So I have been doing this for the past few seasons and I like having you a part of the very beginning process when it comes to my various team polls etc. I also always welcome feedback and input from you and always welcome good solid insights and some back and forth.
So in all honesty I've had my Preseason #1 team in Chicagoland (and also state wide FYI) but outside of #1 I haven't really begun to sort much out from a 1-30 and the Others just yet. This is that beginning process.
So I begin by looking at every major Chicagoland area conference races and list which teams I feel should be considered for polling purposes. Agree? Disagree? Did I miss on someone or miss on an up and coming team? Let me know here.
Also IMPORTANT! Teams here are listing in NO particular order.....and I will resort for conference preview purposes etc. bottom liner is don't ready anything into the order listed here.
Next: My favorite to win the conference title
CCL/ESCC Blue: Mount Carmel- The Caravan bring back quality starters at nearly every position this summer. Talent level is as high as it's been for some time now. Yet this conference anyone can win at anytime so...
CCL/ESCC Green: St. Rita- Despite the graduation losses the Mustangs underclassmen skills talent is impressive and in many cases ready for a major breakout in 2022.
CCL/ESCC Orange: JCA- Another program with heavy graduation losses this spring, yet the Hill has plenty of young talent ready to emerge.
CCL/ESCC Purple: St. Patrick- New HC Luke Mertens inherited a good situation at St Pats.
CCL/ESCC White: St. Ignatius- The Wolfpack have a Power 5 national recruit in DL Justin Scott....yet St. Ignatius has much more this fall than just Scott.
Central Suburban North: Deerfield- The Warriors also have some grad losses but still has enough talent to win the CS North.
Central Suburban South; Maine South- Duh.
Best of the Chicago Public League: Kenwood- I see the CPL getting better in 2022 and several others have a real shot here (MP/Simeon/Phillips) but the Broncos have unquestioned talent and many are looking to see post-season success match up this fall with the talent level.
Dukane: Batavia- Still pissed at how the 2021 season ended in Chicago and that fire has been burning all off season long, trust me on that one.
DuPage Valley: Neuqua Valley- The Wildcats have some serious skills on offense and the defense will need to play well to win the DVC....and they should hold off NN and NC here for the title.
Fox Valley: Cary Grove- Or PR.....or maybe Jacobs. Yet no one can ever count out or overlook the Trojans here.
Kishwaukee River/Intestate 8 White: Morris- Plus Sycamore will always have a say in this gathering. The Morris Football Team has a ton of talent and experience back.
Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue: Richmond Burton
Mid Suburban East- Prospect- The Knights and head coach Dan DeBoeuf keep building up this program into a winner. Prospect welcomes back a nice core of starters this fall led by QB Frank Covey (Northwestern).
Mid Suburban West- Palatine- The Pirates also welcome back an impressive core of underclassmen names to watch led by sophomore DE Jaylen Williams, yet I can see this being a pretty wide open race.
Metro Suburban Blue: ICCP- Loaded with talent and the recent departures at Bishop Mac no question changes this conference mindset in my opinion.
Metro Suburban Red: St Francis- The Spartans have a real shot at making another deep run this fall.
North Suburban: Warren Township- Once again the prohibitive fav to win the North Sub.
Northern Lake County: Antioch- Or maybe Lakes ot Grayslake Central....it's pretty wide open here.
South Suburban Blue: Lemont- Loaded and also still pissed at how 2021 ended at home against ESTL.
South Suburban Red: Richards- Eisenhower and Shepard could also have a say here but the Bulldogs remain the fav.
Southland: Kankakee- Weird not just penciling in Crete-Monee here...but Kankakee is stacked and ready for another deep 6A run....but Crete is never to be taken lightly either here.
Southwest Prairie East: Plainfield South- Or Plainfield East....but South just looks really impressive this summer and they are always in the hunt here.
Southwest Prairie West: Oswego- Gotta gove props to Oswego here....but Yorkville is stacked upfront and will make a challenge and Minooka is also going to be better in 2022.
Southwest Suburban Blue: LW East- Loaded team in a loaded conference.
