Cary-Grove’s Colin Desmet to play key role in triple-option after leading team in tackles last year

CARY – Cary-Grove’s Colin Desmet got a sneak peak at his future role on offense during last season’s Class 6A state championship game against East St. Louis.

The Trojans standout linebacker filled in at fullback in the game’s final moments after bruising starter Nick Hissong, who ran for a game-high 224 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a torn ACL on his 32nd carry at Northern Illinois’ Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.

Desmet only ran the ball once, gaining 2 yards, and later returned to his normal spot at linebacker as the Trojans made a key interception late and held on to shock the Flyers, 37-36, and celebrate their third state title in program history.

Before going in on offense, Desmet remembered being nervous but confident.

“It was a little nerve wracking at first, but I trusted the guys up front,” Desmet said. “We knew we had it. We knew what we had to do. Before I went in, the rest of the guys were telling me, ‘Calm down. This is what we practice for. You’re good.’

“They really welcomed me. It felt good.”

Desmet, after leading the Trojans in tackles last fall, now will get a chance to showcase his offensive talents. The 5-foot-8, 170-pounder will switch from defense to offense as the defending state champions move the pieces around after graduating 30 players.

[ Cary-Grove prepares to defend state championship with many new faces ]

Desmet, who will be a senior, will have big shoes to fill as a key part of the Trojans’ vaunted triple-option offense. Hissong (6-1, 225) was a punishing fullback and was second in the area with 1,717 yards, 30 touchdowns and an 8.7 yards-per-carry average.

Desmet is excited to show his playmaking abilities on offense, even if it means being on the receiving end of a few more hard hits.

“I’m just excited to get going,” said Desmet, who was a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team selection on defense last season. “[Hissong] is one of the best fullbacks we’ve ever had [at C-G]. I’m just excited to follow in his footsteps and see what I can do, get out there and run around.”

Last season’s Trojans were prolific on offense and defense.

Desmet was one of many key pieces for a Trojans starting defense that rarely allowed points. He led C-G with 130 tackles and four interceptions. Against East St. Louis, he racked up a team-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble.

Although Desmet didn’t get much work offensively, Trojans coach Brad Seaburg is confident in his abilities as a runner.

Desmet did play some fullback during the COVID-19-shortened 2021 spring season.

“You have to remember, just because you don’t see him on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t getting reps all week throughout the year,” Seaburg said. “He’ll be coming back in with a lot of experience and knowledge in the backfield.

“He was all-conference on defense and was absolutely huge for us. We’re excited to see what he can do for us [on offense].”

A lack of in-game RB experience at the varsity level doesn’t worry Desmet, who said he received a lot of good tips and pointers from Hissong.

“I learned a lot from [Hissong] about running certain plays, movements [off the ball], all the small stuff in practice that really makes a big difference,” Desmet said. “He’d always take time to ask questions. He’d tell me, ‘Hey, work on this foot step today‘ or ‘This is how you read this type of defense.’ He was really good at that.

“I think we follow [last year’s] success by looking at what those seniors put in every day. There was a lot of them. We have to try and be like them.”

Desmet will be joined in the backfield by Alex Schuppe, who got plenty of playing time as a junior, despite being behind established runners in Hissong, Drew Magel and Wade Abrams. The Trojans had such big leads on their opponents last season that backups regularly played in the second halves of games.

The quarterback position, which was vacated by Jameson Sheehan (834 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns; 933 passing yards and 13 touchdowns), has yet to be decided this early in the summer.

Desmet still looks back on the state championship fondly and also uses it as motivation to get back.

“It was one of the coolest moments for me, but it was better because it was a team effort,” Desmet said. “People will probably doubt us because we lost a lot [to graduation], but I think it’s motivation to keep us going and try to win more.”