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Sunday,
December 1, 2002
Loss ends notable run
BHS loses to 10-time state
champ
By Karen Blatter
Pantagraph staff
CHAMPAIGN -- Popped purple and gold balloons were scattered
around Memorial Stadium at the end of the game Saturday, but Purple
Raiders fans were still glad to see them there.
"We are just happy to be here," said Patty Kernes. "It
is exciting. You can't replace it ever. They put in four years to get
here. We could have had a lot better outcome."
Bloomington High School lost the Illinois High School Association
Class 6A championship game to Chicago Mount Carmel High School 31-0.
Mount Carmel's win earned them their 10th state championship.
The Purple Raiders had a 13-0 record going into Saturday's playoffs.
They had previously lost to Mount Carmel in the 1990 and 1998 playoffs,
both times Mount Carmel went on to win the championship.
Kernes, whose son Andrew is a senior on the team, endured temperatures
and wind chills that were in the teens to watch the game.
Despite the near-frozen fingers and toes, the fans left the stadium
holding their heads high, proud of the fact that their team made it to
the state championships.
"It is just awesome to be here," said Kernes.
And Kernes wasn't the only one who was still smiling after the loss.
"We needed to play a perfect game to win," said Richard
Savage, whose son Nick plays on the team. "We just made too many
mistakes. I am disappointed about the loss, but we had a great season.
It's a shame we didn't have a better game today."
Savage said he was very proud of the second place win.
Rusty Hospelhorn of Bloomington shaped his hair into a mini-mohawk and
had war paint on his face with the hope of a Raiders victory.
"I came out here to see Bloomington win," he said.
"Mount Carmel is a fast team. (Enduring the weather) is worth
it."
Hospelhorn and his family helped decorate cars and cheer on the Purple
Raiders even before they left for Champaign. He started watching the
games when his daughter joined Bloomington's marching band.
Debora Pettie made a purple and gold fleece poncho with matching hat
and gloves to keep warm on cold football days. She said any amount of
cold was worth watching her son Dan play, even without a win.
"They have worked really hard for a long time," she said.
"They have had a good season. It is a good team."
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