Just 3 years into program, Athens on brink of playoffs

THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

ATHENS — Justin Hankins remembers when, as an eighth-grader, he and some of his classmates were asked about the prospect of starting a football program at Athens High School.

“They asked us if we wanted to have a co-op with Pleasant Plains,” recalled Hankins, now a senior wide receiver for Athens. “And we said no, we wanted our own team. We all wanted to start something new and do it together.

“Everybody was jacked up just because we were starting football here. Now, just to know we could go to the playoffs . . . that’s big.”

In this, Year Three of Athens varsity football, the Warriors need one more victory to qualify for their first playoff berth. After going a combined 1-17 the past two years, they’ll take a 4-4 mark into Friday’s 7 p.m. Senior Night home game against Mendon Unity (0-8).

If the outcome follows the form of a typical matchup between a 4-4 team and a winless one, Athens will be one of 256 teams to hear its name called when the Illinois High School Association announces the playoff pairings Saturday night.

Hankins and senior quarterback Korey Kern have been two of the top performers in the Warriors’ climb to competitiveness this season. Kern, a three-year starter at quarterback, has thrown for 1,325 yards and rushed for a team-leading 634.

Hankins, meanwhile, has an area-leading 42 receptions for 821 yards.

“The thing about Justin is I know what he’s going to do almost before he does,” Kern said of working with Hankins. “I know what he’s going to do because he’s football smart.”

But coach Joey Dion, who was part of a small-school football dynasty while playing at Carthage High School, said Kern’s and Hankins’ roles go beyond statistics and execution of pass plays.

“I can honestly tell you, words can’t put that young man’s dedication into perspective,” Dion said of Kern. “He’s truly Warrior Football. He put his trust in me and the program; he leads by example, and he takes people with him.

“Justin has similar characteristics. He just loves the game. I’d like to take credit for it, but he’s a self-made player. Football players aren’t made during the season. They make themselves during the off-season. And they’re committed to each other and the program.”

The Warriors’ success has come so quickly one might think seniors such as Hankins and Kern wished they had a few more years’ worth of football eligibility at Athens. But Kern said this season — after the struggles of the first two varsity seasons — has been reward enough.

“I like the idea of being the ones who got it started,” Kern said. “We’ve set the foundation. We went through the 70-0 beatings. Nobody wants to go through that, but I’m glad it was us.

“Like, (Petersburg) PORTA annihilated us at the start. But I’m glad we’re the ones who started out. There aren’t many people who can say they were with a football team at the very start, then made the playoffs before it was over. We can do that.”

The Warriors positioned themselves for Friday’s potential playoff clincher with an emotional 18-15 victory last week at nearby PORTA. Given the proximity of the schools and the significance of the win, Dion reminded his players to soak it in.

At least one player, Kern, took it to heart.

“I told them, ‘Don’t just run off the field,’” Dion said. “I told them to go hug somebody. Enjoy the moment. We finally got to the locker room, and Korey was in there and said, ‘I don’t want to go home.’”

If Athens finishes the regular season 5-4 and reaches the postseason, the Warriors will have to play on the road in the first round. But it still would represent a major jump for a fledgling program.

“I’ve always dreamed of doing something like this,” Hankins said. “The last two years, after our season was over, we’d go and watch playoff games somewhere else. It was a great feeling, watching other teams go at it in the playoffs.

“It’s exciting just to have a chance to do that ourselves.”

Dave Kane can be reached at 788-1544.