No doubt in Tim Thornton’s mind that Morton made the right hire.

The Peoria High football coach gave a glowing endorsement of his friend and former assistant Adam O’Neill, who was hired as head coach for the Mid-Illini Conference school on Thursday. O’Neill spent time at Woodruff, then Peoria High under Thornton as the Lions defensive coordinator, spearheading the 2016 Class 5A state championship team.

“I don’t think there’s a better choice out there that they could have made,” Thornton said. “I think he’s going to do great. … He’s a real student of the game. He’s always trying to get better. He’s always trying to find new ways to get done the things he wants to get done.

“He’s adaptable to what he has (personnel-wise). We were never a team that had to run the same (defense) every year.”

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He has a successful resume

O’Neill, a 1997 Peoria Notre Dame graduate, comes back to central Illinois following a five-year stint as the Manhattan (Kan.) High School defensive coordinator. His 2022 Manhattan defense held opponents to 15.8 points per game in winning the Class 6A state championship.

Now, O’Neill takes over a Morton team from seven-year coach Tim Brilley, who won 30 games including a run to the 2021 Class 5A state semifinals. The Potters went 4-5 last season and graduated five of its all-conference players.

“I’m really excited to see how the program has grown,” O’Neill said, “and all the things that coach Brilley has done to start building success and sustain success. ... There's a foundation of success that's already in place."

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He'll keep it simple

O'Neill said the big selling points of Morton were the family-like atmosphere, engagement within the athletic department and how everyone in the community rallies around the team. Morton athletics director Scott Jones says he received 24 applicants for the job following Brilley’s early-January resignation.

There’s nothing fancy about what O’Neill, who anticipates being in Morton by May, will bring to the Potters — just stressing the basics.

“We’re going to rush the ball really well,” he said, “and we’re going to tackle really well. We’ll spend a lot of time working on those fundamental things that don’t take a lot of effort.”

The Mid-Illini Conference

Playing in the Mid-Illini was another "attractive" aspect of the Morton job, said O’Neill. Competing against the likes of perennial playoff qualifiers Metamora, Washington, Pekin and Dunlap on a weekly basis only can strengthen his team.

“We know each week you’re going to have to be tested,” he said, “and go play and put your best foot forward.”

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He values strength training

Another role O’Neill will be taking on is leading the Potters strength and conditioning program along with being a physical education teacher. Currently, there are five sections of the weights and athletic-focused class, but the interest will likely require Morton to add more classes in the coming years.

This is a part of the PE curriculum that is especially familiar to O’Neill.

“We had that at Manhattan,” he said, “and I think it’s a big reason why we’ve been consistently successful. When your kids can come in the building, they don’t have to do zero hour (PE). They don’t have to do after-school weights. You’re taking a weights/athletic class as part of your school day.

“… If you want to be a two and three-sport athlete, you can train, get stronger, get faster, work on your agility during the day and you can still go be an athlete.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Morton football and former Peoria High assistant are a perfect match