts book-ending the regular season.

The weather.com forecast for Halloween looks for mostly cloudy skies with a
high of 50 and a low of 32.

The winner of this contest looks to face either (1) Hillcrest (8-1) or (16)
Wheaton Academy (5-4) in the “lower bracket” second round. For one of those
these four teams that makes it to the quarterfinals, Marian Central
Catholic, St. Francis, Montini Catholic or Belvidere lies in wait.

The fourth and final season of Western Sun Conference play yielded five
playoff teams, including Kaneland and Sycamore.
Geneva, who stormed through the regular season at 8-1, is the #3 seed in
Class 7A’s upper bracket, and hosts Palos Height’s Shepard High School on
Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.

(3) Glenbard South (7-2) battles (14) Rochelle (5-4) in the second
head-to-head WSC matchup in the playoffs. The contest takes place on
Saturday at 1 p.m. Out at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream.

Kaneland’s offensive output, which had a high of 35 points on two occasions
this season, likes to share the wealth when it comes to the endzone.
Eight different Knights have scored touchdowns this season, with Ryley
Bailey and Joe Camaliere leading the pack with seven TD’s each. Blake Serpa
had five TD’s this season. Taylor Andrews had three TD’s, followed by Quinn
Buschbacher and Eric Tattoni with two each. Tyler Callaghan and Brock Dyer
had one each.

Here’s where to go:

View Kaneland High School Peterson Field in a larger map

Rain and mist made life difficult at points for the Kaneland and Yorkville football squads on Saturday during the 2009 regular season football finale.

But the most important things coming out of the game were the numbers 6 and 0.

Kaneland stifled Yorkville by a final of 10-0, setting its final regular season mark at 6-3 by pitching its second shutout of the season.

With that win and Glenbard South’s 32-20 win over Sycamore, the Knights rocketed ahead of the Spartans in the 5A standings and will host Sycamore (6-3) for the second meeting between the two schools in the first round.

At 6-3 overall, and 5-2 in the Western Sun Conference, Kaneland finishes third in conference play behind Geneva and Glenbard South.

The Raiders will host Rochelle on Friday, the second WSC playoff matchup.

Yorkville finished at 3-6 on the season.

The Knights managed to put on a clinic when it came to ball control and defense, plowing ahead with 46 clock-grinding rushing attempts, and allowing just two first downs to the Foxes. KHS gathered 244 total yards, compared to 67 for the host Foxes.

“All summer and all this year, we came out and made sure we had a good defense,” linebacker Brett Ketza said. “We dedicated ourselves during the summer. We kind of hoped that what we did would show itself out on the field.”

Junior quarterback Joe Camaliere went 11-for-15 for 102 yards with no picks thrown, that being the case since week two against Huntley.

Blake Serpa had 15 carries for 78 yards on the evening.

After a combined five punts ended drives for both teams, Kaneland finally got on the board with a five-play, 37-yard drive that featured Taylor Andrews’ catch getting the Knights to the three. Serpa pounded it in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter for a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter, a fourth-and-five run by Joe Camaliere for a 57-yard touchdown was called back for holding.

Kaneland put the lid on the scoring with a seven-play drive that ended on a 20-yard field goal by Chad Swieca with 5:28 to go in the game.

“On a night like this, you just have to grind it out, and we did,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “Look at this field, but we knew it was going to be that way. We just had to grind it out and play defense. We wanted to take control of the ball and move the markers.”

The Knights now look to get their third straight win over the Spartans, with the brightest spotlight of all.

The game, set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, sees Kaneland try to remedy last year’s opening round loss in 5A, a 23-21 setback at Sterling on Nov. 1, 2008.

Meanwhile, Sycamore enters the playoffs for the fourth time this decade, and the first since 2007, which ended with a 14-3 loss at Montini Catholic.

Other football action involving Kaneland featured a Friday win for the sophomores, 22-14 over Yorkville.

Photo: Knight Blake Serpa (2) makes the most of wet conditions during Friday’s 10-0 win at Yorkville that marked the end of the 2009 regular season. The Knights’ next challenge is of the playoff variety, against Sycamore on Halloween. Photo by Ben Draper

They meet again

Kaneland Knights vs. Sycamore SpartansSaturday, Oct. 31, 2009 at Peterson Field, 6 p.m. kickoff.

KHS went into Sycamore’s den and won 21-14 on Sept. 18.

Spartans RB Markie Hayes (right) ran for 81 yards on 10 carries in the game.

The game marks the second meeting between the two stingiest defenses in the WSC.

Going on the road to Western Sun Conference rival Yorkville, in ironically, the final Western Sun Conference game for either school, Kaneland has a chance for a sixth win, the most in a regular season for the Knights since the 2006 run.

Yorkville at 3-5 and coached by Jim Still, looks to get revenge for a 34-0 win by the Knights on Oct. 24, 2008. That win got Kaneland in the playoff door at 5-4. Kaneland nabbed three interceptions, and Blake Serpa, Ryley
Bailey and Hayden Johnson all found the end zone.

Last year’s game took place in monsoon-like conditions, leaving the Sept. 18 win over Sycamore as the last one with close-to-ideal conditions. The 37 degree temps at night vs. Geneva last week was tempered by clear conditions and minimal wind. Weather.com calls for a 70 percent chance of rain and a low of 39 degrees for Friday night’s tilt in Yorkville, with rain present throughout the earlier part of the day.

