'All Of Crystal Lake Is Cheering': CL Native Headed To Super Bowl

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Trevor Keegan's high school football coaches, as well as family and friends, will be tuned into the Super Bowl this weekend to cheer on the former local football star — who was drafted by the Eagles this past year and will making his inaugural Super Bowl appearance.

Rob Fontana, the head varsity football coach at Crystal Lake South, said he will be watching the game from his couch.

"I always tell Trevor that all of Crystal Lake is cheering for him," Fontana said.

Fontana recalls his time coaching Keegan at Crystal Lake South.

“Trevor was a great leader for us. He never let his personal goals interfere with our team goals. He was the number one player in Illinois his senior year and was being recruited by almost every big football school across the county from East Coast to West Coast but he didn't miss any of our team stuff from open gym practices to summer workouts," Fontana said.

Keegan was in Crystal Lake last summer, after he was drafted to the Eagles, and Fontana asked him to stop out to speak during a football mini camp in Crystal Lake. Woodstock's program was also there for a joint practice.

"He talked to everyone about what high school football meant to him and the brotherhood and Friday Night Lights....How Friday Night Lights were so special to be playing in front of a thousand of his friends and community versus 110,000 in the Big House," Fontana said. The Big House is the name for Michigan Stadium, where Keegan played for the University of Michigan during college, where his team won the national championship in 2023.

Jason Bott, athletic director for Crystal Lake South, said he's been impressed watching Keegan in recent years.

"It has been amazing to watch Trevor transition from standout at Crystal Lake South, to a National Champion and leader at Michigan, to being drafted by the Eagles, and now representing the Crystal Lake South Community at the Super Bowl," Bott said. "Trevor has been and continues to be a first-class representation of Crystal Lake South and the entire Crystal Lake community."

We will all be cheering on Trevor and his teammates this weekend," Bott added.

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Making it to the Super Bowl has been a lifelong dream for the Crystal Lake native, his mom, Amanda Keegan, said.

"When we realized he was going to the Super Bowl, it may have been the most surreal moment of his football career,” she said. “Winning the National Championship with Michigan in 2023 was incredible, but going to the Super Bowl is what he has dreamed of since he was a little kid.”

Keegans's family has strong ties to the Crystal Lake community. Keegan attended Glacier Ridge Elementary and then Bernotas Middle School before going on to play football for Crystal Lake South, according to a District 47 news release.

His mother, Amanda Keegan, works as a nurse at West Elementary School. She said her son is proud of his roots and even has an "815" tattoo, which is the area code for some Crystal Lake phone numbers as well as several other northern Illinois towns.

"I love the photo of him on one knee showing his tattoos—you can see the ‘815,’ always representing,” Amanda told D47 officials in an interview this past week.

Keegan played youth football in the area. The now 6-foot, 5-inch, 305-pound pro football guard always stood out for his size, according to a District 47 press release.

“Trevor was one of the few very big kids in the area, and most dads and coaches knew him and would comment about him playing football for a very long time at the next level,” Amanda Keegan said.

The relationships Keegan and his family formed during Keegan's time in Crystal Lake have been monumental.

“He was coached by several different volunteer coaches, most of whom had sons attending D47 schools,” Amanda Keegan said. “Some of those coaches and kids have become our lifelong friends.”

He went on to play football at Crystal Lake South, joined by many of the same teammates he had during youth football days. During his senior year, he was voted a Rivals.com all-state selection and was rated the No. 1 player in Illinois, according to the Eagles website.

“It was the most amazing senior year of Friday Night Lights," Amanda Keegan said.

The Eagles will be squaring off against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX Sunday. The game starts at 5:30 p.m.

One other Illinois high school graduate, Jake Elliott, will make his third Super Bowl appearance on Sunday. The kicker graduated from Lyons Township High School.

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