Julian Sipiora a hidden jewel

This has been considered by many as the year of the quarterback in the Chicago area - one of the best classes in years. Miles Osei of Prospect, Jimmy Garoppolo of Rolling Meadows, Tommy Rees of Lake Forest, Tyler Warden of Glenbard West, John Whitelaw of Hinsdale Central and Taylor Graham of Wheaton North are among the cream of this year's crop.
But those who were at Joliet Catholic on Friday night saw another quarterback make quite an impression even as his St. Viator team fell just short 31-28 in an excellent East Suburban Catholic Conference battle. Julian Sipiora is a name that may end up on more radar screens if Viator has a strong regular season and makes a deep playoff run.
Sipiora put on quite a show as he rushed for 3 TDs and passed for another and accounted for more than 360 yards of total offense against one of the state's most storied programs. His first two completions of the game were beautiful sideline passes - with nice toe-stepping done by Jake Mastrangeli - of 27 and 24 yards into the wind, the latter for a TD. His 69-yard run was a case of turning less than nothing into something special - eluding at least three defenders in the backfield and then racing down the left sideline to the end zone.
But Sipiora showed he's more than just flash. Late in the third quarter he was stood up at the line and leveled - his helmet flew off and he ended up face-first on the turf as trainers rushed out and fans hoped he was OK. He wound up missing one play and later led a drive to the JC 6 that ended with a bad snap on first-and-goal and then led a last-minute 80-yard march with only 1 timeout to get the Lions within 3. It would have been fun to see what he could have done if Viator had been able to corral the onside kick, which it nearly did.
And Sipiora is also a tremendous, thoughtful kid who is highly respected by his teammates and coaches for his confidence and his demeanor. He's the kind of kid every coach wants as a quarterback. He's also the kind of kid who would be a solid addition and a nice fit in the right college program.