Who wins the "lesser" conferences?

[HT345]

We all know that who will win the CCL Blue, DVC, & NSC Lake will be debated on here endlessly until August, but what about the other Chicago area conferences? Here are some initial thoughts(Alphabetical by conference):

Central Suburban North - Can Barrington Wade lead Niles North to the top for the first time in probably forever?

Central Suburban South - Will New Trier ever be able to realize its potential & challenge Maine South? Can Evanston ever return to prominence? Are we sleeping on Glenbrook South?

Fox Valley Fox - Does Prairie Ridge return to the top? Can Crystal Lake Central challenge?

Fox Valley Valley - Cary Grove lost a lot. Huntley? CLS? Jacobs?

Mid Suburban East - Is there a more balanced conference than this one?

Mid Suburban West - Palatine & Barrington lost a lot. Does Fremd re-emerge as the leader?

North Suburban Prairie - Can anyone unseat Lakes? Can anyone even come close?

South Suburban Blue - Lemont until someone else proves otherwise.

South Suburban Red - Gotta be Richards, right?

Southwest Blue - Gotta be HF, right?

Southwest Red - Lincoln Way Central?

Southwest Prairie - Oswego, right?

Upstate Eight River - Geneva lost a ton. What does Batavia have back? Can St. Charles North rise to the top?

Upstate Eight Valley - South Elgin? Pistorio has them scoring a boatload of points. Doesn't Glenbard East have like 20 starters back? What about Bartlett? Is this the year West Aurora breaks through?

West Suburban Gold - Hinsdale South? Downers South?

West Suburban Silver - *Yawn* Glenbard West until one of the other schools plays to their potential.

 

[ramblinman]

We all know that who will win the CCL Blue, DVC, & NSC Lake will be debated on here endlessly until August, but what about the other Chicago area conferences? Here are some initial thoughts(Alphabetical by conference):

Central Suburban North - Can Barrington Wade lead Niles North to the top for the first time in probably forever?

Central Suburban South - Will New Trier ever be able to realize its potential & challenge Maine South? Can Evanston ever return to prominence? Are we sleeping on Glenbrook South?

Fox Valley Fox - Does Prairie Ridge return to the top? Can Crystal Lake Central challenge?

Fox Valley Valley - Cary Grove lost a lot. Huntley? CLS? Jacobs?

Mid Suburban East - Is there a more balanced conference than this one?

Mid Suburban West - Palatine & Barrington lost a lot. Does Fremd re-emerge as the leader?

North Suburban Prairie - Can anyone unseat Lakes? Can anyone even come close?

South Suburban Blue - Lemont until someone else proves otherwise.

South Suburban Red - Gotta be Richards, right?

Southwest Blue - Gotta be HF, right?

Southwest Red - Lincoln Way Central?

Southwest Prairie - Oswego, right?

Upstate Eight River - Geneva lost a ton. What does Batavia have back? Can St. Charles North rise to the top?

Upstate Eight Valley - South Elgin? Pistorio has them scoring a boatload of points. Doesn't Glenbard East have like 20 starters back? What about Bartlett? Is this the year West Aurora breaks through?

West Suburban Gold - Hinsdale South? Downers South?

West Suburban Silver - *Yawn* Glenbard West until one of the other schools plays to their potential.

You left out conferences like the CCL White and Red, ESCC, all the CPL conferences, Metro Suburban East and West, Northeastern Athletic, Southland, etc... Does that mean they are not "lesser conferences" in your mind?

 

[kpjasion]

Palatine and Barrington will be fine in the MSL West; both have strong junior classes joining a strong returning core of players from last year. Conant has a very strong senior class coming up this year, but the juniors are weak. Fremd , in my opinion (full disclosure, my son just graduated from and played at Palatine), recently seems to underachieve at the varsity level. For the last four years we always heard about how Fremd's sophs went 8-1 or 9-0 and "watch out"...but they've gone 4-5, 5-4, 6-3, 6-3 the past four years. Hoff Estates hard to figure out as they had all the sophs up on varsity last year so it's hard to know what they have. The same with Schaumburg. Going from 8-1 to 1-8 in a year, it'll be interesting to see which one re-emerges this year.

