Disabato: Stagg football needs to make a bold move

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In its glory days just under a decade ago, Joe Ganz led the way for Stagg's football team. | File photo

Updated: February 19, 2012 8:16AM

After enduring a four-year slide of 8-28 and being outscored 970-391 in the process, it’s imperative Stagg hits a home run when naming a successor to football coach Brian Buglio, who resigned in November.

In a perfect world, the Palos Hills school would folIlow the lead of Reavis, which officially named Tim Zasada its football coach Tuesday.

Reavis was in dire need of a go-getter, someone who’d bring energy, enthusiasm and, ultimately, success to its football program.

Sound familiar, Stagg fans?

Where Reavis hit one out of the park in landing Zasada, I have a feeling Stagg will be lucky to record a double.

I won’t predict a playoff season for Reavis in the fall, knowing Zasada will need time to work his magic. But the Rams will be a playoff contender within three years. Book it. That’s about the same time Burbank residents will get to celebrate a varsity football game between Reavis and St. Laurence — something that, remarkably, never has happened.

“We need to play St. Laurence,” said Zasada, who comes over from T.F. North. “I don’t duck anyone. I’d like to get them on the schedule within the next three years. It would be a great atmosphere. We could schedule a couple of Chicago teams and get the two wins and get into the playoffs at 5-4. But at the expense of not playing a quality opponent and neighborhood school like St. Laurence, I’d rather not get in (to the playoffs).”

Hallelujah!

That’s the type of attitude Stagg should demand after finishing 0-9 and 1-8, respectively, the past two seasons. It needs to rattle the cages ... summon the ghost of Joe Ganz, the former Stagg quarterback who led the Chargers to a Class 7A semifinal in 2003.

What Stagg doesn’t need is a content, happy-to-be-here hire.

I wish I could offer Charger Nation hope that the new coach will have the intangibles required to bring the program back to respectability.

But this is District 230 we’re talking about, remember. They prefer the cheap — I mean safe — route, when it comes to varsity coaching hires.

The district policy of handing new hires first-year salaries, no matter how many years’ experience, remains intact.

That tells you all you need to know about the next man in charge.

It’s why Craig Buzea said, “thanks, but no thanks” to the Sandburg job years ago and remained at Portage High School.

You know the rest of the story. Buzea inherited a 1-8 team at Homewood-Flossmoor two years ago and took it to the Class 8A semifinals — something Stagg, Andrew and Sandburg have done just once in their histories — in his first year.

“Yeah, I would assume that will be the case,” Stagg athletic director Bob Fabrizio said when I asked him about the salary structure. “The job will be posted to internal and external candidates until Jan. 27. I’m confident we’ll find the right candidate. We’ve had good interest so far. We have to find an enthusiastic leader. Someone who can put it all together.”

There’s about a snowball’s chance in you-know-where Stagg hires an experienced, successful candidate from outside the district.

Maybe a young up-and-comer from outside the district, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad decision, but not a veteran mind.

History doesn’t lie.

The district hired from within with mixed results the previous two times the football job opened at Sandburg, first with Marty Balle and then with current coach Dave Wierzal. Ditto for Andrew, which hired Jim Zimmer and then current coach Jim Malec.

Hey, I’m all for rewarding and promoting your own — like Wierzal and Malec. But not at the expense of landing the best candidate.

Developing the best football team, one that would bring the first football state championship to the district, doesn’t appear to be of the highest priority, which is ironic.

District 230 has spent millions of dollars on its football stadiums, but refuses to spend the money required to attract the best candidates for their football teams.

Talk about a mixed message.