Southwest Suburban Red: LW West- The Warriors have some underclassmen talent on the rise and are the favorite in an Ok conference.
Upstate 8: South Elgin- Glenbard South will also have a say, but the Storm are still the fav in my opinion until otherwise proven otherwise.
West Suburban Gold: Willowbrook- The Warriors are again going to sneak up on many others once again this season.
West Suburban Silver: Glenbard West- It won't be easy, but the Hitters just look to be at another level this summer and on a mission.
Biggest Question for each predicted conference winner
CCL/ESCC Blue: Mount Carmel- Can the Caravan survive the CCL Blue slate and avoid the injury bug?
CCL/ESCC Green: St. Rita- Can the Mustangs reload at several key spots including QB and RB...and who becomes that go to guy minus Kaleb Brown (Ohio State) this fall?
CCL/ESCC Orange: JCA- Can the new guys step up and in and replace the old guys....the same old guys who just won a 4A state title? Also what is the identity of the Hillmen offense in 2022?
CCL/ESCC Purple: St. Patrick- Can the Shamrocks continue the success/momentum they gained in 2021 with a new HC in Luke Mertens?
CCL/ESCC White: St. Ignatius- Can the Wolfpack have staying power for 2022 and beyond? Cana more experienced St. Iggy starting lineup make a deep postseason run?
Central Suburban North: Deerfield- Can a talented sophomore class make the move up to the varsity this fall?
Central Suburban South; Maine South- Can the Hawks make whole sale changes in the offensive skill positions and keep winning this fall?
Best of the Chicago Public League: Kenwood- Is Kenwood ready to become a Top 25 ranked team and contend with the better Class 6A suburban teams in 2022?
Dukane: Batavia- Can the Bulldogs win if needed on the road in Chicago in the late fall? Who will step up and help out QB Ryan Boe at the skill positions this fall?
DuPage Valley: Neuqua Valley- Can the Wildcats offense roll up the points and can the Neuqua Valley defense slow down opposing teams enough to win consistently this season?
Fox Valley: Cary Grove- Can the Trojans reload and replace 18 graduated starters from it's 2021 6A state title team?
Kishwaukee River/Intestate 8 White: Morris- Can this Morris team find enough of a play action passing game to take them deep into the post-season?
Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue: Richmond Burton- Can the Rockets replace the graduated production from FB/LB Brock Wood this fall?
Mid Suburban East- Prospect- Can the Knights reload at a few key spots this summer (RB/DB) and add more needed depth?
Mid Suburban West- Palatine- Can the Pirates get steady production and play from it's talented underclassmen group this season?
Metro Suburban Blue: ICCP- Can the Knights catch a few breaks along the way this season and most importantly stay healthy?
Metro Suburban Red: St Francis- Can the Spartans defense match the overall skills level needed to win a state title in 4A?
North Suburban: Warren Township- Can the Blue Devils offense get more production and boost it's overall points per game in 2022?
Northern Lake County: Antioch- Can the Sequoits get enough line play to win the NLC conference and beyond?
South Suburban Blue: Lemont- Can the Lemont offense live up to the hype and can the defense fill in at a key few spots (especially at linebacker)?
South Suburban Red: Richards- Can the Bulldogs less experienced defensive front seven develop into a conference title and state playoff caliber unit?
Southland: Kankakee- Can the Kays reload at some key spots this summer (QB/OL/DL) and not skip a beat this fall?
Southwest Prairie East: Plainfield South- Can the Cougars find/develop more linemen on both sides of the football this season?
Southwest Prairie West: Oswego- Can the Panthers reload especially on defense with 9 new starters in the fold?
Southwest Suburban Blue: LW East- Can the East offense find a way to generate more points scored on a consistent basis in 2022?
Southwest Suburban Red: LW West- Can the Warriors add a handful of new faces in key spots this summer (OL/WR/LB)?
Upstate 8: South Elgin- Is this the year that the Storm make a deeper post-season run in Class 8A?
West Suburban Gold: Willowbrook- Are the Warriors in line for another deep post-season run this fall and do they have the horses to pull this off?
