NEW LIONS COACH TAKES THE HELM AT LT

Kurt Weinberg is a serious football coach with an unmatched winning spirit.

So much so that he has already convinced his Lyons Township High School Lions varsity football squad and LT's active parent athletic boosters that they just might take the state championship this season.

With his signature "all in or not at all" credo that helped catapult his former high school football team -- Class 6A Highland Park -- to six consecutive playoffs in nine seasons (including an undefeated CSL North championship), he is already is doing well in filling the shoes of former 19-year veteran LT head football coach Jack Derning.

The year 2008 was the first time in seven years the Lions did not qualify for postseason.

With one winning game under his belt (a 31-8 barn burner over Plainfield Central on the road last week), things can only go up from here.

Especially with a head coach who was not only a former offensive lineman standout at NIU (1988-92) who walked on to start and earned a scholarship 18 months later, but one who comes to the fore with the reputation of creating a culture of winning. This is a guy who takes football seriously.

Weinberg (pronounced WEEN-BERG), who also serves as a physical education teacher, is not your average jock. He holds a bachelor's in secondary P.E. from Northern Illinois and a master's degree in curiculum and instruction from National-Louis University.

Originally a pre-journalism major, he's always loved to read and write, and draws his greatest educational inspiration not from a gridiron great (although he has a few heroes) but one Paul Carlson, his high school history teacher who spent 50 years on the faculty at Maine East.

Although he admits football has been "a lifetime passion," he said Carlson -- and his Highland Park predecessor who took the time to train him before moving on -- were very influential mentors in his life.

"(Carlson) was a combination of making you toe the line and having compassion for you at the same time," he recalled. "He held you to a high standard and wasn't going to let you slide by. He made history come alive and made it personal."

Weinberg enjoys reading the books of Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and has always appreciated longtime University of Alabama head coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant and former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.

For a guy who told a newspaper last fall that leaving Highland Park was "the hardest thing" he's ever done and whose former athletic director, Bobbie Monroe, was quoted in the same paper as saying she wishes she could clone him -- this coach is obviously special -- one who shows his emotions and causes others to display theirs in return.

In fact, leaving was so tough on some of his key players that it took time for the wounds to heal among some of former seniors. He continues his friendship with some of those very kids by "text messaging" them to keep up with their progress. How cool.

"We had it going pretty good over there," he said. "We had a good run."

LT has twice the enrollment of HP, and twice the roster. LT's hovers around 86, while HP's is in the high 40s.

Starting two jobs at once is tough, he remarked, but having the time to work with his team this summer to prepare for the fall season left him convinced the Lions are tougher.

"I think they are athletically talented, they have a good combination of size and speed and their work ethic shows they are very committed," he said. "I'm very pleased. They're a great bunch of guys; real gentlemen, yet a little nasty when they need to be on the field."

LT, which faces Addison Trail in its first home game this weekend (7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4), will face some pretty tough teams this year, not the least of which will be Hinsdale Central (Sept. 18, away) and Glenbard West (Oct. 23, at home), he said.

AT, which he called "a team on the rise" with fast and quick but not overly big players, has several sophomores on its varsity squad, unlike LT -- which has all juniors and seniors.

"This (Class 8A) conference, top to bottom, is one opf the toughest in the state," he said. "We'll have no week off."

He's already witnessed the prowess of senior QB Ryan Mitchell, a fast runner "at the top of his game" whom Weinberg dubs "one of the best kept secrets in the state."

Mitchell's father, former University of Chicago football coach Tom Mitchell (whose father also was a coach) is among his assistants this season. Tim McAlpin has also been added this year.

In last Friday's matchup, which left Plainfield scoreless until late in the final quarter, Mitchell ran an impressive 12 for 20 with 140 yards and two touchdowns and rushed a team-high 70 yards.

That game "solidified" for Mitchell what level athlete he is, making his scholarship chances good at his post-secondary favorites Georgia Tech, Northwestern or Air Force,

He has yet to experience a game on the home field at LT's South campus, but he's been prepped by those in the PRIDE booster club that this is truly a hometown team.

