Mohapp on verge of Warren coaching milestone
The man they call “Mo” needs one more.
With a win Friday night over Mundelein, Dave Mohapp will vault past Mike Kunkle for the most victories as a Warren football coach.
Mohapp notched his 107th career win in a wild game last Friday night, as the Blue Devils outscored visiting North Chicago 61-38. He said he was not aware of his milestone win.
Mohapp replaced Reggie Hughes as Warren’s head coach in 1997. Before Hughes, Kunkle coached the Blue Devils from 1970-1984, compiling a 107-33 record over 15 seasons. He was a member of Mohapp’s staff during Mohapp’s first season.
“He was — and is — a very impressive coach,” Mohapp said of Kunkle.
At 5-2, Mohapp’s Blue Devils have all but secured their second straight postseason berth. Warren went 3-6 and 4-5 in Mohapp’s first two seasons, respectively. Since then, the Blue Devils have missed the state playoffs just twice (in 2006 and 2011).
Warren has won at least three games in each of Mohapp’s 17 seasons.
Promising Mustangs: Mundelein sophomore safety Colton Fisher provided an early spark for the home team last Friday night when he intercepted quarterback Willie Bourbon to end Stevenson’s first series of the game.
Fisher leapt on a deep pass and took the ball away from Michigan State-bound Matt Morrissey.
“Colton Fisher is the real deal,” Mundelein coach George Kaider said after his Mustangs lost 35-14. “Not only is he great in coverage, but he’s a hitter, and he comes up on run support as well as any safety I’ve coached. Eventually, as he gets older, he’s going to become a big-play player on offense for us, too. I don’t expect sophomores to play both ways. That’s just too much to ask of them.”
Kaider started seven sophomores: Fisher, quarterback Gavin Graves, middle linebackers Dustin Shultz and Jake Gokan, cornerback Johnny Czarnota and linemen Antoine Hicks and Jay Cox. Graves, who’s a captain in his second season as the varsity QB, completed 11 of 17 passes for 129 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
Shultz had 2 tackles for loss to help lead a defensive effort that played creditably against the run.
“I feel like we stopped the run,” Kaider said.
Green day: Stevenson junior wide receiver Cameron Green sported a pink towel down the side of his football pants during the Patriots’ game at Mundelein last Friday night.
October is breast cancer awareness month. Green’s fashion statement was his way of honoring not only those who have been affected by breast cancer but also a former classmate who took her own life last year.
“I wore the pink mostly for her,” Green said.
Green stood out on the field by scoring 3 touchdowns on receptions of 51, 21 and 8 yards from Willie Bourbon. Green has been offered scholarships by Illinois and Toledo. Friday marked the first 3-TD game of his varsity career.
“We have bookend wideouts that (allow us) to (throw) to either side,” Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said of Green and Matt Morrissey. “Cam had the matchup tonight. When you put one on one with Cam, that’s tough duty.”