Cary-Grove’s uniforms are simple and plain, blue and white and reminiscent of Penn State. The Trojans’ triple option offense may seem simple and plain, but it is often unstoppable.
That offense is the backbone for the Fox Valley Conference program that has won four Class 6A state titles, including three of the past five.
Last season the Trojans beat mighty East St. Louis in the 6A title game, stomping out the last remaining doubters that believed Cary-Grove’s championship game win against the Flyers in 2021 was a fluke.
Longtime coach Brad Seaburg has six returning starters on offense, including his son, third-year starting quarterback Peyton Seaburg.
Junior Logan Abrams, one of the state’s most devastating and physical runners, will lead the charge. Abrams rushed for 1,590 yards and 26 TDs last season, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
“I’ve been working on my footwork and trying to get faster and stronger and better at reading my blocks,” Abrams said. “That’s probably what I’ve improved the most at.”
Center Lucas Burton, running back Holden Boone and tight end Luca Vivaldelli also return for Cary-Grove, the No. 8 team in the preseason Super 25 rankings.
“You are starting from a different place when you have the quarterback and center and fullback returning, particularly in our offense,” Seaburg said. “There is just so much that runs through those three guys.”
Seaburg rushed for 747 yards last season. He took over the starting quarterback job three games into his sophomore season.
“We noticed right away when he came in this year that [Peyton] was different and he was more confident,” Brad Seaburg said. “He was very, very sure of what he was doing. That happens with experience.”
Abrams, who rushed for 87 yards and two 2 TDs in the state title game, also plays linebacker. He’s seen his recruiting pick up recently.
“At 6-3 and 230 pounds he has really good speed for his size and very good athleticism,” Seaburg said. “He can make cuts in the open field, can play defensive line or linebacker and can catch the ball from his fullback positoin. That’s what a Division I athlete looks like.”
The Trojans return just three starters on defense: linemen Troy Drayton and Charles Ciske and defensive back Preston Walsh.
“We’re looking to replace a lot of the guys on defense that graduated with seniors who are hungry and juniors that are providing some competition,” Seaburg said. “Some of these guys were close and in certain years would have played more last season.”
The Fox Valley schedule doesn’t allow for nonconference games in the regular season. Those closed schedules have hampered the playoff success in some conferences, but not the Fox Valley. The Trojans and Prairie Ridge are regularly playing for state titles.
“We are one of the smaller schools in the conference right now,” Seaburg said. “So we like our spot and where we are at. It’s a great conference with very good coaches and very good programs. It prepares us for what we need to do. From our standpoint, the closed conference is fine.”