Second-year Hinsdale Central football coach Mike DiMatteo had to clear some room in his automobile following the Red Devils' 21-6 win over Downers Grove North Saturday in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket.

"I'm taking this home with me," DiMatteo said of the bucket, which is awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry. "It took me 20 years to work my way up to get hired at Hinsdale Central, and the bucket is one of the reasons I wanted (this job). I'm excited about it coming home with me."

Hinsdale Central's win ended a two-game losing streak against the Trojans and increased its lead in the series to 38-33-3.

At the urging of his players after the game, DiMatteo raised the bucket and kissed it to celebrate the victory, which kept the Red Devils perfect in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division with a 3-0 record.

"The bucket means a lot to me, especially being a history teacher," said DiMatteo, who was the head coach at Lake Zurich for seven seasons before coming to Hinsdale Central. "The history and tradition of (Hinsdale Central) and this conference in general is enormous. It's something I've worked long and hard personally to try and become a part of and (obtaining) the bucket is one of the goals I wanted to accomplish. We're going to do everything we can to keep it in our hands, that's for darn sure."

-- by Ken Ryan

© Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group

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