The defense was led by brother LBs Gus (eight sacks) and Jon (seven) Olofsson. QB Anthony Kropp passed for 3,010 yards and 31 TDs. They finished by knocking off undefeated Wheaton South in the semifinals and Maine South, which was making its third straight trip to the finals, in one of the state's best championship games ever.
Why the Griffins were great: After dominating an independent schedule of teams that went a combined 91-60, they ran through a gauntlet of top programs in the playoffs in the school's fifth year. Playoff victory margin: 17.2 (Thornton 38-21, Lincoln-Way Central 39-9, Brother Rice 32-6, Wheaton Warrenville South 14-7, Maine South 30-24 2OT).
In 2009 they ran through 8A undefeated again and finished ranked No. They outscored opponents 630-170, including 195-63 in the playoffs, and finished No. Other stars included WR/S Joey Orlando, lineman Zach Timm and LBs Corby Ryan and Nick Catino. Goro passed for 3,171 yards with 38 TDs, and Perez rushed for 1,145 and 22. Why the Hawks were great: They won the first of their three straight 8A titles behind QB Charlie Goro, the Tribune's 2008 player of the year, and RB Matt Perez, who earned the honor in 2009. Playoff victory margin: 26.4 points (Stevenson 63-29, Loyola 26-7, Barrington 42-0, Bartlett 23-6, Hinsdale Central 41-21). They outscored their opponents 590-117, including 202-44 in the playoffs, and the finished No. Future Illinois QB Reilly O'Toole passed for 3,187 yards and 42 TDs, and RB Matt Rogers rushed for 1,269 behind a line that included Kansas-bound Luke Luhrsen. They topped 40 points 11 times and allowed seven or fewer points nine times. They didn't win by fewer than 20 points until the final, when they won their second straight 7A title and seventh overall. Why the Tigers were great: They proved their bona fides early with a 44-7 rout of eventual 8A champ Maine South in Week 2 and never stopped rolling. Playoff victory margin: 30.2 points (Benet 49-7, Wheaton North 44-0, Glenbard West 40-20, Belleville East 41-7, Lake Zurich 28-17). So dynasties like the four-peats from Joliet Catholic (1975-78), Mount Carmel (1988-91) and Providence (1994-97) get one team on the list - as do repeat powerhouses such as Maine South 2008-09 and Richards 1988-89. Those four programs probably deserve to have more than their nine combined entries here, but a list of 32 teams that includes 20 or so from the same four schools isn't quite in the spirit of this type of projects. Likewise, Providence uses all its fingers to count its state championships - and Joliet Catholic and Mount Carmel have to use some of their toes. The Flyers from the year before might finish second, and the team before that might rank third. Louis' 1985 champs probably would win a poll as the state's greatest team. We have two teams from the 2010s, five from the 2000s, five from the 1990s, five from the 1980s, seven from the 1970s, three from the 1960s, two from the '50s, and one each from the '40s, '30s and 1910s. Each era is represented as fairly as possible.
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