1. It felt like football outside ........ Don't get me wrong I have no issues covering football in any sort of weather....but last night at Glenbard South just felt like the first real fall/football weather so far this season. Great crowd, big game and just a great overall atmosphere made for a lot of fun.
2. South Elgin is pretty solid again this season- This was a pretty tight game for the first half before the Storm (still one of my more fav politically correct mascot names)n decided to really break things open in the second half, in particular the third quarter which saw South Elgin kick several onside kicks and keep the football away from the GBS offense while converting those GBS onside kick issues into points for the 49-27 win. South Elgin was playing minus it's starting QB Jake Sullivan who it feels like has been starting for South Elgin (6-0) since he was in like 6th grade....yet the Storm rotated a few different kids under center and for the most part didn't skip a beat. I'll break down more on specific kids starters strengths etc. in the 2022 Breakdown series early next week...but this team will run the football and play keep away with a very solid power run game while having a nice core of skills and this team showed it's big play ability with the play action passing game when it counted. I can see South Elgin pretty similar to last year....getting into 8A drawing a high seed, winning a game or two in the 8A field before running into any number of power programs in 8A.
3. So whats the deal with Glenbard South?- The Raiders (5-1) just lost it's way in the second half of this 49-27 loss to South Elgin....a game that was tied 21-21 at the half but the Raiders offense had literally 3 offensive touches until 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter when all of the damage occurred. The Raiders offense has some impressive kids including Notre Dame commit WR Cam Williams plus junior QB Mike Champange while RB Jalen Brown is a raw athlete but a higher level talent. Senior OL.DL Owen DiFranco is also a key on both sides of the football. Yes....the Raiders need to work on onside kick recovery (failed to field 4 different onside kicks in this loss) along with just not allowing receivers to get behind them (caught the Raiders a handful of times looking run then got burned by the play action passing game) yet overall? I can see Glenbard South getting into 5A and as with everyone it all depends on the bracket and the matchups..,..but this Raiders team can compete for a few rounds in 5A and they could be a hard team to matchup against.
4. So How Good is Glenbard South WR Cam Williams? I've seen Cam Williams a bunch of times at various camp and showcase events but never live in game action, which was another big reason I wanted to cover this game Friday night. Williams no question lived up to the hype on a lot of different levels. Williams has the look, size and frame you are looking for in an elite level receiver along with a high level of physical tools and skills. Williams is a game breaker type every time he touches the football and at times can just be an overwhelming player who can change the momentum of a game on his own. He was able to make some big plays here at receiver including seeing quite a bit of time at safety, and was also able to run a punt fake for a big first half fist down to keep a drive alive. Unfortunately, the Raiders had very few offensive touches in the second half of this loss which was a big key for South Elgin....and admittedly so from SE HC Dragan Teonic who in the post game said he did not want Williams to get the football as little as possible. Williams just has a ton to offer and a ton of upside as well....and I feel very comfortable of Williams being ranked as one of the Top names in Illinois in the Class of 2024.
5. Dragan always seems to spit fire and will always stick up for the Upstate- See the post game reaction video from last night's win. I specifically wanted to ask him about the win and about the lack of respect many (including myself at times) fail to show the Upstate 8. I've known Dragan for many years now and while he's no question at times a polarizing personality....he's also been really good with me and we've gotten along pretty well now for many years. Dragan will never pull punches, tells you what he thinks and I pretty much will tell him my thoughts good bad or indifferent.
So the question on the table is.....how good is the Upstate 8? Again I can see South Elgin having the potential of going a round or two in 8A.....and also Glenbard South go a round or two in 5A....but in many ways South Elgin is in the same boat as say Huntley...both are big fishes in smaller ponds and play generally in a conference and against schools a Class or two below them enrollment wise. At the end of the day, the big difference between say South Elgin and Huntley is that the Fox Valley has had a long, long track record of post season success while the Upstate 8 just hasn't come close to the same overall success in the playoffs. I don't see that changing this season in the Upstate 8....but after seeing the Storm in person the past two seasons South Elgin is definitely a much improved program and Glenbard South is also trending up. The big question is will/can the rest of the Upstate 8 also start to turn things around? Hmmmmm.
