Oak Lawn Spartans Off To Stunning 3-0 Start For The First Time In Over 20 Years

OAK LAWN, IL — When Ryan Pattison took over as the head football coach for Oak Lawn Community High School five years ago, the Spartans won four games and narrowly missed making the Illinois High School Association playoffs. In the four years that followed, the Spartans only won a total of two games.

However, the dawn of a new day is here. The Spartans are on the rise. Oak Lawn opened the season with a pair of convincing wins over Wheeling and Thornridge, but when they pulled out a 28-27 victory over Shepard Friday night, things became real. This team is poised for success. The Spartans are 3-0 for the first time in more than 20 years.

“I believe the success we have had thus far is because as a team we believe we have put the work in to allow us to be successful,” Pattison said. “The culture of the team and program has changed, and that’s why you are seeing a different team on the field. I think it is important to note that this culture change was intentional, and if you were in the program, you have felt it slowly changing over the previous years.

“This is just the first time it has got to the point where it has been obvious to people outside the program and is showing up on the football field. This team has been through a lot of adversity and has stuck together, whether it be a tough season or losing key players, these guys are tough and resilient.”

The captains of the team are taking the reins on this new culture and running with it. Luke Mahoney, Alex Soto, Jesse Paredes, Alberto Silva, Hendryx Goetz, and Laith Abassi are talking the talk and walking the walk.

“They were voted as our team captains,” Pattison said. “However, there have been a lot of individuals who have stepped up this year. A few things we as a program have been intentional on improving has been our self-discipline, holding our team to a higher standard both on and off the field, and focusing on the little things. Although coaches cast the vision on what we need to improve on, it is the student-athletes that must buy into the standards, and that is why our leadership has been so important.”

The metaphoric rising sun in Oak Lawn may also be partly because of the actual son of an OLCHS math teacher Sara Strelow. Sophomore Danny Strelow was thrust into the starting quarterback role this year when senior quarterback Tadgh Walsh injured his ACL over the summer. Despite the crushing blow that losing a starting QB can be, the result is still a 3-0 start for the resilient Spartans.

The road to get to this point has not been an easy one for Pattison and Spartans, but he set goals long ago to head things in the right direction.

“Personally, I have been very hyper-focused on getting Oak Lawn football to a place where it can be successful, not just for one year, but for many years,” Pattison said. “Four years ago, I knew without some major change, we would never become a consistent power in the South Suburban Conference Red. I put together a hierarchy on what we need to achieve, presented it to the staff, and to their credit, we went to work and went to work hard.”

The three essential beliefs include: effort, attitude, and toughness; the power of the unit (positive energy); and play fast and physical. These coaches and players have made these beliefs a reality so far this year.

The Spartans will look to continue to shine as they host Bremen (0-3) Friday night.

~ Contributed by Brian Frangella, OLCHS Feature Writer