Notebook: South Elgin
By Chris Walker
Thanks to a bathrobe, Storm forward Jack McCall shares a clothing kinship with several iconic pop culture characters.
Axel Foley gave Det. Billy Rosewood and Sgt. Taggart luxurious Beverly Palm bathrobes in “Beverly Hills Cop” as a comedic, yet considerate gesture
Biff Tannen wore awful silk ones as a villain in “Back to the Future II.”
Perhaps no one wore one better than The Dude in “The Big Lebowski.”
And Mr. Roper from Three’s Company was notorious for barging into Jack, Chrissy and Janet’s apparent in the middle of the night, in his bathrobe with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and his trusty toilet plunger in the other.
In McCall's case, he simply chose to wear one at a recent practice to keep things loose and fun for a bunch of hardworking kids who continue to strive to get results despite a lack of win-loss column success this fall.
When asked what he’s done as a senior leader to keep morale up, McCall didn’t have time to respond before coach Simon Brinklow shared his player's unusual fashion choice.
“He’s a good kid and the other kids look up to him so it was good,” Brinklow said. “I think you need a little bit of that, especially with the run we’ve been on.”
The Storm's claim to fame so far was a season-opening 2-1 upset win over then 25th-ranked St. Charles East 2-1 on Aug. 20. The club also tied St. Francis 3-3 on Sept. 1.
Also according to Brinklow, opponents might want to avoid getting too close to McCall on the field until after the Storm finds its next win. It appears the forward has decided not to launder his jersey until after the team next victory.
“He’s refusing to wash it until we win a game of soccer so his jersey stinks,” Brinklow said. “I’m not sure if you noticed it when you got near him. I really don’t think he’s washed it, and I’m too afraid to ask.”
Meeting some goals
One thing that South Elgin (1-11-1) has not had problems with latey is putting the ball in the net.
“We have gotten a lot better scoring,” McCall said. “We’re controlling the ball in the midfield and actually possessing the ball a lot better than when we started, but there’s still stuff we’ve got to work on.”
After being shut out in three-straight games, the Storm scored three goals in losses to Larkin and Neuqua Valley and a pair in a tight loss to East Aurora.
“We’ve had a period of not scoring goals,” Brinklow said. “The problem is when you’re scoring three like we did (on Oct. 1 in a loss to Neuqua Valley), the other team chips in five on the other end. But one positive is we’re hitting the back of the net.”
Ready for a restart
The good news for South Elgin is that it has a chance to wipe the slate clean in two weeks.
“The kids are trying to remain optimistic,” Brinklow said. “They’re working on keeping their morale up, and they get the message about doing the right thing and supporting each other.”
The Storm have a tough test against Streamwood on Wednesday and then will see all but Glenbard West among the four Glenbard schools to finish the regular season.
“We have about four or five games left to figure it all out before we play Huntley (in the state tournament opener),” senior Jackson Lamb said. “It’s just that we have to clean up some mistakes that have been happening throughout the year, and it’s been the same thing. It’s just a matter of attacking those problems and fixing them, and then we should be in decent shape to make a nice run.”
The state playoffs bring hope. Regular season results are washed away with the knockout format.
Teams with losing records can and have won regionals, and teams with huge expectations to get to state have seen their dreams crushed in regional semifinals. Anything can happen in the postseason and that’s what makes them so thrilling.
“(Opposing teams) are not going to expect us to make a run,” Lamb said. “I know that I’m going to be ready being a senior, and I know our four other seniors (McCall, and defenders Jacob Zupan, Niklaus Harris and Zack Rys) are going to do our best and give it our all.
“I hope that everyone else understands that we can do some damage there, because they don’t know we’re coming. I think we’re one or two mistakes off from being a decent, quality team.”
By Chris Walker
Thanks to a bathrobe, Storm forward Jack McCall shares a clothing kinship with several iconic pop culture characters.
Axel Foley gave Det. Billy Rosewood and Sgt. Taggart luxurious Beverly Palm bathrobes in “Beverly Hills Cop” as a comedic, yet considerate gesture
Biff Tannen wore awful silk ones as a villain in “Back to the Future II.”
Perhaps no one wore one better than The Dude in “The Big Lebowski.”
And Mr. Roper from Three’s Company was notorious for barging into Jack, Chrissy and Janet’s apparent in the middle of the night, in his bathrobe with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and his trusty toilet plunger in the other.
In McCall's case, he simply chose to wear one at a recent practice to keep things loose and fun for a bunch of hardworking kids who continue to strive to get results despite a lack of win-loss column success this fall.
When asked what he’s done as a senior leader to keep morale up, McCall didn’t have time to respond before coach Simon Brinklow shared his player's unusual fashion choice.
“He’s a good kid and the other kids look up to him so it was good,” Brinklow said. “I think you need a little bit of that, especially with the run we’ve been on.”
The Storm's claim to fame so far was a season-opening 2-1 upset win over then 25th-ranked St. Charles East 2-1 on Aug. 20. The club also tied St. Francis 3-3 on Sept. 1.
Also according to Brinklow, opponents might want to avoid getting too close to McCall on the field until after the Storm finds its next win. It appears the forward has decided not to launder his jersey until after the team next victory.
“He’s refusing to wash it until we win a game of soccer so his jersey stinks,” Brinklow said. “I’m not sure if you noticed it when you got near him. I really don’t think he’s washed it, and I’m too afraid to ask.”
Meeting some goals
One thing that South Elgin (1-11-1) has not had problems with latey is putting the ball in the net.
“We have gotten a lot better scoring,” McCall said. “We’re controlling the ball in the midfield and actually possessing the ball a lot better than when we started, but there’s still stuff we’ve got to work on.”
After being shut out in three-straight games, the Storm scored three goals in losses to Larkin and Neuqua Valley and a pair in a tight loss to East Aurora.
“We’ve had a period of not scoring goals,” Brinklow said. “The problem is when you’re scoring three like we did (on Oct. 1 in a loss to Neuqua Valley), the other team chips in five on the other end. But one positive is we’re hitting the back of the net.”
Ready for a restart
The good news for South Elgin is that it has a chance to wipe the slate clean in two weeks.
“The kids are trying to remain optimistic,” Brinklow said. “They’re working on keeping their morale up, and they get the message about doing the right thing and supporting each other.”
The Storm have a tough test against Streamwood on Wednesday and then will see all but Glenbard West among the four Glenbard schools to finish the regular season.
“We have about four or five games left to figure it all out before we play Huntley (in the state tournament opener),” senior Jackson Lamb said. “It’s just that we have to clean up some mistakes that have been happening throughout the year, and it’s been the same thing. It’s just a matter of attacking those problems and fixing them, and then we should be in decent shape to make a nice run.”
The state playoffs bring hope. Regular season results are washed away with the knockout format.
Teams with losing records can and have won regionals, and teams with huge expectations to get to state have seen their dreams crushed in regional semifinals. Anything can happen in the postseason and that’s what makes them so thrilling.
“(Opposing teams) are not going to expect us to make a run,” Lamb said. “I know that I’m going to be ready being a senior, and I know our four other seniors (McCall, and defenders Jacob Zupan, Niklaus Harris and Zack Rys) are going to do our best and give it our all.
“I hope that everyone else understands that we can do some damage there, because they don’t know we’re coming. I think we’re one or two mistakes off from being a decent, quality team.”