"The like the people around here, they are great and from what I'm told really pack the stands," he said. "This place has the facilities, the finances, the athleticism, the numbers, the support, which are always attractive (traits)."

Weinberg, who has already been warmly welcomed by an excited group of parents and staff, said he wants to keep some traditions intact, but also wants to usher in some new ways of looking at the game.

First and foremost is the Thursday night "training table" in which the Moms feed the whole program -- about 300 bodies -- a large, carbilicious meal like pasta and pizza, to bulk up the players before each game. The dinner is held in the student cafeteria.

But he has assembled a new offense and defense, has shuffled coaches around from level to level

Although he knows that winning spirit has been here before, Weinberg sees state as the ultimate goal, something to strive for all season.

"We've brought it more to the forefront, that's all," he said, noting one win "solidifies for us we can achieve high goals."

He said he hopes to instill "a greater desire to achieve, to be good."

And when he's not playing coach, the far north suburban Gurnee resident and (oops) Oakland Raiders fan is enjoying the outdoors fishing, snowmobiling or just being with nature. He says he may even do team-building with his players by doing "some things outside the lines" -- like the time he and his former team played paintball.

"We also had one year in which we all read the same book and talked about it," he said, always the well-rounded educator.

But more often than not, he and his wife, Ramone, are tending to their three boys and a girl, ages 10, 9, 7 and 4, The two oldest boys will likely become fixtures on the sidelines, as ball boys helping Dad, he said.

"The two oldest (10 and 9) play and I think they'll enjoy coming to the game Friday," he said. "Coaching football is part of my family's fabric."

Turkey Day Picks

Another year gone by and our favorite sports viewing holiday is once again upon us. There will be plenty of turkey served this day but none quite as large as the slate of football games the NFL is providing for our consumption.

When we limp into the warm comforts of home from our annual "Turkey Bowl' games we will have the pleasure of witnessing the suddenly strong Tennessee Titans destroy the hapless Detroit Lions. This should be a laugher, take your showers at halftime as this one should be well in the bag by then. The winless Lions might have had a chance if the Titans had come in undefeated, and full of themselves, but the Jets sank that ship last week.

Next on tap, John Madden will call the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. Tony Romo is back leading the Cowboys in their Super Bowl push while the Seahawks have fallen off considerably since anyone around here last checked. Enjoy your meal, my suggestion would be to eat huge quantities and nap during the second half of this one; the dead hawk will be swinging from the cowpokes lasso by the second quarter.

The only decent viewing option of the day comes in the nightcap. It will be a chance to see if the Arizona Cardinals are for real as they play the currently defunct Philadelphia Eagles. Perhaps the Eagles will show some heart, lacking the last two weeks, in front of the home crowd. My hunch is the Cards will dispatch the Eagles in a good game and prove nothing. They will be “one and done” come playoff time.

My best viewing bets for the weekend are on the local level. Drop by one of the two Thanksgiving Holiday Basketball Tournaments hosted at Lyons Township High School. Both the varsity boys and girls are playing a full slate of games over the next few days. The boys will play Friday and Saturday night at North Campus. The matchups start at 7:30 pm with Saturday’s games featuring an alumni reunion at half time. The girls play at 1:30 pm Friday and Saturday at South Campus.

The Lyons Township football team has not played in a little over a month but this is championship weekend for all of you prep fans. All eight levels will play their title games at the newly appointed Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The class 1A thru 4A games will be on Friday and the class 5A thru 8A games take place Saturday.

The game of particular interest, for those that follow the local scene closely, is the 8A match up pitting the always strong Maine South Hawks against LT division rival Hinsdale Central. If you recall, the Lions held a brief 7-0 lead against Central earlier this year. The Devils may have finally met their match with the Hawks this weekend however. Poor weather could help the boys from Hinsdale but the current forecast suggests that the Hawks will have their way in the air. We expect a good battle nonetheless.

Enjoy your weekend and check back often.

