Program’s first state appearance ultimate goal for 32-1 Fieldcrest boys basketball

When the Fieldcrest school district first consolidated for the 1992-93 school year, there were a lot of questions.

One thing nobody had to worry about, however, was if the boys basketball program would be any good.

Fieldcrest brought together two solid, if not spectacular, programs from the former Wenona and Minonk-Dana-Rutland high schools. It also added students from Toluca – a small-school powerhouse under hall-of-fame coach Chuck Rolinski in the days before the IHSA differentiated between small and large schools and into the 1970s-80s heyday of the two-class system Rolinski helped push through.

Under head coach Matt Winkler, a future hall-of-fame coach, the Knights went 18-7 their first season and won a Class A regional championship in their second year of the consolidation. Fieldcrest would go on to win 613 games and 14 regional championships during Winkler’s 30-season run, adding sectional titles in 2012 and 2020.

But somehow, despite all of those amazing Knights teams, an appearance at the IHSA State Finals never came.

“It’d mean a lot, but we’re just taking it game-by-game for now,” 6-foot-6 Fieldcrest senior guard Brady Ruestman said a few minutes after throwing down a pair of vicious two-handed dunks in Friday’s regional championship win over Class 2A host Bishop McNamara.

“But it would mean a whole lot, especially after we’ve been watching [Fieldcrest basketball] forever. Most of us had older siblings that’ve played basketball here, so it’d mean a whole lot for us if we could make it there.”

“Most of us had older siblings that’ve played basketball here, so it’d mean a whole lot for us if we could make it there.”

—  Brady Ruestman, Fieldcrest boys basketball senior

There’s still a tough road to travel to get there, one that continues with Tuesday’s sectional semifinal against 26-4 Illinois Central Eight Conference champion Manteno.

Fieldcrest enters the Class 2A Clifton Central Sectional with a record of 32-1 and winners of 22 straight. The Knights’ lone loss came Dec. 27 in the State Farm Classic, a 64-51 defeat to a Rock Falls team Fieldcrest had beaten by 20 a few weeks prior.

Since then came the consolation title in the State Farm Classic’s Small Bracket, an undefeated run through the Heart of Illinois Conference regular season and the venerable McLean County/HOIC Tournament at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center and a convincing two-game romp through the 2A regional in Kankakee.

Balanced scoring led by Ruestman, fellow seniors Connor Reichman and Jozia Johnson and juniors Jordan Heider and Ed Lorton, along with a commitment to defense, have given the Knights’ opponents fits.

“Defense leads us ... and yes, we are an unselfish bunch,” said Jeremy Hahn, the second varsity head coach in Fieldcrest boys basketball history. “We have four guys who average 10 points or more, and we share the basketball exceptionally well. We have talent up and down the roster, so it makes it a really fun group to coach.

“It’s a really easy group to coach, too, because if somebody’s a little bit off they know they have a brother who has their back. It’s a tremendous, tremendous group.”

“It’s about playing unselfish basketball,” Ruestman said, “making the extra pass – anyone on our team can go for 20 [points] on any given night – and playing defense the best we can. We prioritize defense.”

In addition to Ruestman, Johnson and Reichman, the Fieldcrest roster boasts three additional senior leaders – Koltin Kearfott, Dallas Cook and Nathan Cook. That leadership has helped keep the Knights on track during this fantastic run.

“We always talk about, ‘We just have to be 1-0 today,’ " Hahn said. “I can’t sit here and tell you that we don’t talk about [putting together a run to the state finals]. I don’t think that any program looks at its season and doesn’t have making it to a sweet sixteen, an elite eight, a final four as a goal. So, sure, we talk about it, but our focus daily is we just have to be 1-0 that day.

“Whether it’s at a game or we have to have our best practice, that’s our only focus, and I think that helps keep them grounded.”

It’s a mindset the Knights are hoping they can ride all the way to the State Farm Center.

“[Our approach is] game by game, but, yeah, it’d be amazing,” Lorton said. “Me and Brady and all of us, we grew up sitting in the corner of the stands watching all those good teams play. It’s amazing. We all want to get there.

“Last year we fell short, but this year we knew we were gonna be good. We’ve just got to bring it.”