Stockton High School - Blackhawk Yearbook (Stockton, IL)

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Coach O’Boyle receives the congratulations of fans at a community celebration following the big win. After the 42-8 Homecoming victory, Dan Oppold and Scott Heller carry their coach off the field. Meanwhile, Blackhawk backers in the stands released maroon and gold balloons to celebrate the win. Homecoming Win Milestone For O'Boyle After being inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in the spring of 1987, John O’Boyle had a memorable 25th season for the Blackhawks, recording his 200th victory. This made Homecoming something special for everyone. After playing quarterback in high school in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, O’Boyle went to college. There he played baseball his freshman year and then no longer participated in intercollegiate ath- letics. He began as early as high school to think about a career in coaching because he enjoyed athletics and admired several high school coaches. O’Boyle came to Stockton in 1959 and spent four years as an assistant to head coach Emery Munson. O’Boyle stated that this was an extreme- ly valuable learning experience for him. Taking over the varsity program in 1963, O’Boyle’s team compiled a 6-2 record. Since that time his teams have had twenty-two more winning seasons and have made twelve IHSA playoff ap- pearances, reaching the semifinals once (1987), the finals twice (1975 and 1977), and winning the class 2A state crown in 1978. (The playoff system began in 1974.) When asked to reflect on his coaching career, O’Boyle characteristically had few comments. His greatest reward, he said, was “seeing the kids suc- ceed”. All the credit for his success “belongs to the kids. They’re the ones who win.” This statement goes a long way toward explaining O’Boyle’s re- cord. Further explanation comes through his answer to the question, what is the most important lesson you would like your players to learn? O’Boyle replied, “Hard work and preparation pay off.” Two generations of Blackhawks have learned that lesson well as a result of Coach John O’Boyle’s hard work and dedication. The “Hogs”, the Blackhawk line, block for Mark Wright in the quarterfinal game. Varsity Football 13

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'Hawks Go 12-1, Reach Semis To the cheers of many Blackhawk backers, the team takes the field against ROWVA. For the sixth straight year, the invincible Stockton Blackhawks prepared for the IHSA football playoffs. After being ranked 1 all year in the class 1A prep poll, the ’Hawks were elevated to class 2A just before playoff action began. The first test for the ’Hawks was the Forreston Cardinals. The Car- dinals took an early lead, but the Blackhawks proved that they could come from behind as they cruised to their first playoff victo- ry. The impressive defense held the Cardinals at crucial points in the game while the offense also poured on the steam, resulting in three long scoring drives. Stockton’s next victim was the Galena Pirates. Defense was the name of this game as the rain made playing conditions almost impossible. The only touchdown of the game was set up by a fake field goal in the second quarter. After that it was all defense. The next opponent for Stockton was the Oneida ROWVA Tigers. This time the weather cooperated with a perfect day for the quarter- final game on Stockton’s home field. The defense again was all over its opponents, holding ROWVA, a team that had aver- aged over 300 yards per game, to only 136 yards total offense. The game was nearly a shutout, with the Tigers scoring their only points with just six seconds left on the clock. The last game of the season for the Blackhawks was the semifinal war with the Woodstock Marian Hurricanes. Stockton, the under- dog in the game, came out strong and led 11-7 at the half. However, in the third quarter, the Hurri- canes exploded for three scores and prevented the Blackhawks from ever catching up. One week later Marian rolled to its second straight class 2A state champion- ship. The Blackhawks of ’87 gave the school and the community many thrills. School spirit was visible everywhere. Throughout the year the ’Hawks always gave 100%. Coach John O’Boyle summed it up best by saying, “The team had an outstanding year. They did everything we asked of them.” Tim Timpe and Scott Heller celebrate Dave Noller’s 1-yard TD plunge at Forreston. BIG ‘D’. The Blackhawk defense shuts down the Pirates on the wet, muddy Galena field. The ’Hawks stopped the Pirates three times inside the 10-yard line on their way to a 6-0 shutout. The faces of Chris Dvorak and Don Hoff show the tension of the Blackhawks’ narrow win over Galena. 12 Sports

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Faces painted and adorned with Blackhawk stickers, Lu Bower, Amy Glastetter, JoAnn Endress, Angie Creighton, and Colleen Cahill scream encouragement to the team. Clutching handfulls of confetti, Renee Westaby and Bonnie McPhillips watch the final seconds tick off the clock during the preliminary-round game at Forreston. WE’RE NUMBER l! Coming to Galena prepared, Janet Krogman, Tracy Rakowska, DeeAnn Nagel, Tricia Reed, and Kris Pearce celebrate the Blackhawks’ conference championship. Cheering for the Blackhawks, SHS students model their Blackhawk wear. Anything saying “Stockton” or “Blackhawks” was good, but the white, long-sleeved playoff shirts, sold by the Booster Club for $14.00, were especially popular. 14 Sports