The Knights need to amp up the running game if possible on Friday, after having gained only 10 yards on 15 carries against Geneva. The Knights have rushed for 167 yards on 58 attempts over the last three contests for an average of 2.8 yards per rush.

Here’s where to go:

View Campbell Field, Yorkville High School Academy, Yorkville, IL in a larger map

A Michael Santacaterina 2-yard touchdown run in overtime at Peterson Field gave the Vikings a 27-24 win and closed the book on the Kaneland-Geneva football rivalry.

Kaneland moves onto the Northern Illinois Big 12 conference, while Geneva saunters on to the Upstate Eight in 2010. Geneva all but wraps up the WSC championship at 7-1 with a 5-1 conference record, and KHS falls to 5-3 with a 4-2 WSC tally.

For Kaneland, it was the first overtime game since beating Sterling in a still-talked about quarterfinal playoff game, 52-45 on Nov. 11, 2006.

Kaneland was 10 minutes and 22 seconds away from a victory after a 14-yard touchdown strike to Ryley Bailey gave the Knights a 21-14 lead, but Geneva calmly tied the game on a six-yard Santacaterina touchdown run with 7:33 to go in regulation to set up overtime.

KHS outgained Geneva by a total of 276-233, but saw the running game hit a snag with just 10 yards on 15 carries.

“We were just trying to go with the plays that had been successful,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “We needed to punch it in and didn’t do it.”

QB Joe Camaliere was 20-for-41 for 236 yards and three touchdowns, with Bailey gathering 175 yards on 13 catches. Teammate Taylor Andrews snagged three balls for 55 yards.

“There’s a lot of good things we can take from this game. That was a very good football team we went to overtime with,” Fedderly said.

Geneva’s Santacaerina had a productive night with 129 yards on 22 carries with four touchdowns.

The first score of the game came when Geneva concluded an eight-play, 55-yard drive on Santacaterina’s eight-yard TD run with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter.

After Kaneland’s first three drives ended in punts, the Knights got on the board with a 32-yard TD pass to Andrews on a 3rd-and-19 play. The somersaulting catch with 6:13 remaining in the half deadlocked the contest at 7 going into the half.

In the third quarter, Santacaterina capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive to open the half with a two-yard score to make it 14-7 with 8:39 to go.

Kaneland tied it on the ensuing drive thanks to an Andrews TD catch from the 11 with 5:43 left in the frame, setting up the final quarter’s action.

The Knights’ overtime attempt had Bailey catching a four-yard pass on first down but not able to come down with a second down pass.

A third-down throw to Tyler Callaghan was incomplete, setting up a 23-yard field goal by Chad Swieca for a 24-21 KHS lead.

Needing to hold the Vikings to a field goal or less, Geneva fed Santacaterina the ball on first down to the two, where he punched it in on second down to end the contest.

Now, Kaneland must defeat Yorkville on the road on Friday, Oct. 23 for a more secure playoff standing.

The sophomores lost to Geneva in earlier Friday action 22-8, and the freshmen lost to Geneva 52-7 on Monday.

Play of the Knight:
Joe Camaliere did everything short of taking the ball for himself on Friday.
Check that, he did, and it was at an important juncture in the game.
Facing a swarm of Geneva defenders on a third-and-20 from the Knight 40, Camaliere found holes thanks to blockers and picked up 29 yards for a first down. The drive continued, leading to a Ryley Bailey TD catch.

Photo: Knight WR Taylor Andrews caught two TD’s during Friday’s 27-24 overtime loss to Geneva. The Knights try to get their sixth win of 2009 at Yorkville on Friday, Oct. 23. Photo by Ryan Wells

This one on Friday might have the most meaning of them all.

Kaneland has a chance to put itself in the drivers seat for Western Sun Conference supremacy with a win against the visiting Vikings. Both schools come into the contest with one loss in WSC play.

In Western Sun Conference competition, the Knights have had little luck facing the able Vikings.

In 2006, Kaneland suffered its only regular season loss in a 24-21 that featured two quick fourth quarter touchdowns in a valiant comeback effort. 2007 saw Geneva trounce Kaneland in a 4-5 season for the Knights, 61-21. The 2008 clash saw the Vikings beat the Knights, 42-7, in Geneva’s road to the 7A championship game.

Last week’s 21-14 loss to visiting Rochelle marked Geneva’s first regular season loss since 2006 when Batavia beat the Vikings, 24-6.

If Saturday’s game conditions were any precursor, Kaneland and Geneva fans could be in for a chilly time of it. According to weather.com, Friday’s day forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain/snow showers, and 44 degrees for a
high, while night-time forecasts lean toward cloudy and an overnight low of 34 degrees. Go back to Sept. 18 at Sycamore for the last comfy game atmosphere.

Here’s where to go:

View Larger Map

But the Knights kept their composure and soon left DeKalb wishing that the game ended after the first 10 seconds.

After the Barbs recovered the opening kickoff on an onside attempt, quarterback Dylan Donnelly found Devin Hill on a 46-yard touchdown pass to give DeKalb a 6-0 lead just 10 seconds into the game.

However, the Knights rattled off 35 unanswered points thanks to solid defense and a balanced offense for a 35-6 win.

Kaneland improved to 5-2 (4-1 Western Sun Conference). With Geneva’s 21-14 loss to Rochelle on Friday, the Knights and Vikings have a date for conference supremacy with Geneva having an identical WSC record. The battle is set for Friday, Oct. 17.

