Naymola earns Bears’ Coach of Week honor
HUNTLEY — The Chicago Bears have officially named head coach Huntley head coach Mike Naymola as the team’s High School Coach of the Week for Week 7. This recognition is part of the Coach of the Week and High School All-Stars award programs.
In support of these initiatives, the Bears will make a $2,000 donation to the Huntley High School football program. The athlete All-Star Week winner was Nick Peipert, the Barrington High School quarterback, and direct a $500 donation to a youth program of Peipert’s choosing, according to the team web site.
A Chicago Bears representative presented Naymola with the Coach of the Week honor at a practice this week. Naymola will be recognized with other Coach of the Week and Player of the Week All-Star honorees at halftime of the Bears and Detroit Lions game Dec. 10 at Soldier Field.
“It’s a great recognition for the program, but it’s more for the players and coaches than me,” Naymola said. “It’s not just for this week but the culmination of the hard work.”
The Red Raiders overcame a 28-14 deficit to begin the fourth quarter with a 15-0 comeback Oct. 7. The final eight points came as time expired when Braylon Bower threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Witt and then a two-point conversion pass to Witt.
“We called the play mid-way through the fourth quarter and that helped a lot. Bower made a great throw and Witt made a clean catch which allowed him to cross into the end zone,” Naymola said.
The officials conferred and the referee raised his arms for a good score. “In a bold move, coach Naymola decided to call for a two-point conversion instead of opting for the extra point kick (and overtime) that paid off as the team executed the play perfectly, securing the victory,” the Bears web site acknowledged.
Huntley’s offensive coordinator Mike Slattery and assistant Mike Sebestyen and Naymola decided on the final plays.
“I’ve worked with coach Slattery for more than 10 years, so we check our egos at the door,” Naymola said.
“We work on our two-minute offense about twice a week,” Witt said.
The win gave the Red Raiders a 6-1, 6-1 FVC record and clinched a Class 8A playoff spot. They host Dundee-Crown for senior night Friday.
Naymola, a physical education teacher at D158, is in his second year as head coach of the Red Raiders but 12th on the coaching staff. Huntley was 8-2 last year and co-league champs. The program has made the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons.
Naymola is an alumnus of Rolling Meadows High School, where he later coached and Rockford College, where he played on the school’s first football team.
