Inside the Porters Football Program

*NOTE: This article is about the impact of past seasons into the current one. I mention this snapshot of their current season, due to the Porters still continuing on into the playoffs.

The energy was fierce Friday night, October 7, 2022. The stadium lights not only illuminated the enthusiastic student section– most commonly referred to as the L-town– but also the most vital part of the entire operation, The Lockport Township High School football team. It was no secret that the Porters were the underdogs of this game. Bolingbrook High School, rated the 10th best football team in the state, was going to be a big hurdle to leap over. As I stood on the sidelines on that chilly night, I experienced a football game up close. I witnessed nervous pacing and disappointed shouts, along with the many cheers and tappings of the back and helmet. I knew the Porters wanted to win this game. Despite the widely stated prediction that Bolingbrook would be victorious, the Porters beat the odds and closed the game at 34-33.

Although standing on the sacred field gave me a glimpse of the Porters football program, I learned even more about the players as I interviewed a few at Lockport High School. In our discussions, they opened up about playing football during the COVID-19 pandemic, winning a state championship, and the desire to have another successful season.

The journey has been anything but easy for the Porters. COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 season struck the team hard, leaving them in an uncertain position. Andrew Gallagher– class of 2024, team quarterback—was only a freshman when COVID hit. For most freshmen, the first year is similar to being a small fish in a big pond. That was not Gallagher's experience. When asked about the unusual season, he sat back and chuckled. "We played in the snow, so it was weird. We didn't know what to expect, but we had a great season, going 4-2. We started to get to know the Lockport way."

It was a six-game season in the spring instead of the usual nine-game season in the fall. This schedule was unusual for everyone involved, including Dr. Greenan, Principal of Lockport Township High School. The last game of the season stood out to him, being the last one for the 2021 seniors. "It was just a great moment for the seniors to be there and on the field with their families," Dr. Greenan reflected. "I played sports in high school, and there is something to be said about that last game before you go off to college. Despite the difficult year, I could see the joy on particularly the seniors' faces, along with their families."

Even though it was not the ending the 2021 seniors had envisioned, they had the closure they deserved.

During 2021, the Porters started their season in February instead of the usual month of September. Fortunately, this gave them a leg up. Being able to train earlier in the year meant they started right into summer training once the season closed. COVID guidelines were beginning to lift, and a regular season was on the horizon. The players' mindset was good. They focused on hard work, understanding that time moves fast during the season.

"Life is short. Everything can be taken away in a second," Giovani Zaragoza– class of 2023, running back– explained to me. "Our mindset was just to have fun and try not to get in our own heads."

Zaragoza was a junior during this time, and his mindset centered on learning from the powerful seniors leading the pack. This learning served him well, for Zaragoza has been playing terrifically during this current season and has stepped up to the plate since the beginning.

They only experienced one loss out of the entire 21-22 season— losing to a well-known Lockport rival, Lincoln-Way East— and eventually made their way to the state championship. The Porters had not been there since 2003 and were up against the same team, Maine South. To no one's surprise, the Porters came out on top. Even thinking of this now, I still see the image of the entire team lifting 2022 graduate Hayden Timoseck as he held onto their trophy; he beamed at the camera like he was holding onto gold.

"It felt like a movie," Zaragoza described, as though he was living through that moment again."Seeing the stands packed with all the kids you go to school with, seeing parents out there supporting you and playing with kids you have played with since middle school. Everything was just different."

This win, without a doubt, left a mark on the school's history, but most importantly, it impacted the underclassmen. For the underclassmen, the senior players were like mentors. For some, they were family. Gallagher got to experience his older brother Ethan Gallagher bringing home a win for the Porters that night on November 27. Gallagher beamed when asked about the impact of his older brother playing well on the team. "I've always looked up to my brother. He has had such an influence on my life. We would always be talking about football, even at the dinner table."

Gallagher continues to carry on his brother's legacy, despite only being a junior. He knows of the target on the team's back, and he explained that the team doesn't shy away from it, but instead embraces it. The senior players laid a platform to run across, and now it is vital for the underclassmen to use it.

This current 22-23 season includes many highs and lows for the Porters. They started strong, securing three wins before experiencing a loss in the Homewood-Flossmoor game (35-20). Although that loss against Flossmoor hit the Porters hard, the loss against Sandburg truly put things in perspective. I was unsure how to ask the players this question because I could tell the loss was discouraging. Even though the outcome was unexpected, it was essential. When it comes to sports, your downs are just as crucial as your ups. When talking about the loss, Gallagher did not hold back when explaining it to me.

"It was a bad game. We came out badly, and we finished badly. Our coach had a great game plan, and we put in the work on the field. But we just came out and didn't make plays. That's on us, not on the coaches."

After the loss against Sandburg, The Porters continued to move forward, expressing on their social media page that they were "locked in. moving on."

Zaragoza explained that they did not want to dwell on the past.

"Once you step off that field, you just have to forget about it. If you keep thinking about it, you just keep getting in your own head." With this mindset, the Porters secured two wins in a row against Lincoln-Way West and Bolingbrook.

When I interviewed fans on the sidelines, they too expressed their opinions on what they expect for the rest of the season.

Two intriguing opinions came from Matt Kajmowicz and Aaron Hubbard, both a photographer and a videographer of the Porters football program, who have observed them on and off the field since the summer. They have an especially unique perspective given their position on the sidelines.

"I'm a part of the brotherhood,” Kajmowicz tells me. That he is, for some may think that he is part of the team the way he stands so comfortably amongst them on the sidelines.

Hubbard is no exception. He even captures moments that the fans don’t get to see, such as getting focused and listening to music in the locker room and pep talks before the games. “Being on the field is a privilege, and I have been able to see the guys’ frustrations and their happinesses,” Hubbard explains to me.

When I asked Hubbard what he thinks the team can improve on from a bystander’s perspective, he explained, “We definitely need to improve some aspects of the game, but overall our players are putting in a hundred percent on and off the field.”

Kamjowitz added, "We just need to come out stronger, and we need to keep our heads up during the losses."

These ideas were similarly expressed to me by Gallagher.

"When we get down on ourselves, we lose our footwork. But when we come together, we are a great team."

And they are no doubt a great team. The brotherhood that was explained to me by Kajmowicz is evident at every game they play.

"We are finally learning and building off of one another," Zaragoza explained. "Once you start building off of one another, it's like a snowball and it just keeps rolling."

And build off each other they did, for the win against Bolingbrook was a mighty one. Seeing them run together on the field and lift their helmets was a reward for their teamwork. Now it all lies in the hope that the team will continue to move forward and work together, even when walking through the trenches. It appears to the fans following them that these years on the Lockport field will forever leave a lasting impression on the boys.

Gallagher summed it up perfectly, "Lockport plays football differently from everyone else."

*NOTE: As of right now, the Porters currently sit at a record of 5-4 this season. They are now setting their sights on the playoffs.
Watch this video of the team against LWW Courtesy of @Hubbard.Media