Marian Milestone: Dave Mattio Gets 250th Career Coaching Win

Marian Catholic football coach Dave Mattio has been roaming the Spartans' sidelines for long time, and his dedication to the school and his team paid off on Friday as the Spartans beat Bloom Township 21-13 to earn Mattio his 250th career victory.

“I've been fortunate to have great kids for a long time,” Mattio said. “This is more a tribute to the kids and the people that came before them, than it is to an individual.”

Marian's administration and students honored Mattio with a surprise celebration following the game and awarded him with a plaque for his achievement.

The milestone was something the Spartans' players were happy to help their coach reach, including senior running back Jeruel Taylor who finished the year with more than 1,400 yards rushing.

“This feels great, to give our coach his 250th win," Taylor said. "It just feels good right now. Everything thing is perfect, we got the fans and everything, it's a good atmosphere right here.”

Though the Spartans (4-5) failed to qualify for the IHSA playoffs, Mattio said that he hopes his team, especially the seniors, learned more about themselves this year, both on and off the field.

“This senior class has done great job for us of leadership and also for playing hard,” Mattio said. “I think they probably learned something over the last month of the season with regards to being able to make plays and think about the things that are necessary to get ready for the next portion of their lives. I'm really pleased for them.”