DeKalb lost its fourth straight matchup with KHS and dropped to 1-6, 0-5.

“It was a big win for us,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “Getting our fifth win, we took care of business, and we have a big opportunity next week to play Geneva, and we’re all even in the conference.”

Kaneland produced 391 total yards, compared to 131 for the Barbs. Eric Tattoni carried the pigskin nine times for 80 yards, while Taylor Andrews was the big reciever with 161 yards on seven catches. Joe Camaliere was 14-for-21 for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

After Kaneland found itself down 6-0, Kaneland produced a 70-yard, five-play drive that ended on a three-yard TD run by Blake Serpa with 10:12 to go in the first. Chad Swieca’s extra point was good for a 7-6 lead. The scoring play was set up by a screen pass to Ryley Bailey that netted 38 yards.

Ater the Barbs punted, Kaneland put together a 10-play drive for 81 yards that ended on a seven-yard TD run by Serpa. The score with three minutes left in the first frame gave Kaneland a 14-6 lead.

KHS dodged two bullets with two DeKalb touchdowns called back due to penalties. Hill caught a 54-yard touchdown pass in the first that was negated due to an ineligible receiver downfield, and Dalton Watie’s 69-yard run in the second was called back for a hold.

The next actual score came on a 12-yard throw to Tyler Callaghan with 4:51 left in the second quarter. The play gave the Knights a 21-6 lead.

Kaneland increased the lead with a six-yard TD pass to Tattoni for a 28-6 lead with 32 ticks left in the third.

In the fourth, Callaghan almost took an interception back for a score. KHS set up shop at the four-yard line where Camaliere took it in for a touchdown with 2:55 remaining in the game for a 35-6 lead.

In sophomore action, DeKalb took one from the Knights 24-12.

So close for Tyler Callaghan. A fourth-quarter interception by No. 6 almost netted the first defensive touchdown for the Knights, but it did set up KHS deep in Barbs territory on Saturday. QB Joe Camaliere scored to make it 35-6 and completed the all-cylinders effort.

Photo: Knight Eric Tattoni (39) evades Barb defenders during Saturday’s 35-6 handling of host DeKalb. It was the first instance of Kaneland traveling to DeKalb High School and not playing at Northern Illinois University. Photo by Ryan Wells

Saturday afternoon’s contest could make for a rude homecoming if you’re
DeKalb.

Kaneland will be raring to get the offense going after submitting its lowest
output of the season on Friday in a 21-7 loss to Glenbard South, while
DeKalb is hosting homecoming on the grounds of DHS after losing a 55-0 game
to Geneva on Friday.

The Knights will be coming off of their worst offensive output since an Oct.
17, 2008 matchup with Geneva, 42-7. The Knights were victims of a Geneva
team winning its 17th Western Sun outing in a row.

While this marks the final WSC meeting between the Knights and Barbs, the
two teams will still be conference mates in the new Northern Illinois Big 12
beginning in 2010. Kaneland has won the previous three meetings with the
Barbs by a combined score of 133-28.

The Barbs have lost five in a row after kicking the Coach Marty Sanders era
off in style with a 38-12 win in week one over Ottawa. Sanders’ previous
head coaching stop was the Kewanee High School Boilermakers from 2003-2007
in which the NCIC school went 11-34.

Here’s where to go:

View DeKalb High School in a larger map

Glenbard South came into enemy territory for the Knights’ homecoming and came out with a 21-7 win.

Kaneland drops to 4-2 (3-1 Western Sun Conference), while Glenbard South improved to 4-2 (3-1 Western Sun Conference).

This marked the third straight victory for the Raiders over Kaneland. The Knights had not beaten the Raiders sincer 2006. The game marked the last outing between the two football programs for the foreseeable future, due to the dismantling of the WSC, effective at the end of the school year.

The Knights amassed just 125 yards of total offense and succumbed to Glenbard South’s 353 total yards. GS quarterback Trace Wanless passed for just 83 yards, but had a touchdown pass and rushed for 148 himself with a touchdown.

“He’s a special player and a great athlete,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said about the Raiders signal-caller.

Joe Camaliere was 9-for-18 for 92 yards and a touchdown. Ryley Bailey had two catches for 48 yards.

The scoring started on Glenbard South’s third drive, when on the fourth play, Wanless completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Nick Slezak in the flat for a touchdown. Glenbard South’s score gave them a 7-0 lead with :28 left in the frame.

Kaneland fought back with its first drive of the second quarter, with a 7-play, 64-yard drive. Bailey caught a screen and followed his blockers for a 42-yard touchdown that came with 8:13 remaining in the half to tie the score.

Kaneland’s offense struggled thereafter, coming up empty on five second-half drives.

Meanwhile, Glenbard South took the lead (14-7) for good on a 10-yard TD run by fullback John Hentges, capping an eight-play, 60-yard drive with 7:33 left in the third.

After the Knights punted away, Wanless called his own number on the second-play of the next drive and scored on a 52-yard run with 4:46 to go in the third for a 21-7 lead.

The Knights players and coaching staff look to rebound against DeKalb on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 10.

DeKalb comes into the contest at 1-5 (0-4) on a five-game losing streak, and got trounced 55-0 on Friday at Geneva.

“We told them next week’s the biggest game of the season, and we want to see how they respond and prove themselves every week and get better,” Fedderly said.

