After moving around for years, Vincent Smith found a home at Sandburg and helped build the foundation of something special.
Smith, a three-star prospect who is committed to West Virginia, played a key role in a transformational season for Eagles football.
Sandburg won a share of the Southwest Suburban Blue title — its first conference championship in 30 years — and hosted its first playoff game in 15 years.
That was a 21-14 Class 8A loss to Lockport on Nov. 1 that left Smith in a reflective mood. He lived in Tennessee growing up; started high school in Orlando, Florida; spent summers in Texas; and moved to Illinois for his sophomore year, playing at Lemont. All that before coming to Sandburg as a junior.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Smith said. “This team definitely means the most to me out of all four of my years (in high school).
“Just all the grind, all the sweat and tears we put into this game, this season. And for it to end so early, it’s heartbreaking. … I love that I went to battle with my brothers for this last time.”
The 6-2, 205-pound cornerback was one of several Eagles who came up with big plays against Lockport. His night included a tackle for loss and a pass breakup, while senior defensive lineman Ugnius Zaukas contributed multiple tackles for loss.
On the offensive side, junior Quinn Durkin had a 21-yard touchdown run and senior Jeffery Bellik threw a 31-yard TD pass to 6-5 junior Lucas Matykiewicz for Sandburg (7-3). Senior Luke Basiorka ran 16 times for 48 yards, while junior Sean Ruisz passed for 56 yards and ran for 26 more. Matykiewicz caught three passes for 61 yards.
The Eagles asked for a lot from Smith, coach Sheamus Murphy noted.
“He takes away half the field,” Murphy said. “All the (offensive coordinators) on the other side know that. We’ve essentially asked him to play half the field by himself, and he did a great job of that all year.”
Smith welcomed the challenge.
“Me being a three-star (prospect), me being who I am, I have to embrace that battle,” he said. “That’s what I worked on all of the offseason. … I wanted to be the one on the back side, just lock up the whole side.”
Smith can’t wait to see where the program goes in the next few years. Many key players will return next season, and Murphy — who was promoted when Troy McAllister left to take the Homewood-Flossmoor job — will have his first full offseason as head coach.
“I feel like this (senior) class is gonna come back in 15 years and it’s gonna be a big thing,” Smith said. “Because this is the class that’s really gonna put Sandburg on the map. We went 7-2 (in the regular season), beat (Lincoln-Way) East, beat a lot of big-name teams. … People doubted us and didn’t think we (were) even going to be anything this year.”
Smith appreciated the support he got from the Sandburg community after his stepfather, Walter Mack III, died unexpectedly at the beginning of the year.
“I just want to thank coach Murphy the most,” Smith said. “Because when I was down in February, he really came in and picked me up even before he was head coach. He’s really just a great man.”