MOKENA, IL — When the Illinois Jr. Celtics won their first 13-U Pop Warner Super Bowl championship last year with a young roster, coach Mike Vita figured the title would only lay a foundation for future success, not only with that team, but for the youth football organization’s younger levels.
But by halftime of last weekend’s national title game in Orlando, where the Celtics were comfortably ahead of a Florida team that hadn’t lost a game in a few years, but that had suggested on social media the Celtics had no business being in the game to begin with, the satisfaction of winning a second straight national crown only grew.
Still, in the final moments of a 41-8 victory over the Westchase Colts out of Tampa, Fla., Vita said he experienced a “pinch-me” moment as he relished the time he had spent with a group of players — many of whom have been with him for the past four to five years.
Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Words can’t even express it,” Vita told Patch on Friday, adding, “This was definitely a family effort. Everybody bought in from Day 1 and the results speak for themselves.”
While the Celtics program is based in Mokena, last year’s success and commitment to doing things a certain way expanded the team’s reach. Drawing from New Lenox, Manhattan, Bolingbrook, Crete, Rolling Meadows, and other places from around the Chicago suburbs, the Celtics built around a group of players who had played up a level as seventh graders last year to create an impressive roster that again went through the regular season undefeated.
Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The success — sometimes in a lopsided manner — continued into the Regional championships before the Celtics made another trip to Orlando determined to build on last year’s national title. Yet, from the start of the season, Vita’s message never focused on repeating, but instead on looking at each step of the way as a new chapter as a means to maintaining focus.
But when wins started to become lopsided, Vita admits that he sometimes had to create his own sense of urgency to keep his team from becoming complacent. That lasted until the Florida trip when the Celtics got wind of social media rumblings coming from their Super Bowl opponent questioning their toughness.
And for a team coached by a group that includes three former Division I football players and where preparation and treating opponents with respect is not only expected but demanded, being talked down to on social media platforms created its own motivation.
“Obviously, we all knew that our end game was to compete for state, regional, and then a national championship,” he said. “But once the season started, we never took our eyes off of that week’s opponent and looked into the future because that’s when you overlook somebody and that’s when you get beat.”
That never happened as the Celtics kept rolling through the playoffs en route to the lopsided victory in the Super Bowl to complete another championship run, fueled by the defending champions being labeled as underdogs in social media posts linked to the Westchase program.
Internally, Vita never saw his players’ lack for motivation because of their self-belief in their talent level and their way of doing things. But as the Celtics moved closer and closer to winning their second straight Super Bowl title, Vita says he took more satisfaction in how his team achieved its goals without disrespecting its opponent.
But as gratifying as the championship victory may have been, Vita says he found himself looking around at his sideline and appreciating the work that not only this year’s collection of players had given, but also the sustained effort his team had built up in becoming a two-time Super Bowl champion. Vita says that many of his players are being actively sought after by multiple Catholic high schools including Mt. Carmel, St. Rita, Providence Catholic, and Brother Rice.
“At that point in time, it wasn’t so much about (the opponent) anymore — it was about us and what we had just done as a group and me as a coach knowing this was my eighth graders’ last ride,” Vita told Patch on Friday.
“(This group) has not only made me a better coach but a better man and I’m just so proud of them and I can’t wait to see what these boys are going to become as they venture into high school.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.