Photo: Knight Joe Camaliere (12) tries to evade Glenbard South tacklers for a positive gain during Friday’s 21-7 loss. The Homecoming night contest marks the last conference outing between the two programs. Photo by Ben Draper

This Friday when the Knights host the Glenbard South Raiders for the last
time for the foreseeable future, Kaneland will try to party like its 2006.
That was the last time Kaneland got the best of its Glen Ellyn rivals in a
56-13 rout. Glenbard South would go on to a 3-6 finish, while Kaneland would
win 11 of its 13 contests that season, Joe Thorgesen’s final year as head
coach. Glenbard South beat the Knights the next year, 47-28 in Maple Park
and also earned a 47-31 win in 2008.

While Kaneland can boast a capable QB in Joe Camaliere, Glenbard South has
an accomplished signal-caller in Trace Wanless. The senior has rushed for
six touchdowns to the Raiders’ benefit this season, and keyed Friday’s 21-14
win over Dekalb with 84 yards on the ground and two TD’s.

While the spread offense and clutch play has been the focus for Knights
football thus far in 2009, the defense has done its share. Starting with a
shutout vs. Burlington Central, the Kaneland defense has surrendered just 60
points through five contests for an average of 12 points a game. The highest
total given up was 17, against both Huntley and Batavia. Glenbard South was
rolled for 49 points in the season opener against Glenbard West.

Here is where to go:

View Kaneland High School Peterson Field in a larger map

As Kaneland and Batavia football go out to greener pastures, namely the Northern Illinois Big 12 and the Upstate Eight, the Knights put on one to remember, coming back to beat the Bulldogs on Friday in Maple Park, 21-17.

With the win, the Knights improve to 4-1 and keep pace with Western Sun Conference-leader Geneva at 3-0.

Batavia, in danger of being skipped over for the postseason, fell to 1-4 with an 0-3 mark in WSC play.

Kaneland won the first down battle, 16-10, and outgained the Bulldogs 229-204.

“We didn’t really make any adjustments, we just executed,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “We just kept our heads and didn’t panic. They really showed their maturity.”

In a game played under wet conditions, Joe Camaliere, who had difficulty with many snaps in the first half, went 14-of-21 for 183 yards and a touchdown. The junior found the end zone on two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to key the win.

Senior Ryley Bailey, who caught the first touchdown pass, snared six balls for 105 yards.

Batavia’s Danny Seiton rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries.

Kaneland struck first on a seven-play, 77-yard drive that ended in a 46-yard touchdown pass to Bailey with 8:46 to go in the first. Bailey reversed his field and avoided tacklers on his way to the end zone. The extra point attempted was botched and kept the score at 6-0.

With five errant snaps having to be recovered, the Knights offense spun its wheels, allowing the Bulldogs to crawl back into the game.

A 12-play, 93-yard drive ended in a 24-yard touchdown run by Seiton and gave Batavia a 7-6 lead with 2:27 remaining in the half.

Batavia pounced again, thanks to a Braden Hartmann score from the 1 with 2:10 to go in the third quarter. That sent Kaneland to a 14-6 deficit.

A 13-play drive that continued into the fourth quarter for the Knights was keyed by Blake Serpa, who got nine touches. On first-and-10 from the Bulldogs’ 11, Camaliere ran to the right side of the end zone and went in for the score with 9:23 to go. The QB then found Taylor Andrews in the middle of the end zone for a two-point conversion to tie matters at 14.

Batavia came right back with an 11-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal by Mike Clopton to give BHS a 17-14 lead with 3:41 remaining.

Starting from its own 35, Kaneland got an Andrews catch on second down. Bailey caught a 15-yard pass play at the 30 and had the ball stripped, but the officials ruled his forward progress stopped.

Four plays later, Camaliere recovered from a broken play at the line to score from the three with 2:07 left, putting the Knights up to stay.

Batavia failed to convert on fourth down, and QB Noel Gaspari was stopped by Serpa.

“We could just keep going,” Blake Serpa said. “Offensively, we knew it was going to come. Defensively, we knew we had to stop them.”

In sophomore action, Kaneland lost to Batavia 14-7. Batavia beat KHS in the freshman contest on Monday, 17-14.

Kaneland hooks up with 3-2 Glenbard South at Peterson Field on Friday, Oct. 2.

Glenbard South defeated Kaneland on Oct. 3, 2008, 47-31.

Photo: Kaneland’s win was made possible on both sides of the ball, but things really got going in the fourth quarter. No. 32 Brock Dyer stopped Bulldogs RB Edmund Kabba on a third-and-2 from the Knights 26. Dyer set up shop in a hole made by blocking and won the duel. Batavia settled for a field goal, but KHS came back with a winning TD. Photo by Ben Draper

Kaneland might be getting Batavia coming into hostile territory at the right
time. The Bulldogs, under coach Mike Gaspari, come to Peterson Field having
just suffered a 30-6 loss to the Rochelle Hubs. Kaneland had bested Rochelle
on Sept. 11 in a 33-12 affair. Batavia graduated much of their core from
last year’s team, including QB Jordan Coffey and RB Bai Kabba.

Batavia is led by QB Noel Gaspari, who was 6-for-19 for 103 yards against
the Hubs. Meanwhile, Kaneland signal-caller Joe Camaliere made things happen
with his arm (3 TD throws) and his feet (65 yards rushing) against host
Sycamore.

