Kankakee Times

Any time a team wins its first seven games, it's impressive, but when Bradley-Bourbonnais accomplished the feat this season, it may have been even more so.

The Boilermakers went undefeated against an early-season schedule that had only two teams with losing records.

Boilermakers Head Coach Mike Kohl told the Kankakee Times that this year's schedule is the toughest the team has faced in the six seasons he's been at the helm, and that to win the first seven games of that gauntlet was “outstanding.”

“This schedule has four (Class) 8A schools on it, so it prepares us for the tough 7A bracket,” Kohl said.

One look at Bradley-Bourbonnais' recent history suggests that this season's great start was part of a natural progression. According to MaxPreps.com, the Boilermakers went 5-4 in 2011, which was Kohl's first season in charge of the program. In 2012, the team improved to 6-4 and reached the playoffs. Bradley-Bourbonnais was 7-4 in 2013 and won a playoff game, then went 7-3 with a postseason berth in 2014.

Last season was another leap forward for the program, with the Boilermakers going 9-4 and reaching the state semifinals.

Kohl said it is hard to compare this year's squad to last year's, given that 36 players from the 2015 squad graduated. But even with the personnel losses, Kohl cited chemistry as one of the team's biggest strengths this season.

“The kids in our program care about each other. They care about our staff,” Kohl said. “Our staff cares and loves the young men in our program.”

Offensively, the Boilermakers racked up huge point totals in the first six games. Bradley-Bourbonnais scored 211 points in that span, an average of 35.2 points per contest, according to MaxPreps.com. Kohl cited quarterback Morion Burtis and Camron Harrell as having great starts offensively. For example, Burtis had 215 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Sandburg, according to bbchsboilingpoint.com, in the Boilermakers' 42-30 win on Sept. 16 at home. Harrell, meanwhile, announced on Twitter on June 26 that he had committed to play at the University of Iowa, according to HawkeyeNation.com.

Defensively, Bradley-Bourbonnais started the season strong by shutting out Centennial on Aug. 26 in Champaign. The Boilermakers allowed an average of 18.8 points per game in the first six games. Kohl praised Assistant Coach Joe Kubal as having “done a great job of getting our kids to believe in our system and running to the football.”

One area of improvement has been special teams, Kohl said, adding that senior kicker Josh Lazaro is one of the best in the Midwest.

Even with all of the talent and skill in every phase for Bradley-Bourbonnais, the team also is driven by belief, Kohl said.

“Our kids believe in what we are doing and believe in themselves – and that is a huge strength,” Kohl said.