'Jake Elliott, he's the town hero'

LAGRANGE – Hollywood came to LaGrange on Friday – with a story beyond any fictional movie script.

Less than two weeks after helping the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl championship, rookie kicker and Lyons Township graduate Jake Elliott returned to his alma mater to a hero’s welcome.

After the third quarter of the Lions’ “Black Out Night” basketball game against Glenbard West, Elliott was presented with a large framed photo depicting him kicking for LT, the University of Memphis and the Eagles.

Outside of those 30 seconds at center court, Elliott watched the Lions’ 71-66 overtime loss from the press box. But he was the center of attention and affection for the near-capacity crowd in attendance.

One fan not dressed in black had a good reason: Park Junior High eighth-grader Alex Marczek sported Elliott’s green No. 4 Eagles jersey.

“I got it for Christmas, before they went to the Super Bowl,” he said. “I went crazy after his [rookie record] 46-yard field goal [in the Super Bowl]. That was impressive.”

He had further reason to be impressed when Elliott walked by him on Friday.

“I was by the door and he [Elliott] said ‘nice jersey, buddy.’ It was pretty cool. Meeting someone that won a Super Bowl is really awesome.”

Kenny Bach of LaGrange had the same thrill, having his picture taken with Elliott.

“It was crazy to meet Jake,” he said, “and it’s really cool to have someone from LT winning the Super Bowl and making some big kicks.”

Students Jackson Herman, Matt Miglieri, Charlie Campbell, Ryan Weber, Jack Legan and Emre Ersahin attended the game from McClure Junior High in Western Springs, where Elliott went to school before LT.

“Jake Elliott, he’s the town hero,” Campbell said. “Everybody wants to meet him.”

“He wasn’t really focused on football in his high school career, but mainly on tennis [until junior year],” Herman said. “And to come so far from that, it shows that anything you set your mind to, you can do.”

A freshman tennis player at LT, Elliott initially caught the coaching staff’s eye when he excelled at a pep rally field goal kicking competition. In dire need of a kicker two years later, the Lions’staff reached out to Elliott.

“We brought him over and right away [in tryouts] he was crushing the ball,” LT football coach Kurt Weinberg said. “The next day he was on the team, and he tore it up from there. It’s hard to believe that it’s true, but it’s really true.”

Elliott gave a pregame talk to the Lions’ team, but didn't speak during the third-quarter appearance. Asked in the hallway afterward about the emotions of his hero’s return to LT, he smiled and said, “It’s an incredible night.”

Others around for the start of Elliott’s kicking odyssey had far more to say.

“I've been competing against Jake since at least seventh grade in basketball,” said Matthew Harris, a former star cornerback at LT and Northwestern and an ex-teammate of Elliott’s. “Everything he did, he was going to push to be the best. So knowing that aspect of him, I’m not in any way surprised he’s at the level that he’s at now."

The Super Bowl win – and the local rookie’s huge role in it – sent the success story to new levels.

“His success is obviously due to his hard work and talent, but it makes LT proud,” Weinberg said. “He goes out and does great things, and represents himself well. It’s nice for us to have somebody out there being a great ambassador for LT.”

Always a huge draw, the 10th annual Black Out Night reached record levels with the guest of honor.

“When we put [the Black Out game] on the calendar in the fall, we picked this date,” LT principal Brian Waterman said. “It just so happened we had an alum win a Super Bowl a few weeks back, and to get him to come back – tonight, the stars aligned.

“You couldn't script it any better,” Waterman added. “To think about how it all starts at a pep rally just a few years ago, and culminated with a Super Bowl for Jake. It’s a special story for our community.”

As for the game, Tyrese Shines led LT with 23 points as the Lions rallied from a 30-20 halftime deficit before falling in overtime. Nolan Niego added 11 points.