West Suburban Silver: Glenbard West- Can the Hitters get back to being the Hitters again and get back to playing fast and physical football at all times?
So in all honesty I've had my Preseason #1 team in Chicagoland (and also state wide FYI) but outside of #1 I haven't really begun to sort much out from a 1-30 and the Others just yet. This is that beginning process.
So I begin by looking at every major Chicagoland area conference races and list which teams I feel should be considered for polling purposes. Agree? Disagree? Did I miss on someone or miss on an up and coming team? Let me know here.
Also IMPORTANT! Teams here are listing in NO particular order.....and I will resort for conference preview purposes etc. bottom liner is don't ready anything into the order listed here.
Next: My favorite to win the conference title
CCL/ESCC Blue: Mount Carmel- The Caravan bring back quality starters at nearly every position this summer. Talent level is as high as it's been for some time now. Yet this conference anyone can win at anytime so...
CCL/ESCC Green: St. Rita- Despite the graduation losses the Mustangs underclassmen skills talent is impressive and in many cases ready for a major breakout in 2022.
CCL/ESCC Orange: JCA- Another program with heavy graduation losses this spring, yet the Hill has plenty of young talent ready to emerge.
CCL/ESCC Purple: St. Patrick- New HC Luke Mertens inherited a good situation at St Pats.
CCL/ESCC White: St. Ignatius- The Wolfpack have a Power 5 national recruit in DL Justin Scott....yet St. Ignatius has much more this fall than just Scott.
Central Suburban North: Deerfield- The Warriors also have some grad losses but still has enough talent to win the CS North.
Central Suburban South; Maine South- Duh.
Best of the Chicago Public League: Kenwood- I see the CPL getting better in 2022 and several others have a real shot here (MP/Simeon/Phillips) but the Broncos have unquestioned talent and many are looking to see post-season success match up this fall with the talent level.
Dukane: Batavia- Still pissed at how the 2021 season ended in Chicago and that fire has been burning all off season long, trust me on that one.
DuPage Valley: Neuqua Valley- The Wildcats have some serious skills on offense and the defense will need to play well to win the DVC....and they should hold off NN and NC here for the title.
Fox Valley: Cary Grove- Or PR.....or maybe Jacobs. Yet no one can ever count out or overlook the Trojans here.
Kishwaukee River/Intestate 8 White: Morris- Plus Sycamore will always have a say in this gathering. The Morris Football Team has a ton of talent and experience back.
Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue: Richmond Burton
Mid Suburban East- Prospect- The Knights and head coach Dan DeBoeuf keep building up this program into a winner. Prospect welcomes back a nice core of starters this fall led by QB Frank Covey (Northwestern).
Mid Suburban West- Palatine- The Pirates also welcome back an impressive core of underclassmen names to watch led by sophomore DE Jaylen Williams, yet I can see this being a pretty wide open race.
Metro Suburban Blue: ICCP- Loaded with talent and the recent departures at Bishop Mac no question changes this conference mindset in my opinion.
Metro Suburban Red: St Francis- The Spartans have a real shot at making another deep run this fall.
North Suburban: Warren Township- Once again the prohibitive fav to win the North Sub.
Northern Lake County: Antioch- Or maybe Lakes ot Grayslake Central....it's pretty wide open here.
South Suburban Blue: Lemont- Loaded and also still pissed at how 2021 ended at home against ESTL.
South Suburban Red: Richards- Eisenhower and Shepard could also have a say here but the Bulldogs remain the fav.
Southland: Kankakee- Weird not just penciling in Crete-Monee here...but Kankakee is stacked and ready for another deep 6A run....but Crete is never to be taken lightly either here.
Southwest Prairie East: Plainfield South- Or Plainfield East....but South just looks really impressive this summer and they are always in the hunt here.
Southwest Prairie West: Oswego- Gotta gove props to Oswego here....but Yorkville is stacked upfront and will make a challenge and Minooka is also going to be better in 2022.
Southwest Suburban Blue: LW East- Loaded team in a loaded conference.
Southwest Suburban Red: LW West- The Warriors have some underclassmen talent on the rise and are the favorite in an Ok conference.