2. South Elgin is pretty solid again this season- This was a pretty tight game for the first half before the Storm (still one of my more fav politically correct mascot names)n decided to really break things open in the second half, in particular the third quarter which saw South Elgin kick several onside kicks and keep the football away from the GBS offense while converting those GBS onside kick issues into points for the 49-27 win. South Elgin was playing minus it's starting QB Jake Sullivan who it feels like has been starting for South Elgin (6-0) since he was in like 6th grade....yet the Storm rotated a few different kids under center and for the most part didn't skip a beat. I'll break down more on specific kids starters strengths etc. in the 2022 Breakdown series early next week...but this team will run the football and play keep away with a very solid power run game while having a nice core of skills and this team showed it's big play ability with the play action passing game when it counted. I can see South Elgin pretty similar to last year....getting into 8A drawing a high seed, winning a game or two in the 8A field before running into any number of power programs in 8A.
3. So whats the deal with Glenbard South?- The Raiders (5-1) just lost it's way in the second half of this 49-27 loss to South Elgin....a game that was tied 21-21 at the half but the Raiders offense had literally 3 offensive touches until 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter when all of the damage occurred. The Raiders offense has some impressive kids including Notre Dame commit WR Cam Williams plus junior QB Mike Champange while RB Jalen Brown is a raw athlete but a higher level talent. Senior OL.DL Owen DiFranco is also a key on both sides of the football. Yes....the Raiders need to work on onside kick recovery (failed to field 4 different onside kicks in this loss) along with just not allowing receivers to get behind them (caught the Raiders a handful of times looking run then got burned by the play action passing game) yet overall? I can see Glenbard South getting into 5A and as with everyone it all depends on the bracket and the matchups..,..but this Raiders team can compete for a few rounds in 5A and they could be a hard team to matchup against.
4. So How Good is Glenbard South WR Cam Williams? I've seen Cam Williams a bunch of times at various camp and showcase events but never live in game action, which was another big reason I wanted to cover this game Friday night. Williams no question lived up to the hype on a lot of different levels. Williams has the look, size and frame you are looking for in an elite level receiver along with a high level of physical tools and skills. Williams is a game breaker type every time he touches the football and at times can just be an overwhelming player who can change the momentum of a game on his own. He was able to make some big plays here at receiver including seeing quite a bit of time at safety, and was also able to run a punt fake for a big first half fist down to keep a drive alive. Unfortunately, the Raiders had very few offensive touches in the second half of this loss which was a big key for South Elgin....and admittedly so from SE HC Dragan Teonic who in the post game said he did not want Williams to get the football as little as possible. Williams just has a ton to offer and a ton of upside as well....and I feel very comfortable of Williams being ranked as one of the Top names in Illinois in the Class of 2024.
5. Dragan always seems to spit fire and will always stick up for the Upstate- See the post game reaction video from last night's win. I specifically wanted to ask him about the win and about the lack of respect many (including myself at times) fail to show the Upstate 8. I've known Dragan for many years now and while he's no question at times a polarizing personality....he's also been really good with me and we've gotten along pretty well now for many years. Dragan will never pull punches, tells you what he thinks and I pretty much will tell him my thoughts good bad or indifferent.
So the question on the table is.....how good is the Upstate 8? Again I can see South Elgin having the potential of going a round or two in 8A.....and also Glenbard South go a round or two in 5A....but in many ways South Elgin is in the same boat as say Huntley...both are big fishes in smaller ponds and play generally in a conference and against schools a Class or two below them enrollment wise. At the end of the day, the big difference between say South Elgin and Huntley is that the Fox Valley has had a long, long track record of post season success while the Upstate 8 just hasn't come close to the same overall success in the playoffs. I don't see that changing this season in the Upstate 8....but after seeing the Storm in person the past two seasons South Elgin is definitely a much improved program and Glenbard South is also trending up. The big question is will/can the rest of the Upstate 8 also start to turn things around? Hmmmmm.
