advertisement

Statistics can be tricky things, and the new eye in the sky

It's Week 6 already?

Eyes on Five better cut to the chase while we still have time to think this football season.

1. What would you do?:

By every measure, St. Francis senior defensive lineman Quinn Calcagno put in a lifetime performance against Hales Franciscan in last weekend's 29-0 victory. The team's stats listed him with 12 total tackles, including 5.5 sacks.

Those are the "official" stats, which is where things get a little tricky. There was an additional play that required a difficult judgment call.

On fourth-and-6 with the Hales quarterback in a shotgun formation, a botched snap flew past him. The quarterback raced to fall on the ball with Calcagno diving on top of the quarterback trying to recover it.

The Spartans credited Calcagno with a tackle for loss and not a sack that would have given him 6.5 sacks for the game. A state-record 6.5 sacks, that is.

Three players share the IHSA record of 6 sacks in a game, a mark achieved in 1992, 1997 and 2000. With that play listed as a tackle for loss, Calcagno will sit in a tie for fourth on the all-time list.

I've looked at the clip probably 25 times through a text message sent to me by Spartans coach Mike Fitzgerald, and I can see it either way.

Receivers are running routes, offensive lineman are in pass protection and it's fourth and long - an obvious pass play with the quarterback in shotgun. On the other hand, the quarterback had no chance to pass the ball.

According to NFHS and IHSA guidelines, it's not a sack. The rule reads, "If a potential passer fumbles the ball before contact by the defense, no pass sack is credited to any individual player."

It's a tough call. Fitzgerald could have submitted Calcagno's outing to the IHSA as a 6.5-sack effort without an ounce of thought, but he didn't. To preserve the integrity of the record, he's sticking with 5.5 sacks - good for fourth in state history.

Fourth or first, it's still an amazing effort from Calcagno.

I just wonder how many coaches would have submitted 5.5 sacks, and how many would have submitted 6.5.

2. Crunchtime:

Week 5 was pivotal for many DuPage County teams, and Week 6 will be no different.

Benet, Fenton, Hinsdale South and Wheaton Academy all suffered their first loss last week, while Waubonsie Valley needed overtime to stay unbeaten. Now we'll see how each team reacts.

Benet plays unbeaten state power Nazareth, which handed the Redwings their first loss last season after a 6-0 start. It was the first of four straight losses Benet suffered to close the season.

It's a glaring example of how quickly seasons can turn the wrong way.

Whether it's a previously unbeaten team trying to right the ship or a struggling team trying to stay relevant in the playoff picture, there's a lot to look at this weekend.

3. Tech talk:

I was amazed when I read Daily Herald colleague Jerry Fitzpatrick's recent story about South Elgin's football team using a camera flown by a drone as an extra tool to gather game film.

It's a long way from decades ago when coaches dropped off film with a developer late on a Friday night with hopes of picking up usable footage early Saturday morning. Technology - especially in the last 10 years - has changed every facet of the game.

Many coaching staffs now get game film instantaneously with iPads on the sideline linked wirelessly to cameras in the press box. Glenbard West, one of DuPage County's leaders in technology use, is among the teams utilizing iPad footage for in-game adjustments.

"The eye in the sky doesn't lie, so we have instant feedback on all of that," said Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet. "It's a good coaching tool."

Hetlet doesn't claim to be a technology expert, but he does know his program will keep up with it as much as possible. Next on the to-do list is to sync his end zone camera with his press box camera so the same play can be viewed simultaneously from different angles.

"If you've got guys on your staff who are good with technology, you're way ahead," Hetlet said. "You're ahead, but it still doesn't guarantee anything. You can have all the iPads in the world but you still have to block and tackle."

4. A Thorne in every opponent's side:

North Central College announced on Monday that football coach John Thorne is stepping down after this 13th season at the helm. He'll be handing the reins to his son Jeff, the Cardinals' offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

The three-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Coach of the Year holds the program's record for total wins and winning percentage. Thorne's North Central teams have won or shared the last eight CCIW championships.

That being said, and with a shameful degree of selfishness, I still consider Thorne a Tiger: a Wheaton Central/Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger.

I've covered high school football in DuPage County since 1991 and I've had the honor of covering at least one game from each of WW South's seven state championship seasons. The first four were with Thorne as coach and Ron Muhitch as defensive coordinator, and the final three were with Muhitch as coach.

To this day, I haven't met a coaching mind like Thorne's. His understanding of football goes so far beyond Xs and Os, it's difficult to describe.

Thorne always had extreme expectations for his players because he knew they had it in them. More times than not, they delivered in ways they didn't know possible.

As much as I missed his presence in prep football in the wake of his retirement as a teacher at WW South, Thorne's seamless transition to the college level was no surprise. It made perfect sense that his ability to develop high school players could transfer to the college level.

I wish nothing but the best for Thorne in whatever he decides to do with the next chapter of his life.

If we're lucky, it'll involve football.

5. Stat time:

Naperville Central returned 3 interceptions for touchdowns in last week's 28-14 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Glenbard North. Only nine other teams in state history have had three pick-6s in a game.

Between Bobby McMillen, Jack Walsh and Rick Hatton, they returned the interceptions 174 yards - an average of 58 yards a return.

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.