Let’s have some fun: Most overrated program each year is….
- Thread starter EdgyTim
- Start date
This is a very fair point, and is very frustrating to the members of the fan base that pays attention. There are a lot of variables involved in those playoff losses. I’ll point out the 1 second round appearance in 2018 pitted HC against a very good Warren team. All the others have been 1st round exits, and were very embarrassing.
Just doing some quick research, the following teams all have more playoff wins than HC in 8A in the last 10 year.
Stevenson
Maine South
LA
HF
MC
Nequa
WV
Nap Central
Bolingbrook
LWE
Br Rice
Warren
GN
Simeon
Marist
Oswego
Edwardsville
Barrington
LT
There may be more, but i didnt dig deeper. This list indicates that HC is not an elite 8A program when it comes to the post season, yet they continue to be ranked highly during the regular season. That is a clear indication that they are an overrated program.
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Maybe it’s an indication their conference is overrated? Most of the teams on that list come from what would be considered power conferences. Teams the generally come from weak conferences (excluding MS) tend to be gone by the second weekend. The WSG has a good reputation but maybe it gets more credit then it deserves?
Hit the nail on the head. HC takes up wins in the regular season against weak teams and then they are all exposed in the post season. LT is probably the most underachieving team in the state given the school and football roster size. York has been down for decades. OPRF is up and down. DGN always seems to sneak into the playoffs with a 5-4 record. All of the conference including Glenbard West have been dominated in the playoffs the last 5 years.
Pretty accurate assessment. In the past five years the WSS is 17-19 in the playoffs, but that includes GW going 11-4, 3-3 in last 3 years. Here is how the other teams fared in playoffs in last 5 years
OPRF: 2-4
LT: 1-3
DGN: 1-3
HC: 2-5
Not a real strong showing for what is usually perceived as a power conference.
I won't argue the past 10 years, but overall they are #10 in 8A and #5 public school. If they can't be rated then there are a lot more that don't add up.
Plus I had been saying the conference is overrated ever since I saw a highly rated LT have a close game with Sandburg (who everyone thinks should win 8A every year, somehow). Even the two times we played GBW the games were closer than they should have been considering those teams weren't good Brook teams comparatively speaking (5-4 & 4-5).
That said, GBW and DGN have had some 7A success.
Aside from 1 or 2 others, I may be the biggest HC homer on this board (that posts. I know there are others that lurk). But I can’t argue with any of these assessments.
As I’ve posted before, the WSC requires all division teams play each other each year, and there are two Gold/Silver crossovers. Which leaves 1 out of WSC game, normally played week 1. It’s hard to truly know how good/bad your team is going into the playoffs when playing in an echo chamber. WSC may be the most over rated conference in the state.
Honestly as much as I hate to say…..I think my beloved Wilmington Wildcats are overrated. Always a tough team, but only 2 trophies in 25 plus years with the current staff. Also, amazing longevity to have your main varsity coaches stick around that long.
Anywho, with an NFL player and another D-1 recruit in the same backfield we lose in the quarters. Fast forward several years later with Jason banning, who some say was the best back we ever had, a talented junior and sophomore crew playing varsity and we lose in the semis. Quarters two years later with said sophomores. Maybe the best team to ever come through WHS. Then several awesome teams around ‘10 who never sealed the deal. Great program just fell short too many times to not be discussed here. And I’m a homer!
Anywho, with an NFL player and another D-1 recruit in the same backfield we lose in the quarters. Fast forward several years later with Jason banning, who some say was the best back we ever had, a talented junior and sophomore crew playing varsity and we lose in the semis. Quarters two years later with said sophomores. Maybe the best team to ever come through WHS. Then several awesome teams around ‘10 who never sealed the deal. Great program just fell short too many times to not be discussed here. And I’m a homer!
I dont know. They have a pretty good track record. Since 2002, the Wildcats have 2 trophies, a semi-final and 6 quarter final appearances. That means they are reaching the quarters in half of the seasons. Thats pretty impressive for any program. I would have to believe there arent many 3A schools that can boast that kind of post season success. A 30-16 playoff record since 2002 puts them in an elite group. I know as a program and a fan base, you have lofty expectations, but I wouldn't say it's an overrated program.
I know......just looking back and wishing we had more hardware.
I wouldn't argue that at all. I think the WSC has had some good showings and some poor draws.
There are not a lot of "easy" routes in 8a.
exactly. Their losses were to: 'Brook, Warren, Loyola, WV, NV, Simeon, Oswego, OPRF, MC, and Sandburg. Outside of Sandburg they just don't seem like bad losses. Especially if you're saying they were rated really high and this is their early draw.
they were the favorite and higher seed in almost every one of those games and lost. That’s the definition of underachieving.
