By Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
The old adage states that “records are meant to be broken,” but there are a few that are so amazing that it is difficult to imagine that they will ever be surpassed.
Joe Dimmagio’s 56-game consecutive hitting streak and Cal Ripken’s consecutive games played streak are two records that night never be touched in our lifetime.
And so might a streak that is probably one of the most mind-boggling in all of high school athletics – the 151-game winning streak compiled by the De La Salle High School football program in Concord, California, from 1992 to 2003.
In the process of setting that mark, the Bob Ladouceur-coached Spartans more than doubled the previous record of 72 consecutive victories set by the Hudson (Michigan) High School football program from 1968 to 1975.
The closest any team has come since that time was when Charlotte Independence High School in North Carolina won a very impressive 109 consecutive games from 2000 to 2009. Even so, that’s a shortfall of 42 games, which equates to roughly three full seasons in most states.
Now think about this.
Ithaca coach Terry Hessbrook and the Yellowjackets are two seasons and two games away from tying the state mark set by Hudson, but nearly seven years away from the national record. Seven years…can you even imagine what a 151-game winning streak is like? You know every athlete that walked through those doors didn’t want to be on the team that finally lost a game and broke the streak.
Even as dominant as Ithaca has been over the previous three seasons, just think of what it would be like to be at that level for another eight seasons. Simply amazing.
Ithaca currently has the fourth-longest winning steak in Michigan. It has yet to surpass Hudson with its 72 consecutive wins, Morenci with 44, and Cheboygan with 43.
Hypothetically, the Yellowjackets’ senior class is on the verge of going its entire high school career without a loss and winning four consecutive Division 6 state titles, if the team is able to run the table again in 2013.
It might be premature to give Ithaca the title even before the season gets underway, but on paper this year’s team has enough talent, determination, and drive to get the job done and move one step closer to calling itself a dynasty.
Senior quarterback Travis Smith has the rare opportunity to finish his prep career without a loss. He threw for more than 2,000 yards last season and will play college ball at the University of Toledo. He also has receiver Logan Hessbrook, the coach’s nephew, returning for his senior year.
Do Smith and the rest of the seniors think about the streak? Is there added pressure heading into this season knowing what is at stake?
Smith thinks so.
“I think there is pressure because everyone is looking at this class as being the one class to go out there and bring home another state championship,” Smith said. “Myself, Bryan [Shaw], and Logan as well as the rest of the seniors on the team know what we have to do. You never want to be the team that ends the streak. So there might be a little added pressure, but I think we can handle it.”
For Logan, playing for his uncle and dad [assistant coach Todd Hessbrook] has been an honor, but it did add pressure to perform at times. His older brother Jordan played on all three of the previous state title teams, and Logan knows all about pressure – he stepped up big time a year ago when Smith went down with an injury during the Yellowjackets’ first offensive series in the state title game. He came in, carried the offensive load, and helped his team to another state championship.
“I couldn’t envision playing for anyone else,” Logan said. “It’s real special to play for this program. Sure there’s a little pressure to keep it going, because nobody wants to be the team that breaks the streak. But there’s so much interest in the program. Everybody around town stops you, asking you how the team’s going to be this year. It really makes you feel proud to be a part of this.”
As the streak has grown from year to year, it has kind of taken on a life of its own, but Terry Hessbrook tries not to think about it— the state’s longest winning streak in football in 31 years.
Forty-two games and three consecutive Division 6 championships may lurk in the back of his mind, but he knows that 2013 is a different year and it’s important to keep working.
“You try not to think about the streak. You try to go to work everyday, stay focused. I know it might sound cliche’, but its the only thing we can do,” Hessbrook said.
“If we stand around talking about how good we were or how good we are, then someone is going to smack us in the face. Really, one of the major keys is that we are a disciplined team and the kids pay attention to detail, and that comes from our coaching staff. A lot of what we do is instilled through our coaching staff. From the smallest details, but the kids pay attention, but it’s also contributed to the intelligent kids we have, who are allowing themselves to be coached and making adjustments on the field that need to be made. Those things you can’t teach.”
Whatever it is, things are definitely working in the favor of Hessbrook and his staff. Pressure aside, don’t be surprised if the Yellowjackets are hoisting the championship trophy for the fourth consecutive year in November at Ford Field.