Expectations are never going to be the same around the Chicago Christian football program again.
Brock Sperling and his fellow seniors have made sure of that.
The Knights put together the greatest season in their history last fall, going 13-1 and beating Maroa-Forsyth 47-0 to win the IHSA Class 2A title.
Sperling and 12 more seniors were the heart of that team, and nine of them are going on to play college football. The school celebrated that next step in their football careers during a ceremony at the school on March 26.
Sperling, who started at left guard and defensive tackle, is headed to Western Illinois.
Twin brothers Niko and Demo Griggs are going to play at Taylor (Ind.), while Christian Flutman, Chase Sytsma and Eddie Van Dellen are headed to Calvin (Mich.). Also moving on to the next level will be Caden Boersma to Bethel (Minn.), Kenny Jager to Wheaton and Kerry Teague to Albion (Mich.).
It’s a remarkable amount of college prospects — more than a quarter of the Knights’ entire roster — for a school with around 300 students.
Sperling, whose brother Hunter is a junior defensive lineman at Hillsdale (Mich.), wasn’t sure where he was heading.
“I didn’t have a lot of offers going into senior year,” he said. “I had one from Hillsdale, which is my brother’s school, and then a bunch of (NCAA) D2s started to pick up towards the end. But by then it’s usually too late for most FCS teams.
“But then Western Illinois, who I had been in contact with, came along and offered me. Honestly, it was kind of a no-brainer. I entertained the other ones, but I knew that I wanted to prove myself … I want to try and go as high as I can.”
Flutman, who started at quarterback and cornerback last fall, is glad there will be some familiar faces at Calvin.
“It’s definitely going to make the experience more comfortable,” he said. “I’m still gonna go reach out, make connections, make friends with them.
“But I think definitely bringing those two who, I might say, are really good friends of mine through here — going with them is definitely gonna make … it a really great experience.”
The bond that all the Knights seniors share is a strong one.
“I’ve gone to preschool with Chase since I was 2,” Sperling said. “He’s been my best friend since I was basically born. To see all these other guys (head off to play college football) … it’s just super cool. I’m so proud of all of them and I wish them nothing but the best.”
Ditto for CJ Cesario, the first-year coach who led the Knights to the top of Class 2A.
“It says way more about who they are as young men than it does about football,” he said. “So we’re really excited to celebrate them saying yes to doing hard things.
“And so there’s an extra level of maturity that comes with the commitment of college football, something they’ve never done before. And as much as you talk to them about what it entails — the commitment, the longevity of it, the sacrifice that comes with it, that’s the special part, that you see these young men saying yes to that.”
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