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Trip to Woodstock big one for Brasile, Hampshire

It could be a storybook night for Hampshire and coach Mike Brasile, who on Friday returns to Woodstock High School for the first time to face his alma mater in the most important game of his coaching career to date.

A right tackle and defensive end on former Woodstock head coach Ed Brucker's 1997 state championship team, Brasile leads Hampshire (5-3, 3-2 Fox Valley Fox) against the Blue Streaks (2-6, 1-4) in a must-win situation.

The Whip-Purs enter the weekend with 30 playoffs and will likely be excluded from the playoffs if they lose and finish 5-4. Win and finish 6-3 and the Whip-Purs are in.

Brasile will see many familiar faces on the other sideline, including his high school coach. Brucker returned to Woodstock this season as defensive coordinator.

“I've maintained a relationship with him through the years,” Brasile said. “We play golf in the summer and he and my dad play tennis together. He's been a big part of my life and he's the reason I got into coaching. He's a mentor and a hero.”

Other familiar faces include Tom Mitchell, a defensive coach who was on the staff in 1997, as was Jim Brucker, who coached defensive ends when Brasile was in high school.

“On a personal level it's something that's tough to put into words because of all the ties to Woodstock and the people there that I know,” Brasile added. “I have all the admiration and respect in the world for those guys. It will be nice to compete against them as well.”

Brasile faced his old high school last year in Hampshire. The Whip-Purs won that game 15-12 when Matt Kielbasa made an uncontested, 41-yard free kick with 13.4 seconds left.

Elgin's civil war: Larkin's 27-13 victory over rival Elgin last Friday was truly a battle of brother vs. brother.

Playing for Elgin was Shareick Morris, a 5-foot-6, 147-pound senior who caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Terrance Miller-Allen for the game's first score.

Also a defensive back on defense, Shareick was later called on to defend the field against Larkin running back Kindrel “No Mo” Morris, his 5-foot-6, 140-pound sophomore half brother.

“He tackled me a few times,” Kindrel Morris said of Shareick.

The younger sibling got the last laugh in this case, however. Kindrel Morris came off the bench to gain 155 fourth-quarter yards and score a touchdown to help the Royals snap a 20-game losing streak.

Healthy at the right time: A roster of 23 players to start the season didn't leave St. Edward with much depth, so a recent spate of injuries took its toll.

When defensive backs Saveon Smith and David Madden left in the first half of the Ridgewood game two weeks ago due to injuries, the Green Wave were sometimes forced to play six sophomores on that side of the ball in a 31-23 loss that cost them a repeat title in the Metro Suburban East.

However, St. Edward, like its newly refurbished football field, is the healthiest it has been since the season opener. Linebacker/running back Patrick Brown returned to action two weeks ago, center A.J. Salvador returned last week and Madden and Smith are expected to rejoin the lineup when St. Edward (5-3, 3-1) hosts Elmwood Park (4-4, 3-1) at Greg True Field on Friday at 7 p.m.

We're getting healthy again, and I hope that reveals itself Friday night,” St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. “There are playoff implications for both teams. A win would secure us with 6 (wins) and it would make them eligible with 5. We'd like to improve our seed as much as possible to have a feasible crack at a playoff victory.”

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