Upstate 8: South Elgin- Glenbard South will also have a say, but the Storm are still the fav in my opinion until otherwise proven otherwise.
West Suburban Gold: Willowbrook- The Warriors are again going to sneak up on many others once again this season.
West Suburban Silver: Glenbard West- It won't be easy, but the Hitters just look to be at another level this summer and on a mission.
Biggest Question for each predicted conference winner
CCL/ESCC Blue: Mount Carmel- Can the Caravan survive the CCL Blue slate and avoid the injury bug?
CCL/ESCC Green: St. Rita- Can the Mustangs reload at several key spots including QB and RB...and who becomes that go to guy minus Kaleb Brown (Ohio State) this fall?
CCL/ESCC Orange: JCA- Can the new guys step up and in and replace the old guys....the same old guys who just won a 4A state title? Also what is the identity of the Hillmen offense in 2022?
CCL/ESCC Purple: St. Patrick- Can the Shamrocks continue the success/momentum they gained in 2021 with a new HC in Luke Mertens?
CCL/ESCC White: St. Ignatius- Can the Wolfpack have staying power for 2022 and beyond? Cana more experienced St. Iggy starting lineup make a deep postseason run?
Central Suburban North: Deerfield- Can a talented sophomore class make the move up to the varsity this fall?
Central Suburban South; Maine South- Can the Hawks make whole sale changes in the offensive skill positions and keep winning this fall?
Best of the Chicago Public League: Kenwood- Is Kenwood ready to become a Top 25 ranked team and contend with the better Class 6A suburban teams in 2022?
Dukane: Batavia- Can the Bulldogs win if needed on the road in Chicago in the late fall? Who will step up and help out QB Ryan Boe at the skill positions this fall?
DuPage Valley: Neuqua Valley- Can the Wildcats offense roll up the points and can the Neuqua Valley defense slow down opposing teams enough to win consistently this season?
Fox Valley: Cary Grove- Can the Trojans reload and replace 18 graduated starters from it's 2021 6A state title team?
Kishwaukee River/Intestate 8 White: Morris- Can this Morris team find enough of a play action passing game to take them deep into the post-season?
Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue: Richmond Burton- Can the Rockets replace the graduated production from FB/LB Brock Wood this fall?
Mid Suburban East- Prospect- Can the Knights reload at a few key spots this summer (RB/DB) and add more needed depth?
Mid Suburban West- Palatine- Can the Pirates get steady production and play from it's talented underclassmen group this season?
Metro Suburban Blue: ICCP- Can the Knights catch a few breaks along the way this season and most importantly stay healthy?
Metro Suburban Red: St Francis- Can the Spartans defense match the overall skills level needed to win a state title in 4A?
North Suburban: Warren Township- Can the Blue Devils offense get more production and boost it's overall points per game in 2022?
Northern Lake County: Antioch- Can the Sequoits get enough line play to win the NLC conference and beyond?
South Suburban Blue: Lemont- Can the Lemont offense live up to the hype and can the defense fill in at a key few spots (especially at linebacker)?
South Suburban Red: Richards- Can the Bulldogs less experienced defensive front seven develop into a conference title and state playoff caliber unit?
Southland: Kankakee- Can the Kays reload at some key spots this summer (QB/OL/DL) and not skip a beat this fall?
Southwest Prairie East: Plainfield South- Can the Cougars find/develop more linemen on both sides of the football this season?
Southwest Prairie West: Oswego- Can the Panthers reload especially on defense with 9 new starters in the fold?
Southwest Suburban Blue: LW East- Can the East offense find a way to generate more points scored on a consistent basis in 2022?
Southwest Suburban Red: LW West- Can the Warriors add a handful of new faces in key spots this summer (OL/WR/LB)?
Upstate 8: South Elgin- Is this the year that the Storm make a deeper post-season run in Class 8A?
West Suburban Gold: Willowbrook- Are the Warriors in line for another deep post-season run this fall and do they have the horses to pull this off?
West Suburban Silver: Glenbard West- Can the Hitters get back to being the Hitters again and get back to playing fast and physical football at all times?
