It's no secret Collinsville coach Mike Liljegren has lost a lot of sleep since becoming the head football coach for the Kahoks in 2003.
Before this year, Liljegren had compiled a 10-53 overall record and had four straight two-win seasons for a school known more for its basketball program than its football team.
But when Collinsville defeated Triad 29-21 last Friday, it marked the first time since 2002 — Tim Kane's last season — the Kahoks had won their first two games of the season.
Now, if Collinsville can knock off host Belleville West tonight in the Southwestern Conference opener for both teams, the Kahoks will have won three straight for first time since 1998. Kickoff is set for 7.
"It's not that we're doing anything different," Liljegren said. "We've just got a group of kids that's worked hard. I think part of it is … it's kind of a critical mass of football players that are not only good football players, but committed to what you're trying to get done.
"Every year, we've gotten more and more of those kids. But at some point you've got to get enough kids to get over the hump. And hopefully this year we've got enough kids to get over the hump."
Senior quarterback Austin Hails has played a major role in the resurgence the past two years. He has thrown for 506 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception this season after throwing for 2,342 yards and 16 TDs in 2009.
"Last year, we had all the potential there," said Hails, a three-year letter winner who played defensive end as a sophomore before moving to quarterback last season. "We just lacked in a couple of areas. We recruited a kicker this season. We changed up our defense. We've just got everything clicking this year."
Last season, the Kahoks lost three games by four points because they didn't have a kicker. This season, soccer player Dominic Zavaglia has provided the leg and the arm at the right time. He has connected on seven of eight extra points, one field goal and has thrown for a 2-point conversion. Add to the mix a defense that has prospered with a year of varsity experience, and Collinsville is on the cusp of making a run for a postseason berth. The last playoff appearance came in 1998.
"Everybody on this team really wants to win this year," said defensive back/wide receiver Gus Wellmaker, who was involved in 18 tackles in the Kahoks' win over Triad. "They want to put in that effort to finally put Collinsville on the map. Yeah, it's been hard to do especially when you're a team that is looked at as capable of doing nothing."
Granted, Collinsville (2,020 students) has played schools smaller in enrollment the first two weeks this season in Althoff (473) and Triad (1,264). But both were state-ranked teams — Althoff in Class 4A and Triad in Class 5A — and unranked Collinsville was still able to walk away with victories.
Last season, with virtually the same group who had little or no varsity experience, things were different. Of the five Southwestern Conference losses in 2009 by the Kahoks, two were by one point (13-12 to Edwardsville and 7-6 to Granite City) and one was by two points (22-20 to Belleville East).
While those close defeats give players heartache and coaches headaches, they may have helped the Kahoks this season.
"We were pretty close last year, but we just didn't get it done," Liljegren said. "You've got to learn how to win."
Which is what Collinsville has done this season. But the question remains, can the Kahoks keep the momentum going? The answer will come later tonight.
"If we can keep our kids focused on the task at hand … hopefully, good things will happen," Liljegren said.
