Team at a glance
Nickname Highlanders
Colors Black and Gold
Stadium name and location Driscoll Catholic High School 555 Lombard Road, Addison
Enrollment 376
Class 4A
Coach Brandon New (1st year)
2007 record 14-0
Conference 7-0, 1st

Top returners
Steve Schwabe    sr.    QB
Austin Baker    sr.    WR
Brett Warren    sr.    K
Andrew O’Reilly    sr.    OL
Mike Labadessa    sr.    OL
Clay Cooper    jr.    WR/CB
Joe Calabrese    sr.    WR/S
Trace Jenkins    sr.    DE
Ricky Divito    sr.    CB/RB
Frank Barcal    sr.    LB
Gerrod Callanta    sr.    OL/DL

Promising newcomers
Nick Campanella    jr.    RB
Tom Randich    jr.    LB
Joe Conti    sr.    WR/LB
Francesco Girardi    sr.    OL
Pierre Washington-Steele    jr.    RB

Season schedule
Aug. 29    at Germantown, Wisc.    7 p.m.
Sept. 5    Morris    7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12    at St. Francis    7 p.m.
Sept. 19    at Marmion    7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26    Immaculate Conception    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3    at St. Edward    7 p.m.
Oct. 10    Aurora Central Catholic    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 17    Marian Central Catholic    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 25    at Montini    1 p.m.

Games to watch
Sept. 5 vs. Morris Class 5A runner-up to test Highlanders in their nonconference finale
Oct. 17 vs. Marian Central Catholic Could determine the SCC title as Hurricanes feature Division I quarterback recruit Jon Budmyar.
Oct. 25 at Montini Always a rivalry game, Highlanders escaped with a 13-7 win last fall

five-year record
        overall        conference        playoffs
‘07    14-0    7-0    4A champ
‘06    13-1    6-1    4A champ
‘05    14-0    7-0    4A champ
‘04    12-2    5-2    3A champ
‘03    14-0    7-0    4A champ


Brotherly love
Not only is Steve Schwabe inheriting the quarterback position on a team that has won seven consecutive state titles but he is also taking over for widely-acclaimed older brother David, who graduated last year.
All David did last fall was throw for 2,173 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,005 yards and 11 more scores. While Steve might not reach those lofty numbers, the senior is expected to be the leader of an offensive unit that has some new faces on it. While star running back Tim Franken also has moved on to college, the Highlanders do return three wide receivers, including Baker and Calabrese.
“It is funny,” New said. “They have such different personalities. As great as Dave was, he was an athlete; Steve is a quarterback and there is a difference.”

Put to the test
When you’ve been on the award stand at the University of Illinois for seven straight years, nobody is going to have any sympathy for you.
Having said that, the Highlanders might face the most difficult four games to start a season in program history. After having little trouble with nonconference foes Rock Island Alleman and Spring Valley Hall last season, Driscoll has replaced them with Germantown, a Wisconsin powerhouse, and Morris, a 6A team who went 11-3 last year.
The squad then kicks off the Suburban Catholic Conference portion of their schedule with St. Francis and Marmion, a pair of upstarts who could cause problems for any opponent.
With a new head coach and plenty of fresh faces, a lot of questions will be answered during that stretch.

Carrying the load
A big question lies with who will pick up the rushing slack and replace Franken’s 1,782 yards from a year ago. Three candidates have emerged in Divito, Campanella and Washington-Steele. They will be running behind an offensive line that returns only two starters in O’Reilly and Labadessa.
“Every year it comes down to the line,” New said. “We could have the best athletes in the world and if you don’t have a line, it doesn’t do you any good.”
Defensively, the Highlanders return just three starters in Barcal, Calabrese and Divito.
“Defensively we are real young,” New said. “When you graduate as many seniors like we did, you don’t really know what you have. Practice can only tell you so much. But overall, we are very excited.”

Pressure on new coach?
A big storyline for the upcoming season lies on the sideline where New takes over for Mike Burzawa, who has moved on to Evanston. The Highlanders went 41-1 under Burzawa and now New becomes the third Driscoll coach during the run of seven consecutive state titles.
A 1994 Driscoll alum, New is familiar with the Highlanders program and has been the defensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He inherits the pressure of keeping the streak alive with a team that has only six returning starters.
“I’ve had a lot of support from the administration, the parents and the kids,” New said. “That has made my transition easier. And we were able to retain all but two coaches. I have a lot of support from those other coaches, not just mentally but also with all the things they do for this program.”

SENIOR SAYS
Andrew O’Reilly
Do you guys feel any pressure with a streak of seven straight state titles?
“We try not to talk about it. We just try to be the best team that we can be. If we play to our potential, the other stuff will all pan out. All we are thinking about right now is our first game and that is Germantown. It should be fun. It is just about getting ready and we are hoping to be ready by game time.”

How has the transition been with Brandon New taking over as head coach?
“It has been real good. He is doing a real good job. He brought some coaches up from the JV and also brought in some guys (to coach) who used to play for Driscoll. We are still running the same offense. Everything has gone real well.”

How do you guys differ from last year’s undefeated squad?
“We are a more balanced team. We have more depth. We have a lot of guys who can contribute; we are not one-sided. We will miss the seniors but hopefully we have guys who can step up and fill those holes. Right now we are just trying to jell togther. Once we get that, I think we will have a balanced attack with the run and the pass. The coaches do a real good job putting us in situations to make plays.”

What are some keys to the upcoming season?
“We have a young team so we don’t know how a lot of these guys will react in the spotlight. We hope we all step up as a team. We are not the biggest so we have to be able to be quicker than our opponents. We have to control the line of scrimmage. We have to fill some holes on the offensive line because as the line goes, the team will follow.


BY THE NUMBERS
8th Consecutive state title the Highlanders are attempting to win this fall, which would increase their own state record

35 Consecutive playoff wins for Driscoll while going 92-6 during the last seven campaigns

44 Number of rushing touchdowns Tim Franken and David Schwabe combined for last year, a duo that has since graduated