Last year’s meeting in Batavia saw the Bulldogs conquer the Knights, 31-21.
The setback brought Kaneland’s mark down to 3-2 (2-1 WSC), with KHS going
2-2 the rest of the way in the regular season. Camaliere hit Pat Fleming for
a 31-yard score just 1:44 into the game.

Knights WR Quinn Buschbacher not only had two touchdowns in last week’s win,
but also recovered a Ryley Bailey fumble with under two minutes left in the
game to preserve Kaneland’s clock-chomping drive that ended the game. The 5′ 9″
sophomore caught three passes for 114 yards on the evening.

Here is where to go:

View Kaneland High School Peterson Field in a larger map

But on the football field?

Such was the case this past Friday night in Sycamore, where the Knights ripped a 21-14 win away from a hard-charging Spartans squad.

With the win, the Knights improved to 3-1, with a 2-0 record in Western Sun Conference play, and keeping pace with undefeated Geneva. Sycamore suffered its first loss after a blazing start and fell to 3-1 (1-1 WSC).

“It’s our oldest rivalry, and it was a very good team. We have a lot of respect for Sycamore and what they do,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said after the victory.

Head-to-head action saw KHS win the first down battle with 17 compared to 13 for Sycamore. Kaneland had 374 total yards on the night, compared to 241 for the Spartans.

The two squads have had their share of the spectrum, with 2007 seeing Sycamore trouncing Kaneland 37-7, and Knight Chris Ott kicking a field goal at the end of regulation for a 38-35 win in 2008.

Kaneland quarterback Joe Camaliere had a productive night, going 18-for-22 for 294 yards and three touchdown throws. Sophomore Quinn Buschbacher caught three passes for 114 yards in the contest.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Knights capitalized on a missed Sycamore field goal and went 80 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. The 33-yard scoring catch by Buschbacher came on a leaping effort into the end zone 16 seconds into the second quarter.

Sycamore QB Ryan Bartels evened things up in the third quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run with 10:05 to go in the frame. After a Spartan drive went nowhere, the Knights set up shop at their own 32, where Camaliere found Buschbacher again on a 68-yard touchdown bomb with 6:08 remaining in the third for a 14-7 lead.

The score remained the same until the fourth quarter, when Bartels capped a drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 9:22 to go, deadlocking the score at 14.

Wasting no time, the Knights balanced Camaliere runs with a pass to Blake Serpa, and Kaneland was on the board again after a 23-yard touchdown pass to Serpa with 6:33 to go for a 21-14 lead.

With Sycamore finding no luck, Kaneland looked to drive the ball in order to wind the clock down, and succeeded in cinching the game on an acrobatic catch by Bailey with just over a minute to go in Spartan territory.

“We just trust our offense and trust our quarterback making decisions out there,” said Bailey. “Everyone made plays tonight. We knew we could do it.”

The Knights now host Batavia on Friday, Sept. 25, and hope to catch the 1-3 Bulldogs reeling.

Lower level activity had the Knight sophomores lose a 21-0 game, while the freshmen took home a 26-6 win.

While Kaneland was looking for breathing room with the clock winding down on Friday, everyone in Sycamore held their breath. Ryley Bailey kept his composure near the sideline late in the fourth quarter with the Knights needing another first down to put the game away. A pass by Camaliere was tipped by a Spartan defender, but caught by Bailey with one minute to go, preserving the win with a 26-yard gain. Photos by Ryan Wells

Kaneland couldn’t be facing Sycamore at a worse time.

Of course, Sycamore might be saying the same thing about Kaneland.

Kaneland comes off a 33-12 win at Rochelle, which showed just how dangerous
the spread offense works with five targets plus a mobile QB.

Meanwhile, Sycamore has shown early on it’s brandishing one of the premiere
offenses and defenses in the Western Sun Conference. The Spartans are coming
off a 33-6 win over DeKalb on Friday in the annual Castle Bank Challenge out
at Northern Illinois University.

On the sideline opposite Knights coach Tom Fedderly is Sycamore head man Joe
Ryan, back for a fifth year. After coaching a formidable Princeton Tigers
program down in the NCIC, Ryan took the reins of the Spartans program for
the 2005 season and has led them to one playoff appearance. That came in
2007, the year which included a 37-7 drubbing on Kaneland. Including this
season, Ryan’s coaching record with Sycamore is 22-27.

If Kaneland WR Ryley Bailey has a productive game, it could be a long night
for the Spartans. So far through three contests, the senior has caught 21
passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Bailey also recovered a Rochelle
fumble deep in KHS territory that set up an important Knight touchdown last
Friday.

Here is where to go:

View Larger Map

Despite spotting the host Hubs the first touchdown, Kaneland High School football kept its composure in a 33-12 victory to improve to 2-1 (1-0 Western Sun Conference).

The Knights slipped past the Hubs in Maple Park a year ago, 16-12, and have now split the last six meetings with the school.

“Our kids were real mature over the week,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “They worked hard. If you play steady, good things can happen.”

On Friday, Kaneland won the first down battle 21-16.

Despite losing the rushing battle by a 169-127 count, the Knights outgained the Hubs throughout the night, 389-210.

The offensive road to success went through quarterback Joe Camaliere. No. 12 went 21-for-31 for 262 yards with three touchdown throws and no interceptions. The signal-caller also carried the ball 11 times for 87 yards. Rochelle’s Josh Bernardin ran for 101 yards on 25 carries.

