Fans have their favorite plays of all time, but what about coaches? Do they have a favorite call they’ve ever made? The Daily Chronicle asked each of the five head football coaches in its area about the favorite call of their careers.

In this installment, Kaneland coach Michael Thorgesen talks about a halftime adjustment that helped power his team to a fall 2021 win at Andrew in Tinley Park.

The first half against Andrew wasn’t that bad for Kaneland.

Michael Thorgeson, at the time defensive coordinator for the Knights and now their head coach, said his team was winning by about a score in the Week 1 battle. But he still felt as if they needed to do more to slow down the Thunderbolts’ triple-option.

So Thorgesen had outside linebacker Jackson Marler focus on getting to the quarterback instead of guarding against the pitch. On the first play of the second half, Marler got to the quarterback, forced a fumble and changed the momentum in a 27-23 win for the Knights.

“That kept us in the game, because they were moving the ball,” Thorgesen said. “We bent but didn’t break, and our offense was able to score points, and it ended up being a big upset.”

The win also ended up being the difference for a playoff berth for the teams, as Andrew (enrollment 2,231.5 that year) finished 4-5 and the Knights (1,303) went 5-4 in the regular season.

Thorgesen said Marler stepped up once he started playing the quarterback, and safety Johnny Spalasso took over defending the pitch.

“Our outside linebacker was playing the pitch too far out,” Thorgesen said. “So we changed it to have the linebacker screen down to the quarterback and had our defensive back play the pitch. It caused some havoc. First play after half, we hit them and caused a fumble. It changed the momentum.”

Spalasso had the final of the five turnovers in the game, intercepting a late Hail Mary to seal the win.

Thorgesen said the Knights forced most of the turnovers in the second half after the adjustment. They only had one or two in the first half.

“It just feels good that the preparation and execution by the kids pays off,” Thorgesen said. “You have an idea, they execute, it works the way it should, you feel good. You feel like you did your homework, and the kids responded.”

Thorgeson, who took over as head coach in 2023, said his philosophy as a defensive coordinator is that it’s not about a specific play call but the execution of a game plan.

He said the switch against Andrew is a good example of that. They had the wrinkle of switching Marler’s assignment ready to go heading in, and the players were prepared and executed it perfectly.

“Defense, it’s all about the game plan,” Thorgesen said. “If a kid makes a great interception or tackle, that’s not really a call. ... I never really think of what I call as – it’s the kids making the plays. The offense, that’s kind of easier.

“Every play should be great. If it’s played perfectly, they’ll never score,” he said. “But that’s not football.”