Remembering Mascoutah High School’s 1979 state championship football team
It was 40 years ago, but former Mascoutah High School football coach Fred von der Linden remembers it like it was yesterday.
In the midst of an 11-year stint as its head coach, von der Linden guided the 1979 Mascoutah football team to an undefeated regular season that included a win over then undefeated Highland, which gave his team a conference title and a boost heading into the Class 3A playoffs.
Postseason victories over Taylorville, Metamora and Charleston followed, moving the Indians into the state championship game. On a chilly November Friday night at Illinois State University in Normal, Mascoutah defeated Morris 7-6 to cap off a 13-0 Class 3A state championship season.
On Saturday, the 2019 Mascoutah Indians will try to become the second team in school history to reach a state championship game when they host the Rochester Rockets in a Class 5A semifinal game.
“Forty years ago is a long time. A lot of people don’t remember that far back,” the 79-year-old von der Linden said this week. “There has been a lot of excitement around here lately.”
“It’s brought a lot of good vibrations... a lot of good memories, things like our fire truck escort back into town after we won and purple and while flags flying as you drove down Main Street. This has been good football this year. It’s really been exciting and fun to watch, even for the oldsters like myself.”
Von der Linden, who grew up in the Chicago area, was Mascoutah’s head coach from 1973-84 and led the team into the playoffs five times in his 11 seasons. But led by a pair of high school All-Americans, quarterback Kris Jenner and running back Julius Grantham, the 1979 team was special.
“Mascoutah is actually a pretty diverse community. We have our local community, we have our rural community and obviously we have Scott Air Force Base...To bring them all together is sometimes a big order. But we were able to do that,” von der Linden said.
“I see that continuing here under the leadership of athletic director Scott Battas, (football coach) Josh Lee, basketball coach Justin Love and all of the coaches really. Our programs are wonderful and they are including all parts of our community. It’s a good time to be a Mascoutah Indian right now.’’
The ‘79 Morris-Mascoutah game was a tight, defensive struggle from the outset. Morris struck first right before the end of the first half.
“It was 0-0 and they scored a touchdown with about a minute to go in the first half to go up 6-0. But strangely enough they decided to go for a two-point conversion,’’ von der Linden said. “We had scouted them and had seen them run the play and we were prepared for it. We were able to stop it.’’
Grantham, who went on to play at Duke University where he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in his four-year career, tied the game on a touchdown run late in the third quarter and Mascoutah added the extra point to take a 7-6 lead.
The one point lead appeared to be in jeopardy midway through the fourth quarter as Morris moved the ball into Mascoutah territory. But on a key third down play, Mascoutah benefited from a controversial penalty call against Morris
“They were called for assisting the ball carrier, pushing him across the first down line,’’ von der Linden said. “ Thank goodness for us we had some excellent IHSA officials who knew the rule and applied it.
“I think that rule has changed now, because I see it happening all the time time where the ball carrier is assisted. Anyway, they were assessed a penalty and didn’t pick up the first down, which really ended the game.”
While Grantham went on to have a solid career at Duke, Jenner chose to attend Illinois. Jenner was also an all-state basketball player who had interest from several schools, including Kentucky.
“Kris Jenner was an exceptional athlete and a wonderful student,’’ von der Linden said. “ I will tell you that that he developed kind of late not only in his talent, but his interest in football. Going into his senior year he went to a couple of camps. They (scouts) thought that he not only had potential as a college player but to go beyond that.
“Mike White came into Illinois at that time with the California atmosphere and interest in throwing the football and that interested Kris as well. His parents, and I think his brother and sister, were, I believe, alumni of the University of Illinois, so he ended up going to Illinois.”
This current Mascoutah team may not have players the caliber of Grantham or Jenner, but they are fun to watch, according to von der Linden.
“Oh yes I’ve seen them play a lot,” von der Linden said. “They’re fun to watch. They can run, they can throw the football, they can defend and they’re well coached.
“What would I tell them? I would tell them to enjoy the experience, play fast, have fun, play hard and give it everything you have because it could be your last game.’’
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 1:38 PM.
