Prep football: Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers aim for 14th state title

Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski admits to having a few moments when he wasn’t sure if the program he leads was going to make it back to Illinois high school football’s biggest stage.

Jaworski’s first year at the Hilltoppers’ helm netted a 3-6 record, and the year before, when Jaworski served under Dan Sharp as an assistant, Joliet Catholic was 1-8. It was a far cry from the program that still possesses the most state championships in IHSA history with 13.

But Jaworski’s support system, which includes a whopping 13 coaches who have played or coached in at least one state final, helped pull him out of a situation that could have put others in a bit of a tailspin.

“We’ve just had a lot of support, whether it has just been alumni support or fan support, our parents reaching out, week after week, letting us know to keep working and that our best games were ahead of it,” Jaworski said. “And it was these kids. Just coming out to a practice, whether we were winning or we were losing, being around these kids that we have, it was fun.”

Very little about the journey was easy. And the peaks and valleys were noticeable.

Things immediately got off on the right foot, as the Hilltoppers flexed some early muscles in a win over St. Rita at Memorial Stadium.

That looked like a good omen, as St. Rita usually is one of the stronger programs in the Catholic League, but the good feeling was short-lived, as a trip to Elmhurst to face the back-to-back Class 3A state champions, IC Catholic Prep, resulted in a 42-0 loss to the powerful Knights, who also happen to be playing for their third consecutive state crown this weekend in Class 4A.

And so, the pendulum swung.

Back-to-back easy wins over St. Viator and Carmel put Joliet Catholic back on the right track, but then the schedule that looked so daunting to begin the season provided the true gauntlet everyone was expecting. Marist came first and sent the pendulum back in the wrong direction, as the RedHawks pummeled the Hilltoppers, 42-6.

Then came a game that looked like it might be the tipping point for the Hilltoppers against Benet Academy. With a 3-2 record at that point and with two more daunting games remained on the schedule in Niles Notre Dame and Nazareth, the Benet game almost appeared to be a must-win, as no team that loses five regular-season games would earn admittance to the postseason.

The Hilltoppers, however, couldn’t get it done, as Benet pulled out a 20-13 victory, which dropped JCA back to the .500 mark and put its playoff prospects in what appeared to be dire straits.

“That loss was deflating,” Jaworski said. “But it was back to work on Monday. Our kids responded great.”

That response included hanging
70 points on Marian Catholic, which then swung the pendulum back in Joliet Catholic's favor.

But the momentum didn’t last. A matchup with yet another team playing for a state title this weekend, Nazareth (Class 7A), went south in a hurry and left Joliet Catholic in a must-win situation against a very good Niles Notre Dame team to make the 256-team field.

With it all on the line, Joliet Catholic trailed at halftime against the Dons, who ended up reaching the semifinals in Class 6A before bowing out, but the Hilltoppers mounted a furious charge in the second half to secure their cherished playoff bid.

“It wasn’t anything spectacular that I said at halftime, that’s for sure,” Jaworski said with a laugh. “It was just kind of about challenging them and talking about a legacy, and these were the guys that wanted to get us back into the playoffs, and we needed them to show us. They had to lay it all on the line, and they did.”

And once the pressure was relieved, of whether or not the postseason berth was achieved, the Hilltoppers have seemed to transform themselves into the playoff powerhouse that has become, to some, identifiable with the school itself.

“It was just kind of a weight off their shoulders,” Jaworski said. “You can definitely tell in the confidence. They’ve been more loose, and you are starting to see the personality come out. There’s just been a trickle-down effect, and we’ve been playing well.”

Jaworski is a 2002 graduate of Joliet Catholic and was a starter in the secondary for the state championship Joliet Catholic teams in 2000 and 2001. The full effect of what it means to lead the Hilltoppers back to the finals weighs heavily on Jaworski.

“It’s a pretty special feeling,” Jaworski said. “This school and this program has been such a big part of my life. Not having been back to state in seven years, to get back there, it’s pretty cool.”