Glenbard W., Tigers prep for national exposure
Glenbard West High School senior Andrew Salamunovich says he has brunch plans Sunday morning.
Huh? That's when his Hilltoppers will take on the Tigers from Wheaton Warrenville South in a nationally televised football game.
Then he lets loose with the punch line:
“And the main course is tiger meat!”
About 2,300 of his classmates chuckled lightly at the Friday pep rally at Glenbard West's Biester Gym.
English teacher Steve Wiersum, the emcee for the pep rally, thought the joke was pretty good. Plus, what better response could Wheaton Warrenville South students come up with?
“Over there at that other school right now they're probably making jokes like, ‘What are you going to have for lunch? A hill?'” Wiersum quipped.
In fact, Wheaton Warrenville didn't hold a pep rally. Wheaton school officials said pep rallies are held for Homecoming and to celebrate major achievements. And they've had a few of the latter: the school is seeking to three-peat as state champs this season.
Peter Monaghan, Glenbard West's assistant principal for student services, said the school typically hosts pep rallies for every sports season, and special events, like a team going downstate to the finals.
Friday's event was the regularly scheduled fall sports pep rally. But the main topic of conversation at school and around town this week has been about Sunday's big game, which will be broadcast across the country on ESPN2 at 11 a.m.
Principal Jane Thorsen says it's an opportunity to show everyone “just how awesome we are.”
“We're not just Hilltoppers September through June,” she told students. “We're Hilltoppers 24/7, 12 months out of a year.”
For students like Salamunovich, Sunday's game — and all other football games — is a big deal.
As one of the leaders of the “Castle Crazies” student section, he's planning to get to Wheaton's Grange Field by 9 a.m., and his spot in the front row when gates open at 9:30. He'll have his chest painted with a No. 5, in recognition of linebacker Andrew Larkin.
He noted that the “Crazies” were recognized for their spirit last year as “Battle of the Fans” champions by CN100, which airs a high school game of the week on cable.
“We have a reputation to live up to,” he said. “We don't wanna disappoint.”
Glenbard West cheerleaders will be given time to do a 3-minute halftime routine at Wheaton Warrenville South — which normally doesn't happen at away games, they said.
The game has special meaning for seniors like Kara Garvey, who was on the varsity cheer squad as a sophomore in 2009, when the Hilltoppers lost to the Tigers in double overtime in the state championship.
“Going into this game is so big for us,” she said.
Staff writer Marco Santana contributed to this report.