Knight Ryley Bailey caught nine passes for 89 yards, while Blake Serpa caught five balls for 95 yards.

Rochelle began the contest with its run-based offense working like clockwork. An 11-play, 71-yard drive ended with an eight-yard touchdown run off tackle by Evan Tracy. The score with 5:57 remaining in the first made it 6-0.

Kaneland stormed back with some key runs by Camaliere and a pass to Serpa. The Knights made Rochelle jump offsides on two consecutive plays before Camaliere evaded Hubs defenders on the way to a 12-yard scoring run. The extra point by Kevin Szatkowski made it 7-6 for the Knights with 3:41 left.

The Knights defense stifled Rochelle in the second quarter and even got sacks from Alex Barron and Tyler Callaghan on consecutive plays.

With the first half about to close, Kaneland got to work at the Rochelle 39. Passes to Quinn Buschbacher and Taylor Andrews set up shop at the 27, where a Camaliere pass to Bailey resulted in Bailey lateralling the ball to running back Eric Tattoni for a 27-yard touchdown. The “hook-and-ladder” play came on a pivotal third-and-15 and gave the Knights a 14-6 lead with 12 seconds left in the half.

“That was a big momentum shifter,” Fedderly said. “We’d tried it last week and it got batted down, but Ryley made an unbelievable toss.”

“We just wanted to see if something would work,” Camaliere said. “Ryley just executed it great.”

In the third, Rochelle fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Bailey. Thus began a nine-play, 99-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard scamper by Camaliere for a 20-6 lead with :40 left in the third quarter.

Rochelle scored on a Gabe Montes five-yard touchdown run with five seconds left in the game, but not before Kaneland got a 15-yard scoring pass to Bailey with 8:00 left to go up 27-6, and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Serpa with 4:49 to go made it 33-6.

In sophomore action, Rochelle handled Kaneland 28-13. The freshmen won over the Hubs 44-6 on Monday.

Kaneland travels to Sycamore on Friday, Sept. 18. The Spartans are coming off a win vs. DeKalb at Huskie Stadium.

Play of the Knight
While it was the offense that gave Rochelle headaches for most of Friday night, it was the defense that might make Hubs QB Brett Metzger feel after-effects.
Two consecutive sacks by the Knights in the second quarter had the Hubs’ struggling offense come up empty once again. The first one by Alex Barron (93) resulted in a six-yard loss.

The last tour of the Western Sun Conference begins on Friday night in
Rochelle.

The Kaneland Knights, trying to shed the stench of last week’s 17-14 loss to
visiting Huntley, look to handle to the overpowering running attack of the
host Hubs with its unique spread offense.

Rochelle is coming off of a 22-0 win vs. former NCIC rival Dixon. The Hubs
defense has yielded only six points combined in the first two games.

Kaneland and Rochelle are no stranger to each other in this decade. The
Knights have fought with the purple-clad Hubs five times in the last nine
years, and have gone 2-3.

One of those wins for the Knights occurred in week three of the 2006 season
in a 54-51 affair that is currently 25th on the IHSA all-time list for most
points combined in a single game, and week three of last season, when Joe
Camaliere used a QB draw with 4:21 to go for a 16-12 victory. The good
fortune was set up with a 37-yard completion to WR Pat Fleming.

Here is where to go:

View Rochelle Township High School in a larger map

But like many other chances during Friday’s 17-14 loss at the hands of the Huntley Red Raiders, the potential game-winning drive ended in an interception.

“I’m really proud of our team and how we hung in there,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said. “Some things didn’t go our way. But we were a good enough team to hang in until the last play.”

For their first meeting with Huntley since the 1960s, Kaneland was led by quarterback Joe Camaliere, who went 23-for-36 with 306 yards. The junior threw two touchdowns and three picks.

The Knights also lost two fumbles, making a total of five turnovers on the night.

Camaliere also led the ground crew with 68 yards, including a 34-yard scamper.

Ryley Bailey toughed out a seven-catch evening for 129 yards.

Kaneland was edged in the first down category, 18-17, while the Knights won the total yards contest, 412-349.

The scoring started by the visiting Red Raiders thanks to an option keeper by QB Timothy Lycos. The 12-yard touchdown with 7:34 left in the first quarter made it 7-0.

Camaliere lost a fumble at the Red Raiders’ 17-yard line, but on the next drive found Bailey on a diving catch for an 18-yard touchdown. The score, with one second left in the quarter, tied the game at 7-7.

Tor Larkin of Huntley caught a 26-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds to go in the first half to give KHS a 14-7 deficit.

The Knights had a chance to get on the board before the half ended, but a pass intended for Tyler Callaghan in the end zone was tipped out of reach as the half ended.

Huntley missed a 31-yard field goal attempt on its first drive of the second half. After another Knights fumble stalled a drive at its own 46, Huntley later converted on a 25-yard field goal with 1:29 to go in the third for a 17-7 lead.

Huntley managed an interception off of a tipped pass on the next drive, stalling the Knights yet again.

Kaneland’s defense came through in the fourth quarter, stopping Huntley on a fourth-and-13 from the Knights’ 16. Starting with the ball at its’ own four, Kaneland used a 77-yard completion to Taylor Andrews to set up a goal to go situation. Three plays later, Bailey caught another touchdown pass from the nine on third and goal to make it 17-14 with 7:16 remaining.

