Osei leaves Elk Grove for Kankakee

Miles Osei is changing his address this summer.

The Elk Grove head coach is headed to Kankakee where he has been named the new head coach of the Kays.

"I am excited," Osei said. "I wasn't looking at all. I was planning to be at Elk Grove for the long haul. They reached out to me. They showed me what things could look like. It was something I could not pass up."

Osei took over Elk Grove in 2017. He began rebuilding a program that won just two games in the three seasons prior to his taking over the program.

His efforts paid off last season. Elk Grove won its first five games and Osei was named Chicago Bears High School coach of the week. The Grenadiers went 7-3 for the season and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Osei will head to Kankakee to take over a program that was second in the state in Class 6A in 2021. The Kays have been to the playoffs the last three playoff seasons under Derek Hart, who left to coach in Indiana.

"They have been real strong the last few years," Osei said. "I am looking to continue that and add my own style to it. I met the kids there and they are excited. They are actually part of the hiring process with a player panel. They were able to ask some tough questions."

Osei grew up in the Northwest suburbs and played quarterback at Prospect and then at the University of Illinois.

"It is only an hour and 10 minutes away," Osei said. "I am looking forward to a new challenge. It will be good for my family."

Osei said it was difficult to tell his players at Elk Grove.

"That was one of the hardest things I ever had to do," Osei said. "I never want to let kids down and I feel like I did. It was for family reasons and some kids understand that. My message to them is that they hold the power. I think that the foundation has been laid."

More changes:

Bryan Stortz at Conant and Michael Maloney at Grayslake Central also stepped down at their respective schools. But neither has a new coaching position.

"I am at a point where I just don't feel like I am going to walk in here every single day and give 100 percent of myself," Stortz said. "And if I am not going to be able to put my full heart and effort into making the program what is supposed to be on a daily basis, then that is not right. It is not right to the kids and the coaches in this program."

Stortz has had coaching in his blood for a long time. He has been a head coach for 17 years at Conant, Rock Island and Lake Zurich. During that span, his teams have gone 120-64 with 13 playoff appearances. He has won a state title and finished second twice.

Stortz was head coach at Conant for six seasons and went 24-30 with his teams qualifying for the playoffs in three of those seasons.

Before that, Stortz was at Rock Island for five seasons and went 34-18. He led the Rocks to four playoff appearances and to the 6A quarterfinals in 2016.

Stortz began his career at Lake Zurich. He was there for six seasons and his teams qualified for the playoffs each year. He led the Bears to a 62-16 record and won the 7A state title in 2007 and was second in both 2006 and 2010.

"We will see what is in store next," Stortz said. "Right now, I am just going to take a little time."

Maloney was head coach at Grayslake Central for four seasons and finished 19-17. In that time, Maloney reversed years of frustration for the Rams and their fans. He is stepping down to spend more time with his wife and their four children.

"It really is the time commitment," Maloney said. Especially the amount of hours invested in the offseason. I can't in good conscience give the kids at Grayslake Central that and try to be a good dad. I needed to allow someone else to grow the program and for me to be a really good father."

Maloney took over a program in 2019. The Rams had only been to the playoffs twice since Grayslake broke into two schools in 2006.

After going 1-8 in his first year and pushing through the COVID spring football season, Maloney got the Rams back near the top. They qualified for the playoffs the last two seasons, advancing to the second round each season.

Maloney has had four stints as a head coach. He began his career at St. Ignatius in 2008.

Maloney then spent three seasons at Johnsburg and was 10-19 there. However, his 2014 team went 9-2 and won the Big Northern Conference.

Maloney followed that to coach at Marian Central Catholic for four seasons. He took the Hurricanes to the playoffs three consecutive years and the 5A quarterfinals in two of those years. He finished 25-19 for the Woodstock school before moving on to Grayslake Central.

"The tipping point was my oldest daughter, who plays volleyball. I couldn't get to her games during the week," Maloney said. "And my other kids are involved in sports and other activities as well. There are plenty of head coaching jobs available. Maybe in 10 years, there will be a time and place to come back."