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glenviewlantern.com sports
the glenview lantern | November 15, 2018 | 39
Coach Talk
What the heck with all this tech?
Jon ‘Coach’ Cohn
Contributing Columnist
Glenview Resident
Sounds pretty silly
to complain about
a football program
that has appeared in a
couple of state championship
games, has won one
and has multiple conference
championships,
along with consistently
being ranked amongst the
top teams in the state.
I mean really, how do
you complain about a
coaching staff that has
their team as well prepared
as any in the area?
Head coach John Holecek,
and his bevy of assistant
coaches, get these guys
ready to go each and every
Friday or Saturday.
How could one even
fathom finding fault with
a program, that has large
numbers of kids participating
on all levels, while
other area schools are
experiencing significant
declines?
What could there possibly
be to pick on?
Well, with apologies to
one and all, I might have
found one.
I went to Loyola’s
second-round game versus
undefeated and top-five
ranked Oswego a few
weeks ago. It was a Rambler
rout as the Maroon
jerseys made mincemeat
of a really good Panther
team. Impeccable performance
by Loyola’s
defense, offense, special
teams, you name it. A
huge state tournament
win.
But there was one thing
I didn’t like.
After every series and
exchange of offense and
defense, the unit coming
off the field makes
a beeline for the Loyola
covered awning on the
sidelines right around the
30-yard line. They barely
even acknowledge their
teammates as they quickly
and almost robotically
head over.
Not just a few players
mind you, but the entire
unit and the backups.
Maybe close to 25 players
in total.
Inside the covered
area are chairs, benches
and two different video
screens. The players immediately
take their seats
and start watching video;
quite intently actually.
I should mention the
video screens are facing
away from the field, so the
players while watching
video are facing directly
away from the field and
have no idea what is happening
during the game.
This happened consistently
throughout the
game.
Something about this
particular concept bothered
this old time football
fan.
Do we really need high
school players watching
that much videotape? In
the middle of a game?
Isn’t there something a
little off about 25 players
staring intently at a TV,
facing the opposite direction
of the actual game?
While the game is going
on.
I watch NFL teams, professionals,
and they don’t
gather that many players
to watch game tape
while the game is being
played. You might see the
quarterback or maybe the
line unit watching some
video on an iPad with a
coach pointing things out.
But they are on the bench
facing the field.
Remember, these are
high school kids.
Shouldn’t they be soaking
up the game environment
on the sidelines instead
of watching a video
screen? Shouldn’t they
be cheering their teammates
on when great plays
happen? Shouldn’t they be
following the game action
instead of staring at a TV
inside a covered area?
Call me old-fashioned,
but to me, that is taking
technology and the video
world maybe one step too
far.
I say use the video to
teach players during the
week, but come game day,
let them play. Let the kids
enjoy the game environment.
Put the video stuff
away and leave that for
the pros.
I fully appreciate and
respect Loyola football’s
consistency of excellence.
Achieving success over a
long number of years is
the ultimate complement
to any sports program.
But that doesn’t mean
there can’t be room for
improvement.
I guess you just leave
it to an old codger of a
coach to find something to
complain about.
Cohn has been a coach,
physical education teacher,
sports announcer and
athletic supervisor in the
community for over 35 years.
He can be reached at jcsportsandtees@aol.com.
Girls Volleyball Player of the Year
Lopez’s vocal leadership
plays role in Loyola’s season
Michael Wojtychiw
Contributing Sports Editor
Mary Kate Lopez has always
been a silent leader,
one that leads by example.
However, coming into
her senior season on the
Loyola girls volleyball
team, she was hoping to
expand on that more.
“I’ve always been a silent
leader not really a verbal
leader,” she said. “But
just being more comfortable
being loud like being
myself, being aggressive
not just on the volleyball
court is something I really
improved on this year.
“I think our success on
the court has helped me
develop who I am off the
court too, as a person.”
Her leadership played a
big role in why Loyola had
its most successful season
in recent memory, helped
lead the Ramblers to a sectional
title, 30 wins and
one step away from a trip
downstate. It’s also one of
the things that helped her
earn 22nd Century Media’s
inaugural Girls Volleyball
Player of the Year
award.
The 2018 season marked
Lopez’s third season on
Loyola’s varsity squad, but
the first one in which the
6-foot-3-inch lefty moved
into the setter/right-side
hitter role. Despite setting
for her club team in the
offseason, Lopez had primarily
been a hitter.
Having set for multiple
offseasons though made
the transition smooth.
Full story at GlenviewLantern.com.
Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year
Thelander’s foundation sets
Ramblers up for success
Michael Wojtychiw,
Contributing Sports Editor
When Mallory Thelander
took over as Loyola
Academy’s girls volleyball
head coach last spring,
one of the first things she
wanted to do was change
the culture of the program.
The team was coming
off of an upset in the
regional semifinals and
needed a fresh start.
“I wanted to develop a
sense of culture throughout
the program, not just
varsity,” Thelander said.
According to Thelander,
a lot of teams do big sister,
little sister, but when
she was the head coach
at Evanston the past two
years, they did what they
called families. It wasn’t
just like an older girl paired
with a younger girl, but the
program had almost have
one girl from every level
paired together, which
hadn’t always happened
perfectly, but they had their
little families. Those families
are usually four or five
people, and would meet
with each other whenever
they had a home match.
“I wanted those girls to
get to know me but also
get to know each other,”
the coach said.
It didn’t take long for the
girls to buy into the program,
Thelander said. The
athletes embraced that culture
throughout the season.
The newly adopted culture
could even been seen in
the stands, as members of
the varsity team attended
freshman and junior varsity
matches, and players
from the younger levels
showed their support for
the Ramblers at their supersectional
match against
Prairie Ridge.
Thelander won 22nd
Century Media’s inaugural
Girls Volleyball Coach of
the Year award for not only
the installation of a new
culture, but also bringing
Loyola to heights it hadn’t
achieved.
The Ramblers won
30 games, beat Mother
McAuley for the first time
in program history, won a
sectional title for the first
time since 2015 and got
within one match of going
to the state’s final four.
Full story at GlenviewLantern.com.