Knights WR Taylor Andrews almost propelled his side to an amazing victory. While Kaneland ended up on the wrong side of a 17-14 loss to Huntley on Friday, the Kaneland wideout’s 77-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter set up Ryley Bailey’s touchdown catch that brought the Knights within three points.

Camaliere found a hole on fourth-and-one that took Kaneland to its own 45, before a pass to Andrews was picked off with seconds remaining.

“We had a couple fumbles and a couple interceptions. A couple of them were on tipped balls. The bounces didn’t go our way tonight,” Fedderly said.

Kaneland sophomores went over Huntley in the night’s first game, 28-24.

Kaneland’s next project is going to Rochelle on Friday, Sept. 11. The Knights have taken two of the last three meetings.

Photo: Knight Brock Dyer (32) finds himself in the middle of a Red Raider jam during Friday night’s 17-14 losing effort against visiting Huntley.
Photo by Ryan Wells

See below for photos (may take a minute to load)

For the visiting Burlington Central Rockets, it got old in a hurry.

For the host Kaneland Knights, they hope it never gets old.

For the fifth straight season, the Kaneland Knights took it to the Rockets in the opening contest of the football season by a 35-0 final.

Offense was highlighted by quarterback Joe Camaliere’s 13-for-27, 321 yard night with three touchdown passes. The junior also ran for two scores and passed for a two-point conversion.

Receiving stars included running back Brock Dyer, who caught three passes for 122 yards, including the opening score of the 2009 season on a 54-yard touchdown pass.

Kaneland receiver Ryley Bailey takes to the air during the second quarter of Friday’s 35-0 win over Burlington Central. The Knights’ next challenge is Huntley at Peterson Field on Friday. Photo by Ben Draper

On defense, Derek Bus picked off a pass and recovered a fumble.

The Knights had 16 first downs throughout the evening, and won the total yards battle by a total of 411-106.

“It sure makes a big difference when we get a lot of kids back with experience,” KHS coach Tom Fedderly said.

The party started early on the fourth play from scrimmage, when Camaliere found Dyer on a swing pass. With exceptional blocking by the BC sideline, Dyer hit the endzone on the touchdown pass 65 seconds into the game for a 7-0 lead.

Knights DB Derek Bus saw his share of action on Friday night. While Burlington Central had a frustrating night defensively, the feeling spread to the offensive end as Bus recovered a Tre Llenas fumble at the Rockets’ 33-yard line in the third frame. The play eventually led to a Ryley Bailey TD catch to close the scoring.

After the Rockets fell on downs, Kaneland got back to work on a seven-play scoring drive, ending with Taylor Andrews dashing up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown pass after a short throw.

The score made it 21-0 with 2:32 left, and seemed to break the game open for good.

“I got open down the middle and Joe found me; it felt good to win tonight,” Andrews said.

With 22 ticks left in the second quarter, Camaliere failed to find an open target and took it in himself after a scramble. The six-yard score made it 28-0 going into the half.

The lone score of the second half came on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ryley Bailey with 8:32 remaining in the third for a 35-0 edge.

Fedderly credited the offensive line, which came through in the trenches.

“We got everything tonight, and you can’t say enough about the offensive line. We told them that they determine how the game goes,” Fedderly said.

Lower-class action had the freshmen shutting BC down by a final of 16-0 on Monday, while the sophomores also got a win over the Rockets in a 27-21 affair.

The Knights gear up for the Huntley Red Raiders on Friday, Sept. 4, in Maple Park. Kaneland and Huntley were conference mates as recently as the 1960s, as part of the Little Eight Conference.

Huntley, currently residing in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division, is coming off of a 28-23 win over Wauconda on Friday.

The Kaneland Knights football roster got a taste of playoff action a year ago after being absent in 2007, and liked what they had.

Even losing a close battle to Sterling in the Class 5A first round last November in a 23-21 affair, there is still much to build on.

“It was huge, the intensity of the playoffs is something you have to experience to see what its like,” said third-year coach Tom Fedderly.

Despite losing offensive weapons like Hayden Johnson and Tyler Suerth and defensive assets Steve Tosaw and Will King, the Knights return players that have impressed with dedication to the craft.

It begins with returning quarterback Joe Camaliere.

“You can definitely tell we have experience coming back at the position, if you look at last year to this year. We just picked up right where we left off,” Fedderly said.

Brock Dyer and Eric Tattoni will get carries in the backfield.

Catching passes at wide receiver will be the returning Ryley Bailey, Taylor Andrews and Tyler Callaghan, all who spent time in the end zone a year ago.

The offensive line features Eric Dratnol and Brett Ketza, with competition still going strong eight days from the opener for the other slots.

On the defensive side, Jimmy Boyle tows the line and Bailey features prominently in the secondary. Dratnol brings experience to the line, with competition still hammering itself out on the linebacking corps.

Fedderly eyed Boyle as someone who’s putting himself in a noteworthy spot through hard work.

“He’s just a gym rat, working out all the time, and doing the extra stuff to make himself better,” Fedderly said.

Taylor Andrews also looks to hit the secondary, as well.

Following the much-talked about kicking of graduate Chris Ott, Fedderly hopes it can happen again.

“It’s big, every time you get a point on the board that way, it’s huge. We have a number of kids looking to try it after they saw Ott,” Fedderly said.

With all the talent coming back, Kaneland looks to get further in determining what a successful season brings.

