Even though the season didn’t end as planned, the team had a great performance. They ended with an overall record of 12-1 with an advance to the quarterfinals.

Throughout the season, the boys became a family and not even a loss could tear them apart. They all worked together to accomplish one thing. They all maintained a ‘never give up’ attitude.

Unfortunately, St. Laurence was able to pull through in the end with a 27-20 victory. Coach Bret Kooi said, “Whenever you get a chance to reevaluate, of course, you’d want to change something. The kids could have folded and the score could have been 42-20, but they never gave up.”

Kooi also said, “It made you feel better about what they did when they were losing. I was proud of what they chose to do.” Wanting the game to continue, they kept pushing towards their end goal.

“It’s difficult to say goodbye to the group of kids you see every day,” Kooi said,  especially when the team has been back-to-back conference champions.

Even though the team lost 18 seniors from last year, they still pulled off an incredible season. With 14 leaving this year, there’s no doubt that the team will still be named one of the top programs in the state, as it has been in previous years.

Kooi said, “The seniors definitely lived up to their standards this year. They all wanted to accomplish one goal and they did [it] by being leaders and playing with passion.”

Under the coaching staff, the remaining players still have the potential to continue the legacy of being one of Illinois’ top teams with more hard work.