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Schools

JCA First To Hit 100

Coach Dan Sharp offered some perspective on Joliet Catholic Academy becoming the first high school football team in the state to reach the 100-win mark for the playoffs.

Names were part of the game on a sunny Saturday afternoon as Joliet Catholic Academy posted an historic 56-7 win over Washington in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Ty Isaac and J.R. Zwierzynski, present and past record-holders. Malin Jones, Craig Slowik and Tyler Reitz for the Hilltoppers’ explosive offense. Jones, Brody Wilhelmi and Austin Bolton for the Hillmen defense.

But when asked about Joliet Catholic becoming the first high school football team in state history to record 100 playoff victories, veteran coach Dan Sharp pointed to the person who first passed the baton.

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Gordie Gillespie.

“The first thing I think about when people say 100 wins is Gordie,” Sharp said. “This is all happening now because of what he did in the early days. I think of the Carmelite fathers. I think of all the great Hillmen who came through those doors down on Broadway Street. This is for them. They take pride in it.”

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That pride began immediately as Joliet Catholic qualified for the 4A playoffs in 1974 under Gillespie and won four straight state titles from 1975-1978 and again in 1981. The Hilltoppers also won state titles in 1987 under Jim Boyter and in 1990 under Bob Stone before Sharp returned to his alma mater in 1997.

As JCA, the Hillmen have reached new heights, winning five state titles in six years under Sharp from 1999-2001 and 2003-2004. Sharp won his sixth state title championship, and 13th for the school, in 2007.

“We’re at the top of the pyramid now, but all those guys built it,” he said. “Gordie had that great run of four in a row in the 70s and into the 80s, Jimmy Boyter and Bob Stone kept the tradition going, and I’m so fortunate that I got to jump into the Mercedes. We have a great coaching staff. We have great kids.

“What these kids do when they take the field is they know the tradition of Joliet Catholic. They know we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. And they know they have to represent a higher standard. To be the first team ever to win 100 playoff games in Illinois history, what a credit.”

And that credit, according to Sharp, starts with one man with the legendary last name: Gillespie.

“What Gordie instilled in me when I was a player and a coach for him — we continue to instill that Hillmen pride in our kids today,” Sharp said. “It’s who we are and it’s what we will stand for always.

“We play all-out every play, we play hard, we play fair. We knock them down, but we help them up. We respect our opponents, we give our very best, and we’re fortunate to be successful playing that way.”

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