“Always making the playoffs means you had a good season, especially in this conference, but you want to contend for a conference championship. We’d like to get a home playoff game. Those are some goals we’ve set,” Fedderly said.

The festivities begin on Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Burlington Central, and the Knights host Huntley for the first time ever on Friday, Sept. 4.

The WSC slate begins on Friday, Sept. 11, at Rochelle, and the regular season ends on Friday, Oct. 23, at Yorkville.

No longer suiting up against Marmion Academy of Aurora, the Knights will square off against visiting Huntley High School on Friday, Sept. 4.

The usual opening contest of Kaneland-Burlington Central stays status quo, with the ‘09 version taking place in Maple Park on Friday, Aug. 28.

The final Western Sun Conference schedule kicks off at Rochelle on, Friday, Sept. 11, followed by another road contest at Sycamore on Friday, Sept. 18.

Batavia comes to town on Sept. 25, as does Glenbard South on Oct. 2.

The final three games of the season feature the Knights headed to DeKalb High School, rather than Huskie Stadium, on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m. for the Barbs’ homecoming, Oct. 16 vs. Geneva for Senior Night and a jaunt to Yorkville on Friday, Oct. 23.

Coach Tom Fedderly’s Knights finished 5-4 in the regular season, with a 23-21 loss coming at the hands of future Northern Illinois Big 12 mate Sterling in the first round of the 2008 playoffs.

Western Sun Conference Schools Week 1 opponents
Batavia vs. St. Charles North
DeKalb vs. Ottawa @ Northern Illinois U.
Geneva @ St. Charles East
Glenbard South vs. Glenbard West
Rochelle @ Corliss (Gately Stadium)
Sycamore @ Streator
Yorkville vs. St. Francis

At an informational meeting open to the public where two community members, one student, and 20 coaches attended, the School Board heard a presentation on the reasons for switching from the Western Sun Conference to a newly formed conference with schools as far away as Dixon.

“With the new conference proposal we will still be able to compete against schools of our size and IHSA classification on our area,” Superintendent Charlie McCormick said.

The schools in the farther-reaching districts have enrollments closer in size to Kaneland’s, so presumably Kaneland could win more games than it has been able to do with Geneva, Batavia and Glenbard South, in its current conference.

“It’s in our best interests for what we have. It’s good that every school’s the same size,” head girls cross country coach Doug Ecker said. “The conference will give good competition and Kaneland kids can all compete.”

Board member Cheryl Krauspe had questions about the cost of the switch.

“Here’s the question that I continue to ask—how much is it going to cost? It will cost more to drive to Geneseo than it does to Geneva, and you know transportation is the one area where the state reimbursements are not coming in,” Krauspe said.

Financial implications will be discussed further at the regular board meeting Tuesday, May 26.

Enrollment comparison

Division #1 (new) Ottawa 1,602, LaSalle-Peru 1,280, Streator 1,030, Sterling 1,033, Dixon 969, Geneseo 914

Division #2 (new) DeKalb 1,710, Yorkville 1,295, Sycamore 1,162, Rochelle 1,116, Morris 1,075, Kaneland 1,040

WSC Geneva 1,978, Batavia 1,858, DeKalb 1,710, Glenbard South 1,421, Yorkville 1,295, Sycamore 1,162, Rochelle 1,116, Kaneland 1,040

Travel comparison from Kaneland

Proposed conference (miles) DeKalb 14, Sycamore 16.4, Yorkville 18.6, Rochelle 32.9, Morris 38.8, Ottawa 51.2, Dixon 55, Streator 67.1, Sterling 68.5, LaSalle-Peru 71.4, Geneseo 112

WSC (miles) Geneva 11.3, Batavia 12.2, DeKalb 14, Sycamore 16.4, Yorkville 18.6, Glenbard South 27.5, Rochelle 32.9

Now, in the spring of 2009, the Western Sun Conference looks as if its going supernova.

In late-April, Kaneland met with 11 other schools to draw up plans for a new 12-team conference that would kick off in the fall of 2010. The administration will recommend to the Kaneland School Board at the Tuesday, May 26, meeting to exit the eight-team Western Sun Conference.

Joining the exodus of the WSC with Kaneland would be DeKalb, Rochelle, Sycamore and Yorkville.

The proposed unnamed conference would also potentially include old SPC rival Morris, which is slated to join the North Central Illinois Conference in the fall. The new conference would only have Morris as an NCIC school for one year after leaving the Southwest Prairie Conference.

NCIC schools Dixon, Geneseo, LaSalle-Peru, Ottawa, Sterling and Streator, which make up the NCIC’s Reagan Division would round out the rest of the conference.

The shift would lead Western Sun rivals Batavia, Geneva and Glenbard South looking for new conference homes.

In the Western Sun Conference, KHS ranks eighth in enrollment with 1,140. Geneva’s 1,978 was first in the group.

The new conference would have Kaneland sixth out of 12. DeKalb’s 1,710 students would be at the top of the list, while Geneseo’s 914 would be at the rear.

The conference would likely use two six-team divisions, with the WSC schools pairing up with Morris for one of the divisions.

- Have your voice heard -

Kaneland Board of Education
Special Public Workshop
Monday, May 18 • 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Kaneland High School Library

District personnel will address Kaneland’s history of conference affiliations;
several reasons why a change in conferences is being considered at this time;
and, various aspects of the option being considered.
Questions and comments from the public can be heard.
The board will not consider the recommendation for conference change until Tuesday, May 26