School: Huntley
Nickname: Cardinals
Colors: red and white
Stadium: unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: Huntley’s three best seasons were its first three. From 1951-53, the Cardinals went 14-8 and made their only playoff appearance, a semifinal berth earned in the program’s first season, 1951. From 1954-69, the Cardinals only had one more winning season.
Times worth forgetting: The span from 1957-60 was the Cardinals’ toughest. With a winless season in 1957 kicking off the stretch, Huntley went 4-30 in five seasons.
Best team: The 1951 team was the only team to make the playoffs in Huntley’s 19-year program history, so they take the title by default. That team went 5-3.
Biggest win: Huntley’s biggest win was probably a combination of its first two. With no reputation and no tradition, the Cardinals won their first two games in program history by a combined 98-0 (50-0 over Albin and 48-0 over Lingle), which gave the program immediate legitimacy.
Heartbreaker: For as good as it started, the 1951 season ended with bitter disappointment in the playoffs. After taking a 20-7 lead, the Cardinals watched as Hanna scored 20 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 27-20 victory and a berth in the state 6-man championship. Huntley had a 308-190 yardage edge and had 10 first downs to Hanna’s four, yet stayed at home — not only for the ’51 championship, but for the remainder of the program’s history.