Wow – What a Season for the Warriors

By Jeff Vorva

Crete-Monee’s football team opened the season on August 26, with a 41-15 loss to Class 8A power Lincoln-Way East.

It closed its season on November 12, with a 45-0 loss to Class 6A power East St. Louis in the Illinois High School Association state quarterfinals.

But in the 10 games in the middle? Wow!

What a wild season for the Warriors, who finished 9-3.

After that initial loss to Lincoln-Way East, which was ranked No. 1 in Illinois in the state’s largest division by the Associated Press, it was quite a ride.

Things were not very conventional the second week of the season. The Warriors lost a heartbreaking 30-28 decision to Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana. But, according to some respected websites, that game was erroneously listed as a win, so those who didn’t know any better assumed the Warriors were 1-1 at the time.

But they were in an 0-2 hole, and Coach John Konecki had to get the players to re-adjust their mindset.

“We talk about wanting to play 14 weeks of football,” Konecki said. “Yeah, we dropped the first two, but I told them ‘hey, it’s OK, because we still want to play 12 more weeks.’

“We started believing we were playing playoff football starting Week 3. So, the angst and anxiety isn’t as high as it would be in a normal playoff game.”

The team had to adjust on the field, as well.

In that Andrean game, star quarterback Josh Franklin, a Western Michigan University recruit, injured his shoulder. Wide receiver Cory Stennis stepped in to call the signals, and Franklin was moved to wide receiver, which was less strenuous on his shoulder.

Stennis was a Rich Township transfer, with quarterback experience, and the Warriors opened the Southland Conference season with a 44-0 win over Thornton and a 42-0 triumph over Thornwood.

Then came a huge test.

The Warriors had a September 23 matchup with Joliet Catholic Academy, the defending Class 4A State Champion, which came into the game with a state-best 24-game winning streak, including a 41-27 victory over the Warriors in 2021 in Joliet.

Stennis threw for 457 yards and four touchdowns in a crazy 48-42 victory in Crete.

After that, Crete rolled to three more wins over Thornridge, Rich Township, and Bloom by a combined score of 157-32 to set up a showdown with defending Southland Conference Champion Kankakee, which finished second in the state in Class 5A in 2021.

Miami (Ohio) recruit Lynel Billups-Williams electrified the Warriors crowd with a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown and added a 62-yard scoring reception from Stennis in a 25-22 victory to win the conference and enter the playoffs on a big note. Stennis added a 75-yard run in the game.

Billups-Williams caught eight of Stennis’ passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns in the first round of the playoffs during a 53-13 romp over Champaign Centennial. Stennis threw for 383 yards and five TDs.

In the second round of the playoffs against favored Simeon, the Warriors won 35-12 thanks in part to a spectacular 95-yard run by Franklin on a fake punt. Because punters usually line up 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, he actually ran 100-plus yards for the score, even though statistically it went down as a 95-yard dash.

It was a sight to behold for Warriors fans.

“I wasn’t expecting to score a touchdown,” he told reporters after the game. “I just wanted to get the first down and keep the ball rolling. But when I got to the 50, I knew I was taking it to the crib.”