Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison, Ill., is closing its doors, the Christian Brothers of the Midwest announced Thursday, because of falling enrollment and finances. The school, which opened in 1966, had seen its enrollment drop from 465 students in 2003-04 to 303 this year. A student body of 270 was projected for next year.
The Christian Brothers of the Midwest is a religious order with schools around the world. Brother Kevin Convey, director of education, characterized the decision as "very, very difficult," particularly given the school's success on the field.
The Highlanders won seven consecutive Class 4A state championships under two different coaches before losing Nov. 15 in the quarterfinals to undefeated Aurora Christian, which lost in the state final. Driscoll finished 9-3 this season after going 92-6 during its seven-year run.
Convey blamed the school's plunging population on the nation's economic recession, which made it harder for families to afford the school's nearly $8,000 annual tuition. Local elementary schools that have fed students into the pipeline also have seen a decline in enrollments. As for staff members and coaches, "We will do what we can to assist them to find other positions in other Catholic schools," he said.
The news was difficult for former players and coaches to hear. David Schwabe, last season's quarterback who is now playing baseball at the University of St. Francis in Aurora, Ill., was sitting in his accounting class when he received a text message about the news.
"Actually, I cried, to tell you the truth," he said.
Schwabe, whose father, David, was the freshman football and basketball coach and whose brother, Steve, quarterbacked the team this year, said he and his high school teammates have been exchanging phone calls sharing their thoughts and memories – "how we walked into that school as boys and came out as men."
Schwabe credited the team's winning streak to its coaches, starting with Gene Nudo, who started the winning tradition with the team's first state championship in 1992.
Six players from that team were coaches during Schwabe's four-year championship run from 2004-07. The coach and winner of the first four championships was Tim Racki.
"Racki just had this demeanor about him that, 'We work hard every day, and we may not be the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, but we'll be the smartest,' " Schwabe said. "And he never took anything for granted."
Schwabe, who rotated in and out at safety as a freshman and started at quarterback as a senior, said the coaches spent hours watching film, changed offensive schemes every week, and always had the players ready. A favorite memory of his was stuffing a fourth-and-1 in the conference championships in 2007 against Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Ill., which, unlike Driscoll, had several Big Ten recruits. Both teams were 13-0. Recognizing the offensive set, Schwabe blitzed up the middle and stopped the run, and the Highlanders went on to win, 13-7.
Mike Burzawa, who coached the team for its last three championships before moving on to coach at Evanston Township High School, credited the players. Only three or four players during the championship run have gone on to play at Football Bowl Subdivision (i.e., Division I-A) schools.
"I think it was just the kids were unselfish," he said. "We didn't care who got the credit, as long as the job got done. The players, they played like their hair was on fire week in and week out."
For Burzawa, the closing of the school is a personal loss. He was on the team that won the first state championship, and he also played on that year's state champion baseball team.
"It's a very sad day for the Highlander family," he said. "Driscoll's been a great place for me personally because many of my best friends today are people I met when I was in high school."
Source: http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=932536
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