Wheeler's Klimczak is Times Football Coach of the Year

Soft schedule. Paper tiger. Can't beat good teams.

Wheeler coach Dan Klimczak has heard it all.

Even when the Bearcats upset Andrean in the Class 2A Sectional 25 opener, there were haters who said it was only because the 59ers committed eight turnovers.

"If people want to dog other people, that's their prerogative," Klimczak said. "Like any winner, people get tired of it. We lose to Rensselaer a couple times and people point fingers, say we're a flash in the pan. It gets frustrating, but I wouldn't say it's vindicating. We're just concerned about what we do, not what people are saying about us."

When the dust cleared this season, there was little for even the most hard-core skeptics to say. Wheeler ran the table in the Greater South Shore Conference for the fifth straight year. After knocking off Andrean 12-7, it went on to claim the sectional title and finish 12-1, earning Klimczak Times Coach of the Year honors.

"Our team represented his fire to win, the desire, the work ethic," quarterback Nick Naspinski said. "He instilled that in us. He believed in us every week, even when no one else was supporting us."

Often undersized and under-appreciated, Wheeler took on the identity of its coach. One of four brothers in a football-crazy family, Klimczak always vied with Adam, Tony and Steve for top dog status. He took that tenacity to the field at South Central and St. Joseph's College and carried it into his coaching.

"I'm a very competitive person," Klimczak said. "I never concede. It's what I've always preached to our kids. Don't bow down to anybody. Play your hearts out and if at the end of the day, you win, outstanding. If you fall a little short, at least you know you gave it your best. That's all you can do."

When this senior class was sophomores, Jake Gore recalls Klimczak taking them aside and telling them the great things he believed they could do, if they made the investment.

"He always pushed us, to go as hard as we could," Gore said. "It would always make you want to go harder, to do everything you could."

At 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, Gore is your typical Wheeler kid. He might not impress you on the roster or in pre-game warmups, but once the ball is kicked off, that all changes.

"We weren't the biggest guys," said Robert Hurd, all of 5-7, 160. "But coach taught us to be tough. He instilled in us that we could do it, and we did it. We definitely got our style of play from him. He knew our strengths and weaknesses, and put us where we could do our best."

After nine weeks of decisive victories, Andrean represented a drastic departure from business as usual. Usually a prohibitive favorite, Wheeler was cast in the role of heavy underdog. It was then that Klimczak was at his motivational best.

"He was telling us, people are doubting you, (saying) you can't play with a big team," Hurd said. "We feel people always underrate us. They don't give the program credit. It was kind of sweet that was the only game we were expected to lose. It gave us even more reason to dominate."

Klimczak considered the 59ers the best team Wheeler has ever faced. But he wasn't about to sell his kids short. It's not in his DNA.

"It would've been very easy for the players to buy into the hype, accept the fact they were going to lose," he said. "But they said no. I can't tell you how proud I was. It's as hard as I've ever seen a team play. What a compliment to them, to their courage, their determination, the individuals they are. Hopefully, it will carry them forward beyond high school."

The game is being considered maybe the region's greatest upset, which Klimczak takes it as a compliment. At the same time, he got his players to believe in the days leading up to it that this was no David vs. Goliath tale.

"He was telling us, 'Everyone's going to say you upset those 59ers, but it's not going to be an upset to us,'" Gore said. "I don't think there was ever a doubt in our mind."

Wheeler prevailed despite not having Naspinski, its 6-3, 208-pound QB, who returned the next week from a broken ankle. As much as Andrean and the sectional title, Naspinski will remember the night of the River Forest game, when Klimczak came to the hospital.

"Coach K always cared about us more as an individual rather than just another player," Naspinski said. "He gave me the confidence that I could lead this team."

Ultimately, Klimczak credits the kids for making it all happen.

"I think they defined a team," he said. "Their strength was stronger than any individuals we had. It was the best I could ever hope for in a team. They pulled together, no matter if the odds were stacked against them or if they were the favorites. They didn't let anybody categorize them (as) less talented. They were a highly-competitive class. I knew every game what they were going to bring, and that was their best. Hopefully, I had something to do with it."