After a tough 2024-2025 football season, for the first time in history, the Lisle Lions football program only yielded a junior varsity team this fall. The team currently has a winning record of 6-2.
“It feels great…Winning is awesome, and the kids are having a lot of fun, and I’m happy for them,” said head coach Cory Dillard.
The leading scorer currently is sophomore Sebastian Osslund, with 13 touchdowns. Close behind is sophomore JT Tumbarelli, with 8 touchdowns. There is only 1 game left in the season.
“I want to finish on a high note. I know the boys do, too. They’re working really hard,” said Dillard.
Dillard commented on the team’s past challenges, saying, “We’ve had a couple of tough years, and the kids have persevered, though. Nobody quit, and this year, we’re having some success…it’s at the JV level, but we’re hoping that it leads to future varsity success.”
At a school of Lisle’s size, Dillard believes teamwork is even more valuable. “ I think the fact that everybody at Lisle is important, we only have about 22 kids on the team. So if one guy’s missing from practice, we feel it, right? Everyone is equally important, and there are no insignificant assignments or roles on this team. We need everybody there every single day, and that’s what’s kind of different from Lisle right now compared to a lot of places.”
Coach Dillard looks for a player who has “ Toughness, good work ethic, speed, athleticism, all those things”. He feels that the senior team managers, Shoaib Khan and Sadie Larsen, bring the most spirit to the team, making it a fun and exciting season.
The Lisle Lions had 16 players return from the previous 2024-2025 season. “I like big stops, turnovers. Obviously, long touchdowns are exciting, all that stuff,” Dillard stated when being asked about what the most exciting part of the game is.
Dillard commented that the decision to focus on the JV team came after evaluating the “low numbers in the junior and senior classes. We saw that it would be a struggle to field a competitive team that could withstand injuries without having to play freshmen and sophomores against competition they weren’t ready for. So we’re kind of just trying to hit the reset button and hopefully rebuild the program from the ground up.”
Although seniors are not allowed to play on the JV team, they still held a senior night for the senior managers, Sadie Larsen and Shoaib Kahn. The team has games on Monday nights due to other competitions, with the opposing coaching staffs helping varsity on Friday nights, and other players doubling up for varsity or being present in case of severe injuries or emergencies.
Dillard wrapped it up, saying, “The whole season’s been different, no doubt, but it’s been very exciting and fun, and I’m just proud of the kids and all the work they’ve done.”
