A visit with Coach Reentz

Saturday, following the Kaneland 54-9 victory over Wilmington, we were able to track down Wildcat coach Jeff Reentz at the Marian Central Catholic-Nazareth game.

When asked about last nights game his first reply was "We tried everything everything we could but we couldn't stop you guys. Fleck is a heck of a player and if we doubled up on him, then number 45 (Billy McKeown) will hurt you. Even though he (McKeown) didn't get many catches they didn't have to go to him with Fleck catching everything.

"We tried to go one on one with Fleck, but on the first play they threw a pass to him and I said 'Oh no, here we go already', and started to double him early. We knew Joe (Kaneland Coach Joe Thorgesen) was going to throw on the first play and we were ready for it, but Fleck is just to tough.

"Then if we play the pass, Schrader would run over us. No matter what we did, we had no answer for their offense. They just have to many weapons. I don't know who can stop them - (future opponents have to) hope for rain and try to keep their (Kaneland's) offense off the field.

"The only way I see anybody beating you is if you have a bad game, the weather is bad and some how they keep your offense off the field. We (Reentz and his assistant coach who accompanying him to the game), were just talking - saying 'Kaneland will destroy either one of these teams' (referring to ongoing Marian Central -Nazareth game). These guys are the kind of teams we can compete with.

"But Kaneland is in a different class. You know I'm from Morris. (Reentz played against Coach Thorgesen as a Redskin just eight years ago.) You guys can play Morris this year and beat them again. Take Morris and Pontiac or any of those teams and it would be some great games. Batavia and Oswego (too). All of you are about the same.

"We are almost a 2A school, and we hoped we were going to play 2A, (Wilmington would have been 2A, if Harlem hadn't lost the coin flip to Kewanee for the last playoff spot moving everyone up one level, forcing Wilmington up to 3A as the smallest team in the class.)

But, on the night of the seedings, we got a call and were told we were 3A. My heart sank. Then a few minutes later I got another call and was told our first game was Kaneland." Coach Reentz shrugged his shoulders, look up to the sky and said, "I knew we were in deep do-do."

"But I'm happy for Joe. He use to take his lumps when he played us (at Morris). Now it's his turn. Do you know how good the teams are down south?"

"They are more basketball focused down there. And it's more grind it out football. I think they would have a problem with your passing game. I don't think they are use to seeing people throw the ball like you do.

" I just don't know how anybody going to stop you. Like I said, 'pray for bad weather and hope for the best'."

"Tell everyone (at Kaneland) - Good luck!"