Joliet Catholic Academy football team helps coach's parents clean up after storms
SHOREWOOD, Ill. (CBS) – Neighbors in southwest suburban Shorewood believe they were hit by a tornado on Monday night.
Some of the heaviest damage was on Canterbury Lane, where there were reports of people hurt inside a home that had part of its roof torn off.
The whole neighborhood was cleaning up on Tuesday, including one family who was grateful for the extra help from local high schoolers.
Jeff Jaworski suspected a tornado tore through Shorewood Monday night.
"It came through, and it's only like three houses wide," he said. "It cut a path diagonal through our neighborhood."
He said there were about 700 branches blown into his backyard. He lost part of his fence.
"Yeah it was pretty crazy," he said.
But Jaworski gained some furniture, including seat cushions and lawn furniture from his neighbors' yards that were blown into his.
"When I came up, I had a neighbor's full-size trampoline in my front yard," he said.
So, the cleanup at his house required a team effort, literally.
Still sweating from their morning scrimmage, Ryan Yurisich and the Joliet Catholic Academy football team got in a workout in Jaworski's backyard.
"We're supposed to be lifting at Rudy's gym in Joliet and Shorewood, but instead of working there, Rudy said just to come here and do this," said Yurisich.
Instead of dumbbells, they hoisted tree branches and fence panels.
"They are lifting," said Dee Jaworski, Jeff's wife. "They did a lot of lifting. They carried a lot of heavy logs for us, which was great."
Dee had good reason to root for the Hilltoppers. Their son happens to be the head coach at Joliet Catholic.
"So they had a scrimmage this morning and he had to talk to his dad and said, 'I was sending you some help after the scrimmage," Dee said. "And they were kind enough to come, a great group of guys."
The JCA Hilltoppers are 15-time state champions.
"We have a lot of returning guys, so that's good chemistry," Yurisich said.
But on Tuesday, it was not football titles, but teamwork that earned the Hilltoppers fans for life.
"This is the type of boys that they have," Dee said. "So it's wonderful."