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There are a lot of great stories every year that go unnoticed.
From players raising money and donating time to community service efforts to countless other acts on and off the field, there are good stories everywhere. But as promised last week, here is my No. 1 good story of the year.
I've known Sandburg coach Jack Ferraro for 14 years now. One thing I've always admired about Ferraro is his passion in everything he does. The guy cares about his program, cares about his players and is a family man. I've covered his two children - Tony and Megan (both of whom played at Lincoln-Way Central) - and have got to know his wife, too.
And yes, Ferraro and I have disagreed at least ... well, I don't think there's a number that big. Seriously, we've disagreed, but it's never been out of a lack of respect for one another.
Over the past two years, Ferraro has done more than any other coach in the state when it comes to this...
If you recall last year, I started to call out coaches who didn't take a second to report a score - win or loss - to give their players some free exposure. So many coaches only call if they win, while other lazy bums (who are standing on the sideline just to collect a check and add to their pension) only call when they need something.
For as long as I can remember, Ferraro is one of the few coaches who has always called in his scores. When Sandburg was a powerhouse program, that was pretty easy to do. But this year, as Sandburg has faced some struggles, I'm sure that hasn't been easy for the proud Ferraro to do.
No one likes to lose, and I know it burns him inside to lose. But every game, win or lose, Ferraro takes a few minutes to write a recap of his game and sends it in right away. I asked Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Papa, "Who is writing this stuff Ferraro is sending in?"
Papa, who goes out to Sunday breakfast with Ferraro quite a bit, joked back that "Ferraro doesn't want to end up on your blog list, so he's doing it himself."
It may have been a joke, but the bigger picture is that Ferraro is willing to take a few minutes for his players, their parents and his program every game. It may seem so easy, but I can't tell you how many coaches don't do it - especially if they lose because of their ego.
Don't get me wrong, there are many coaches that do call in. But as you'll see below (in samples of game reports from 2008 and 2009), there isn't a coach in the state that goes the extra step after each game like Ferraro.
Take a bow, Jack, you won this one going away.
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Solid defense wins games. Captain Sean Healey (keeper), Eric Maier, Mark Krause, Kevin Tolley, George Vinihakis and Taylor Zalewski provided a formidable defense against the Lincoln Way East Griffins in a 2-1 win. Healey and company were able to prevent the Griffins from scoring until the last ten minutes of the game.
The Sandburg Eagles were very effective in their offensive half of the field. Jeff Grider brought his "A" game today. His first goal was in the first half off of a direct kick. After the ball was kicked, Eric Maier headed the ball to Grider who managed to get open inside the penalty area. Grider skillfully volleyed the ball in the back of the goal to put the Eagles up 1-0. Grider also scored the third goal in the game in the second half off a pass from Georgie Vinihakis. The second goal for the Eagles was from freshman player Joe Longhi who showed maturity and composure in his second game at the varsity level. Longhi finished a goal by chipping it past the Lincoln Way East keeper after receiving a pass from Grider inside the penalty area.
This win stopped a three win losing streak, and the Eagles are now 10-6-2 overall. They are 2-2 in the Southwest Suburban Conference, and are presently tied for 3rd place.
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The Sandburg Eagles won 1-0 against the Thornton Wildcats. Sandburg is now 8-3-2 overall. Captain Sean Healey le the Eagle in their win. He only had to make 2 saves, but he was always in position to prevent an attack inside the penalty area. He came off his line and swept up most of the through balls throughout the game. After a tentative played first half, senior Erick Jimenez scored the winning goal for Sandburg in the second half. Johnny Olson sent a pass from the left side of the field to Jeff Grider who flicked the ball to Jimenez for the combined assist. Sandburg's defense held Thornton scoreless and kept the shutout.
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In a evenly matched game, Sandburg tied Maine South. Sandburg let a 4-1 lead slip away in this game. Scoring goals for the Eagles were Gabe Virdaru, Taylor Zalewski (2 goals) and Dan Giron. Assists were made by Virdaru and Alex Hejna. On a positive note, the Eagles' play did display improvement in terms of ball possession, and scoring. In the defensive phase of the game, the Eagles will have to improve in the upcoming season.
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The Eagles lost their first game of the season to a very skilled Lyons Township Team. LT scored in the first half with less than three minutes left on the clock. About seventeen minutes in to the second half LT scored a second goal, and a third goal was scored with 5:59 left in the game. In spite of a nice performance by keeper Dave Mulac in goal with 6 saves, LT's offensive was able to break down the Eagle defense shooting on goal 9 times. The Eagles lacked an offensive attack and had zero shots on goal.
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Sandburg was able to beat Lincoln-Way North 1-0 after controlling the game for 80 minutes. The Eagles generated numerous opportunities with 8 corner kicks and 8 shots on goal. North generated 5 shots on goal, and Sean Healy was able to save all of them for the shutout. The Eagles scored a goal with 14 minutes left in the first half when Tyler Engel connected a pass to Fahad Nazir. Nazir who was inside the penalty area stayed composed, and made contact with the ball with the side of his foot to finesse it past the Griffin's keeper.
- Joe Trost
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your No.1 Story? come on... Disabato writes better story's for the Star, and that doesn't say much.
I can't believe you actually took the time to write this blog. This was the most meaningless blog I have ever read. I think a phone call to thank him for his work would be enough. He is doing his job, which I understand a lot of coaches don't do. But if you are going to write a blog give a reader more substance then just this guy makes your life easier.
I can't believe you took the time to hide behind the wall and write this. Meaningless blog - then don't read it. It is not in a coach's job description that they have to report scores, but they should and many do. But there is no one that goes to the length that Jack Ferraro does. Some coaches send scores and who scored, but many don't do it when they lose like Ferraro does. It's amazing, because some will say the winning coach should. But the winning coach isn't going to highlight someone from the losing team, and there are players that should be highlighted even when a team loses. Are you telling me Michael Jordan wasn't a highlight every game he played for the Bulls in the 1980s when they lost? Get a clue. He doesn't make my life easier, I don't do agate. Again, get a clue before you waste my time reading your response.