The Trojans are off to a hot start this year, currently ranked 18th in the state by the Chicago Sun-Times. They have outscored their opponents 180-47 in the first five games and recently clinched a playoff appearance after beating OPRF 38-6.

The Trojans started off the season strong by beating the defending 4A semifinalists St. Francis Spartans 27-22. However, they were not ranked until week three when they beat conference rivals Glenbard West 31-0 for the first time in 17 years.

“Even though we weren’t ranked before that game it didn’t discourage us, our goal is to win every week no matter the opponent, it was cool to be a part of the team that was able to beat Glenbard West after a long drought,” senior Noah Battle said.

Despite clinching a playoff appearance, the team is focused on the remaining regular season games, three of which are against conference opponents. This week they will take on fourth-ranked York (Chicago Sun-times).

“Clinching playoffs this early takes some pressure off us, but we aren’t worried about that. Our goal every week is to go 1-0, we aren’t looking that far ahead yet,” senior Robby Farrington said.

The Trojans only returned five starters from last year. However, the roster overhaul has not slowed them down at all.

“Obviously we lost a lot of seniors, but nobody was worried about filling those spots. A lot of people have stepped up as leaders and made our team culture improve a lot,” senior Vince Davero said. “Whether they were here last year or not, everyone on the team is a competitor and wants to win.” 

Despite the young roster, they are ambitious to make a name for themselves and hope to do so at the upcoming state playoffs.

“A lot of the current seniors are passing on what the past seniors have taught them. Many players on varsity are also a lot younger than last year when we had a senior-dominated team. It’s a fresh start for most of the team, we run a new kind of offense, and it’s a mix of kids who work well and thrive with each other,” senior Luke Klempir said.