Q Of The Week: Who would be on your fav school's Mount Rushmore?
- Thread starter EdgyTim
- Start date
Actually, I graduated three years before you. My health is fine .. a few minor problems. I hope you're doing well.
I used to love that show! I remember hating when they had the outdoors guy Chauncey on there instead of high school extra.
Aurora Christian
Don Beebe (took over average 1A program and won 2 3A state titles and 1 4a runner up. Currently HC for Aurora University.)
Jordan Roberts (4yr starter at QB. Top 5 in Illinois history in nearly every passing statistic. 2008 4a Runner Up. QB who ended Driscoll’s run. 3yr starter for Wheaton Collge.)
Anthony Maddie (2yr starter. Sr Yr was one of the best QB seasons in Illinois history. 2011 State Champion. Also was the starting QB for JCA’s 2009 runner up. Started at NIU)
Chad Beebe (3yr starter. Holds every WR record for AC. Played college ball at NIU. Currently in his 3rd season playing slot receiver for the Minnesota Vikings)
Don Beebe (took over average 1A program and won 2 3A state titles and 1 4a runner up. Currently HC for Aurora University.)
Jordan Roberts (4yr starter at QB. Top 5 in Illinois history in nearly every passing statistic. 2008 4a Runner Up. QB who ended Driscoll’s run. 3yr starter for Wheaton Collge.)
Anthony Maddie (2yr starter. Sr Yr was one of the best QB seasons in Illinois history. 2011 State Champion. Also was the starting QB for JCA’s 2009 runner up. Started at NIU)
Chad Beebe (3yr starter. Holds every WR record for AC. Played college ball at NIU. Currently in his 3rd season playing slot receiver for the Minnesota Vikings)
Jordan Roberts may be a better person than he was a QB. Is he still coaching at NIU?
I believe he got out of coaching last year and is in the corporate world.
Wish him nothing but luck, he was a great CrossFit competitor and coach at our facility for a few years, the whole family are great people.
How about we go out-of-state to Long Beach Polytechnic HS with 4 pro football names spanning different decades: Johnny Morris, Earl McCullough, Mark Carrier and DeSean Jackson. All skill athletes who attended universities in California.
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Mark Carrier went to USC.
He’s an assistant AD at LA now.
Gotta add Tim Foley '66 (half of the Foley O'Donnell Athletic Commons) into the mix. Besides being the starting QB for the Ramblers his senior year before a season ending injury kept him from enjoying the glory of winning LA's first ever Prep Bowl title (which we won despite starting a 3rd string QB), he achieved far more at the professional football level than any other Rambler ever.
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Greg Wilkins or Juice Williams if you want to replace the baller
Been watching WWS/ Wheaton Central since '86 so I'll just stick to the players I've seen rather add guys like Red Grange, Tommy Kee, John Wright and Dana Noel who were way before my time but are legendary players and all in the WWS athletic Hall of Fame.
John Thorne- Amazing coach built a powerhouse
Phil Adler '92- Was the man on the first team that broke through and won State
Jon Buetjer '98- Set national record for 60 TDs in year and throw fro 490 yards in the State Finals
Riley O'toole '10- great player two time state champ state player of the year.
** Danny Dierking '06- if there was a 5th spot he has it, owns every rushing record at the school
Honorable Mention: Jeff Thorne '88, Marvel Scott '89, Ron Grego '94, Larry Moeaki '95, Tim Brylka '96, Jon Schweigart '98, Tony Moeaki '04, Dan Vitale '11, Ron Muhitch
@dapiech who you got?
John Thorne- Amazing coach built a powerhouse
Phil Adler '92- Was the man on the first team that broke through and won State
Jon Buetjer '98- Set national record for 60 TDs in year and throw fro 490 yards in the State Finals
Riley O'toole '10- great player two time state champ state player of the year.
** Danny Dierking '06- if there was a 5th spot he has it, owns every rushing record at the school
Honorable Mention: Jeff Thorne '88, Marvel Scott '89, Ron Grego '94, Larry Moeaki '95, Tim Brylka '96, Jon Schweigart '98, Tony Moeaki '04, Dan Vitale '11, Ron Muhitch
@dapiech who you got?
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Didn't fratboy make the argument that Red Grange was in Wheaton North's district??? Lol! I wonder what hes up to
I would agree with your JC Mt Rushmore. I guess just missing it for me would be Randle and JR. Like MC's, just so many names to choose from.
Really like randles game and skill set but I think he’s substantially behind JR and Isaac. Those guys were key contributors for over 3 years each. Randle has a dominant senior year, but it only really got rolling in week 7. Hard to put him in the same category as those two guys. He fits in at the top of the next list of guys like Benson, Ferguson, Hudetz, Jones, Ivlow, McKeon, Hailey, VanTassel, and Gruber (limiting my list to last 20 years).
The Alstott vs JR comparison is a tough one. Alstott clearly if we’re considering lifetime achievement beyond high school into college and NFL. But purely for what he did on a football field in high school, I feel like JR is undoubtedly one of the four most impactful Hilltoppers. Way over 2000 yards two times. The workhorse for two state title teams and key contributor to a third title as a soph. Alstott was dominant in high school as well, but when we’re comparing very closely, I have to give the nod to JR if we’re talking about pure high school accomplishments.
Can something be a thing and not a thing simultaneously? Can a school exist if it no longer holds the properties that it did, but those of another? Isn’t this so-called WWS akin to the ship of Theseus?