As a Palatine emeritus fan now...I'd love to see them catch Stevenson with a State Championship hangover and a whole new group of guys in week 1 and I think they legitimately have a shot if they are up to their potential week 1.

 

[DeanOfSelection]

I am taking Conant in that conference

 

[Cross Bones]

That Mid Sub West is looking interesting.

The SWSB I'm going to say LWE. They basically refuse to lose to conference foes.

 

[hornetnation7]

In the West Suburban Gold, should be between DGS and HS. I also expect Addition Trail to have something to say as well.

I am going with Hinsdale South. They have a lot back from last year's 6A Elite 8 team and should be able to put up a few points to go with what should be a pretty good defense (lead by you know who).

 

[TPF523]

In the West Suburban Gold, should be between DGS and HS. I also expect Addition Trail to have something to say as well.

I am going with Hinsdale South. They have a lot back from last year's 6A Elite 8 team and should be able to put up a few points to go with what should be a pretty good defense (lead by you know who).

Not a very strong conference... AT wont be any good this year, of course that's just my opinion.

 

[hornetnation7]

Not a very strong conference... AT wont be any good this year, of course that's just my opinion.

TPF,
I tend to agree that wsc gold not one of stronger conferences. I suspect Morton, PE, Leyden, and Willowbrook will be long shots to make playoffs. I would not be so quick to write AT off. I know they lost a lot from last year's senior laden team. However, I do recall this year's senior class being fairly strong as sophs. In addition I am pretty sure that group made deep runs at AYFL nationals in 7th and/or 8th grade with Addison Cowboys. That leaves HS and DGS to battle for conference championship.

That is why I tend to place significant weight on HS non-conf games (Romeoville, GBW and HC) as the true measuring stick (see thread on what is your team's most important game).

 

[DOUBLEHARRY]

Central Suburban South - Will New Trier ever be able to realize its potential & challenge Maine South? Can Evanston ever return to prominence? Are we sleeping on Glenbrook South?

Evanston will disappoint again, ton of talent and won't make playoffs.

Glenbrook S. Just not sure they have the horses up front they use to but always competitive. Running back is a beast. Disciplined approach team that wears teams down.

New Trier mark week 7 vs Maine South the Trevians numbers are growing and they just continue to look better and better. CSL /MSL 7 on 7 they were sharp and opened more peoples eyes. I sense something cooking with the return of three starting sophomores on varsity including the QB Clay Czyzynski from a 10-2 team last year.

 

[oldfan123]

Reavis will win the SS RED.St.Laurence will be a sleeper in CCL White

 

[anon_4vszfu35bv677]

I dispute the term lesser conferences. The only way they are "lesser" it's because they are "less" talked about here.

 

[HT345]

I dispute the term lesser conferences. The only way they are "lesser" it's because they are "less" talked about here.

I did use the term "lesser" sarcastically since pretty much all discussion revolves around certain conferences.

 

[anon_4vszfu35bv677]

Indeed it does HT...

 

[SiuCubFan8]

This is a message board. You are free to talk about whatever conferences you want.

 

[Wild_Mustang]

Not a very strong conference... AT wont be any good this year, of course that's just my opinion.

AT will be good, they won't be as good as last years team but they'll be a 6-3 team this year. Willowbrook won't be a push over either, I don't think they'll make the playoffs but they'll be a team that will go 4-5 or 5-4. Proviso East, Leyden & Morton will be at the bottom.

IMO, it's b/w HS & DGS. For 14 years DGS beat HS and last year HS finally beat DGS in a 7-0 slug fest. I expect the same thing this year and for years to come. This series b/w the two teams will no longer be lopsided. Week 3 is the conference championship, IMO.