Anyone watching the Class 5A state championship football game saw how much senior running back HJ Grigsby was hurting at the end for Joliet Catholic.
He suffered a right ankle injury after running for an amazing 233 yards in the first half. He tried to gut it out in the second half, but the yards didn’t come as easily for him and the Hilltoppers.
Even though his college future is in football, Grigsby was determined to get the ankle back into shape for the basketball season. He finally got onto the court in late January.
“I knew I was coming back,” Grigsby said. “It was my last year, and it was a big decision to come back with all that was going on with my ankle. But it was my last year and I wanted to come back.”
Grigsby played limited minutes in his return, but he was happy to be a part of the team again.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time, but I went to the practices,” Grigsby said. “Working with those guys is always fun.”
In the meantime, he committed to play football for the Citadel. He will likely be a running back.
“They were the last school to offer me,” he said. “They were talking to me, but they didn’t want to make a decision yet. They had a lot of running backs and they didn’t know how to manage it.
“But they came to my house, and a few weeks later, they offered me.”
Yes, the military lifestyle can be daunting, but Grigsby is ready to embrace it.
“I kind of want that discipline feeling,” he said. “I want to be a better person when I get out of college. I know it’s military and all of that, but I think I need that. I want that.”
Joliet Catholic’s HJ Grigsby (7) breaks free against Nazareth in the first half of the Class 5A state championship game at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
Joliet Catholic coach Adam DeGroot is happy Grigsby could come back and get in a little time in with the basketball team.
“Our team is filled with multisport kids,” DeGrott said. “It’s a credit to them. Basketball might not be No. 1 on the totem pole, but credit goes to kids like HJ, a three-sport kid who battled back from injury just so he could come back the last few weeks of the season.
“That’s the type of that we have and I’m so fortunate to coach. It truly is a special place. He’s an awesome kid. He really is.”
Grigsby said he wants to become a teacher, coach or principal for his career down the road. He plans on competing for the Hilltoppers in track starting this week.
Young Lions roaring
Leo has the distinction of being one of 14 teams in the Southland with 19 losses this season. The Lions also have the distinction of being one of the 11 teams in the area that earned regional titles.
Second-seeded Leo won 45-39 over third-seeded host Julian (23-6) in a Class 2A regional Friday.
The big news for the Lions (13-19) came from 32 of Leo’s 45 points being scored by freshmen, including forward Nate Stephens, who totaled 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.
Other freshmen on the roster are guards Terrel Keys, Karon Shavers, Brandon Gandy and Brian Kizer. Junior forward Stephen Barze added eight points and five rebounds.
Someone has to lose
All four teams in the Class 2A Clifton Central Regional are unbeaten in 2024.
Beecher (32-0) is the lone team in Illinois unbeaten for the entire season, The Bobcats’ semifinal opponent Wednesday is Bismark-Henning (30-3), which is undefeated in 2024, as are the two teams in the other semifinal with Fieldcrest (32-1) and Manteno (27-4).
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