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But this isn't like losing to Hillcrest or Mascoutah. It's losing to teams on their same level. It'd be like JCA losing to Providence while being favored. You'd be disappointed, but you'd understand and it wouldn't indicate anything other than you lost to a program on similar footing. To me the bigger upset was allowing Rochester to win 5A. Sure, if I were a HC guy I'd like to see more wins in the past decade. Hell, as a Bolingbrook guy I'd like to see more playoff wins the last decade, but our losses are like HC's. Same with H-F and NC (all listed as overrated). If you accept that all these programs are on similar levels then you don't see HC's recent struggles as problematic and you start to see their consistency of at least being in the playoffs as a positive.
This is why I liked the NV/EStL and Huntley/PR games in '19. Two 2nd round 8A exits played even with the 6A championship game. It's a little bit tougher to navigate this terrain.
I appreciate your levity, Bones. I will say the loss to WV was embarrassingly bad. HC was 10-0 that year, with several D1 athletes, including Matt Allen. Unfortunately, due to stupidity and emotion, Allen was not eligible for that game. WV came in a kicked the crap out of HC on Dickinson, and deserves all the credit.
We've been on the same side of that WV beating. Theyve shown the ability to win some games.
I was at that game. The big receiver for WV, i think Rovinson, absolutely dominated. Very disappointing loss. I thought that team was gonna make a run.
However, a high seeded Hinsdale Central is not the same as a high seeded CPL team. When HC is the higher seed in the early rounds, they are more than likely also the favorite. In addition, I would say seeds are much truer in 8A than they are in the lower classes.
In the first round yes, in the second round they are likely in for a battle on the road being the higher seed. In fact during the 2019 playoffs, HC was the much higher seed over Bolingbrook (who had losses to HF/LWE and I think Andrew, maybe Sandburg). Oswego (9-0) had Elgin at home and then would have to travel to the winner of that game. We truly expected to play HC, but Bolingbrook routed them. Oswego lost @ Bolingbrook by a foot in 2OT, but they had the better record. In 2018 10-0 Oswego had to go to Loyola and play on the road again, on Saturday.
I believe they were 11-0 when they went in to LWE at LWE in 2017. No easy outs.
I believe they were 11-0 when they went in to LWE at LWE in 2017. No easy outs.
I agree that there are no easy outs. My point is that HC never wins the tough games. They are highly ranked in the regular season and never live up to it in the playoffs, therefore, by definition, they are overrated. Ask any HC fan if the Devils have lived up to expectations in the last 10 years. If they had lost in the quarters or semi's a few times, then ok. The fact is that HC has not gotten past the second round in each of their last 9 playoff appearances.
I won't argue that, I'm just saying seeding really doesn't matter much and for the most part, not at all in the 2nd round.
I don't think anyone is necessarily defending HC, rather the group of 15 (give or take) schools that isn't Loyola, LWE, and MS. I've seen us go 2-2 against HC since 2008. The two times we won we were supposed to lose, the two times we lost we were supposed to win. That group of 15 or so schools is just going to be an unknown quantity from year to year. I cant say theyre overrated unless theyre losing to schools they actually should beat. A school like OPRF has had less playoff success than HC. But they are 2-0 against LWE, so I can't look at them like an easy win.
Please dont give us extra Sandburg losses we didnt earn. Losing to Andrew is bad enough.
Please dont give us extra Sandburg losses we didnt earn. Losing to Andrew is bad enough.
I thought it was Andrew, there was a kid from Andrew the next day at a recruiting visit with my son, he was on cloud nine.
Marist? They seem to be ranked high every year now. They have gotten to several semis and a couple title games after years and years of losing, but still don't ever win the big game. Not sure if people would consider them overrated though.
They’ve gotten close but can’t seem to get over the hump. They seem to have the talent.
They certainly fit the criteria of the other most mentioned schools. Criteria you might ask? Why, the color scheme. Marist fits right in with Hinsdale C, Naperville C, H-F, Bolingbrook, and Barrington
My opinion - and I don't want to take ANYTHING away from Naperville Central - is... I don't know how good or bad either team is. Naperville scored 1 TD against HC's defense. The other score was a pick-6.
HC's offense was very underwhelming. The appeared to be some blocking struggles on the O-Line, which severely impacted the run game. I can't say definitively if the issue were O-Line errors, or NC caused.
The choice to continue to rotate two Junior QBs through out summer camp and preseason, and not make a tough decision, was evident. The offense never got into a passing rhythm, as each QB had different strengths and mindset. When it's a constant rotation with the first team, neither really elevated themselves and took over the game. Both QBs were constantly being compared by observers to graduated Michael Brescia (now at Colgate), and neither are him.
Unfortunately, due to a late game, season ending leg injury, the decision was made for the coaching staff. So we'll know a little more this week (HC takes on a struggling Proviso East team), we'll know for sure when HC hosts LT in week 3.
Sorry I can't be more definitive in my answer. In relation to this thread and HC's preseason ranking, the Red Devils were definitely over-rated. By how much, I'm not sure. Selfishly, I'm hoping NC runs the table, and we look back at lasts week game as a hidden gem.
Appreciate the detail. We've seen the QB carousel in Lombard a few times, always tricky.
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