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Nowhere near their Mount Rushmore but that little RB Clement? Tough kid! Hard to catch
Adam “Little Train” Clemens was great player all 5’6” 150lbs of him. He is on the Mt Rushmore of nicknames.
Great guy. He was Gerry Auchstetter’s righthand man at Geneva for many years.
Wilmington
Mt. Rushmore, or any ranking is always hard to construct. There is always so much room for interpretation. Are we looking for most accomplished, biggest impact or just best player? Obviously some of those thoughts of a player overlap. Your best player ever is probably also highly accomplished and had a great impact as well. I am reading this as biggest impact, meaning they had the most overall impact for the program health or success. So in no particular order......
Damien Anderson- First D1 player of the Reents era. Kids watched him have success against teams like Wisconsin and Michigan on Saturday's and become a Heisman Candidate and then make a pro roster.
Brady Wilkins- One year after Damien had left, Brady was the new man and earned a D1 scholarship as well. Without these two players who knows what Wilmington football would look like. For a town of 5 thousand people to produce D1 RBs two consecutive years it gets the town and sports community hooked.
Tony Vercelli- While I think there are about 3 or 4 better running backs in WHS history above Tony, he was highly accomplished and did it for 3 years. He also played both sides of the ball. His SO-SR years WHS was 30-something and 3. They also dominated mostly everyone that they beat. Kept the program going for Reents.
This is the hardest pick on my list. Either Al Zlomie or Jordan Sarr. Sure everyone contributed to the state title game, but without either of these two making the ultimate gamer plays WHS may not have that Championship in their trophy case. If you don't know what I'm talking about do yourselves a favor and watch the title game from about mid third quarter on. Two great plays to seal the deal. The stuff kids dream of.
HM
Jason Banning- flash in the pan type back. Would love to have seen what he could have done if he lived in Wilmington his whole life and started playing freshman year. Think he'd be on this list above Vercelli based off of raw skill alone, but he really only played his SR year.
Owen Weaver- Another Vercelli like player. Two way stud. Probably a little more athletic. Ton of heart. Didn't make impact as a SO but that was the title team.
Lodi Vercelli- Never saw him play as I was not even born yet, but I heard he was one BMF! Went on to play at NU as a DL. Can't imagine a QB in HS that big.
Mt. Rushmore, or any ranking is always hard to construct. There is always so much room for interpretation. Are we looking for most accomplished, biggest impact or just best player? Obviously some of those thoughts of a player overlap. Your best player ever is probably also highly accomplished and had a great impact as well. I am reading this as biggest impact, meaning they had the most overall impact for the program health or success. So in no particular order......
Damien Anderson- First D1 player of the Reents era. Kids watched him have success against teams like Wisconsin and Michigan on Saturday's and become a Heisman Candidate and then make a pro roster.
Brady Wilkins- One year after Damien had left, Brady was the new man and earned a D1 scholarship as well. Without these two players who knows what Wilmington football would look like. For a town of 5 thousand people to produce D1 RBs two consecutive years it gets the town and sports community hooked.
Tony Vercelli- While I think there are about 3 or 4 better running backs in WHS history above Tony, he was highly accomplished and did it for 3 years. He also played both sides of the ball. His SO-SR years WHS was 30-something and 3. They also dominated mostly everyone that they beat. Kept the program going for Reents.
This is the hardest pick on my list. Either Al Zlomie or Jordan Sarr. Sure everyone contributed to the state title game, but without either of these two making the ultimate gamer plays WHS may not have that Championship in their trophy case. If you don't know what I'm talking about do yourselves a favor and watch the title game from about mid third quarter on. Two great plays to seal the deal. The stuff kids dream of.
HM
Jason Banning- flash in the pan type back. Would love to have seen what he could have done if he lived in Wilmington his whole life and started playing freshman year. Think he'd be on this list above Vercelli based off of raw skill alone, but he really only played his SR year.
Owen Weaver- Another Vercelli like player. Two way stud. Probably a little more athletic. Ton of heart. Didn't make impact as a SO but that was the title team.
Lodi Vercelli- Never saw him play as I was not even born yet, but I heard he was one BMF! Went on to play at NU as a DL. Can't imagine a QB in HS that big.
Whatever happened to Banning? Did he stop playing after high school? He got hurt in the 02 semifinals against IC. Not sure the score is the same if he stays in the game.
Thornton of Harvey with Antwaan Randle-El, Tai Streets, Napoleon Harris and Bill Mosel.
Banning walked on, maybe preferred, to NIU. Unfortunate timing being behind Garrett Wolfe. I think he made it one or two years.
Not saying it would have been different for him if he wasn't there at the same time but either way he had a tough RB room.
He then went to St. Xavier and finished up his eligibilty. Now he is with CPD I believe. I doubt many suspects have successfully fled the scene on foot from him.
And yes, that was an awesome game! I asked before, but does anyone have a link the the documentary about the '02 EIC team? Some kid on the team made like a 45 minute doc and it was awesome!
Can Tai qualify only playing one year for TT?
Barry Gardner is a great altenate.
Tai Streets continued to earn his Wildcat Football stripes while coaching in the program prior to assuming his Head Basketball coaching duties. In fact, we can give him some extra sympathy points from the latter after his 32-1 team had their season abruptly halted last spring. By the way, after 3 years at the helm his hoops record stands at 80-11.
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