LIONS ROMP OVER LEYDEN 31-13

The homecoming day crowd at Bennett Field saw plenty of sun and, if they had time to reach their seats, an odd decision by the Leyden coaching staff.

In the opening series of the game, the Eagles advanced the ball a whopping nine yards in their first three plays giving them the confidence to go for a forth down conversion fairly deep in their own territory.

The Lyons Township defense was up to the test, stopping the Eagles and giving their offense good field position on the Leyden 29 yard line. Running back Nick Brown would score two plays later on a 22-yard scamper, giving the Lions (3-4) a lead they would not relinquish. LT took a 21-0 lead to the half.

The Eagles (3-4) made it somewhat interesting scoring late in the third quarter to make it 21-7. The Lions offense built the lead to 31-7 before the Eagles hooked up on a 50-yard pass with just under 4:00 minutes to play.

The Lions continue their push for the playoffs next Saturday, 1:30p.m. at Glenbard West.

It’s hard to beat the scenery at this stadium in the fall, and the leaves should be peaking by then, so take the short drive to Glen Ellyn and root your Lions to victory.

AGING WELL BY WALKING WELL

The Park District of La Grange Recreational Center at 536 East Ave. on the village's eastern border will host the October Walk for Health sponsored by the La Grange and La Grange Park community action teams of Aging Well.

The new organization, which has held a variety of community activities over the past year, will start walking at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 inside the center.

The walk, which starts at the same time on the third Wednesday of every month and lasts until noon, is open to all people, especially those over 50. There is no distance requirement and refreshments will be available on site.

La Grange Public Library programs of interest to older adults will be explained by library marketing director Bridget Bittman.

More information on the monthly walk or on participation in Aging Well is available at (708) 354-1323, Ext. 19.

NO JOY IN CHICAGOLAND

Only a short week after hopes were sky high on both sides of baseball town, the Cubs and Sox have bowed out of the playoffs, winning a combined one game. Embarrassing, perhaps, depending on what side of town you root.

The Sox, with little preseason hype, showed heart in just getting to the playoffs. The Cubs, arguably the best team in baseball all season, showed their lack of heart while in the playoffs.

Who had the more successful season, the Cubs or Sox, and why?

LIONS MAUL PANTHERS 41-12

The Lyons Township football team ran all over Proviso West Saturday in Hillside, literally.

Quarterback Ryan Mitchell (105 yards on 23 carries) along with running backs Deonte Brown (150 yards on 15 carries) and Nick Brown (91 yards on 19 carries) scored two touchdowns each for the Lions (2-4, 2-2) fueling their 41-12 trouncing of the host Panthers (2-4, 0-4).

The LT defense also turned in an inspired performance, holding the explosive Panthers to 12 total points and shutting them down completely in the second half. Proviso West tried to deploy a "high octane" passing attack utilizing respected receiver Kyle Prater but the Lions defensive backs would have no part... picking Panther quarterback Teddy Sloan off four times.

The Lions try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the homecoming game vs. Leyden at Bennett Field.

LIONS FALL TO 1-4, LOSE TO YORK 21-20

The Lyons Township varsity football team could easily be sitting with a 4-1 record at this point of the season. Instead, it is at 1-4 after yet another close loss this time, falling to division rival York Community High School 21-20 Friday night at Bennett field.

The Lions never trailed until York scored on a 26 yard touchdown pass and then converted the always interesting extra point, taking a one point lead with 3 minutes 32 seconds left to play.

Just over two minutes earlier LT had taken a 20-14 lead on a 32-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mitchell (17 carries for 228 yards) but missed the extra point wide, thus opening the door for York.

The Dukes played catch up most the game coming back from LT leads of 7-0, 14-7 and finally 20-14.

The Lions then tried to play a little catch up themselves, driving to the York 35 before coughing the ball up and turning it over to York with 1:14 to go.

Next up for the Lions (1-4, 1-2) are the always scrappy Proviso West High School Panthers (2-3, 0-3) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 in Hillside.