Any news on what conference RB maybe joining?

The Alabama big school championship game MVP was an 8th grade QB who went 12/14 for 207 yards and 5TDs, kid already has a bunch of D1 offers.

Here is the Friday Night recap for the Naperville Area. Individual games to come tomorrow
Week 3 Recap

Watch the 2014 8A Final between HF and Stevenson for some fast action and hard hitting. The announcers are a refreshing reprieve also.

2014 8A Final

Now that all the dust has settled, can anyone come up with a somewhat objective All-State team (with honorable mentions of course)?

More details are linked including how to get refunds....and we are also allowing any athletes set for this event to transfer over and take part in the Underclassmen Showcase set for January 16th 2023 in McCook.

Was curious about the enrollment numbers the teams playing in the championship games. So I did a little digging. In only 1 game did the school with higher enrollment win. That was in in 1A and the winning school had 10 more kids than the losing school. I used the IHSA enrollments for its website

On average the winning school had an enrollment that is 70% of that of the runner up.. The enrollment shown below of Mt. Carmel is doubled.

Where a Private school played a Public school the enrollment was 66%.

Just thought it was interesting.

Not everyone is returning double digit starters. Who had a good season that will be graduating 17 or 18 Senior starters?

I love the idea of having playoff games at neutral sites (remember Friday Night Lights in the Astrodome? (it was at UT in real life but I digress)), and I wonder how that would play out in Illinois, so we can really see who's the best without home-field advantages. So I plotted a hypothetical neutral site setup for the Illinois first round. Criteria:
- THIS IS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. I know it would never happen and maybe isn't even a good idea, but I had fun with it.
- I generally prefer turf over grass. That's not necessarily my thoughts for what makes a "good field" in the regular season; I only prefer turf in the playoffs because it's November and the weather is bad.
- The main thing is what's between the schools. I generally prefer stadiums with more seats over those with less.
- This is more a problem with lower classes, but I prefer stadiums with substantial visitor's side seats.
- No doubling up - one game per stadium, per round.
- I went 8A first and then on down.
- I only used other high school fields. No colleges (at least not first round!).
- I kept the all-CPS games at CPS fields.

So, without further ado:
8A
LWE vs. Conant at Downers Grove South
Lane Tech vs. Neuqu Valley at York
Warren vs. Stevenson at Libertyville
Huntley vs. Andrew at West Aurora
South Elgin vs. Belleville East at Champaign Centennial
Maine South vs. Bolingbrook at Lyons
Glenbard West vs. Lockport at Bolingbrook
Glenbrook South vs. Homewood-Flossmoor at Morton
York vs. Oswego East at Wheaton-Warrenville South
Naperville North vs. Marist at Hinsdale Central
Palatine vs. Downers Grove South at Addison Trail
Glenbard East vs. Minooka at Plainfield East
Plainfield North vs. Rich Township at Lincoln-Way West
Lyons vs. Naperville Central at Downers Grove North
Loyola vs. Plainfield South at Lake Park
O'Fallon vs. Edwardsville at Collinsville

7A
Mount Carmel vs. Buffalo Grove at Leyden
Lincoln Park vs. Downers Grove North at OPRF
Collinsville vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais at Normal Community
Jacobs vs. Brother Rice at Glenbard North
St. Charles North vs. Maine West at Streamwood
Elk Grove vs. Hoffman Estates at Conant
Prospect vs. Reavis at Ridgewood
St. Rita vs. Geneva at Glenbard East
Hersey vs. Argo at Maine South
Guilford vs. Batavia at Huntley
Yorkville vs. Libertyville at Elgin
Moline vs. DeKalb at Sterling
Pekin vs. Plainfield Central at Streator
Hononegah vs. Normal Community at LaSalle-Peru
Wheaton North vs. Willowbrook at Glenbard West
Lake Zurich vs. Larkin at Dundee-Crown

6A
Wauconda vs. Schurz at Stevenson
Niles Notre Dame vs. Antioch at Mundelein
Deerfield vs. St. Ignatius at Maine West
Belvidere North vs. Grayslake Central at Woodstock
Prairie Ridge vs. Crystal Lake South at Crystal Lake Central (too easy!)
Kaneland vs. Riverside-Brookfield at West Chicago
Grayslake North vs. Senn at Buffalo Grove
Amundsen vs. Harlem at Barrington
Lemont vs. Blue Island Eisenhower at Sandburg
Glenwood vs. Quincy at Jacksonville
Perspectives vs. Kenwood at Gately
Bremen vs. Washington at Ottawa Marquette (I know, they're a 1A school, they have a big facility)
Simeon vs. Oak Forest at Marist
Crete-Monee vs. Champaign Centennial at Kankakee
Normal West vs. Danville at Urbana
East St. Louis vs. Richards at Decatur Eisenhower

5A
Sycamore vs. Westinghouse at Fenton
Bulls Prep vs. Carmel at Niles Notre Dame
Goode vs. Pritzker at Rockne
Sterling vs. St. Viator at DeKalb
Morgan Park vs. Fenwick at Argo
Payton vs. Speer at Lane
Boylan vs. Hillcrest at East Aurora
Glenbard South vs. Nazareth at Nazareth
Mahomet-Seymour vs. Ottawa at Normal West
Metamora vs. Jacksonville at Lincoln
Morris vs. LaSalle-Peru at Ottawa
Triad vs. Centralia at Breese Central
Highland vs. Dunlap at SHG
Mascoutah vs. Marion at Mount Vernon
Decatur MacArthur vs. Peoria at Bloomington
Kankakee vs. Mount Vernon at Decatur MacArthur

4A
Richmond-Burton vs. Ridgewood at Jacobs
Sullivan vs. UP-Bronzeville at Hanson
Wheaton Academy vs. Providence at Neuqua Valley
JCA vs. Phillips at Shepard
Hyde Park vs. Johnsburg at Elk Grove
Dixon vs. Rochelle at Oregon
St. Francis vs. Marengo at South Elgin
Evergreen Park vs. Comer at St. Rita
Carterville vs. Geneseo at Glenwood
Coal City vs. East Alton-Wood River at Mahomet-Seymour
Rochester vs. Effingham at Mount Zion
Breese Central vs. Mount Zion at Effingham
SHG vs. Hall at East Peoria
Richland County vs. Waterloo at Centralia
Macomb vs. Quincy Notre Dame at Illini West
Murphysboro vs. Columbia at Sparta

3A
Peotone vs. Princeton at Seneca
Genoa-Kingston vs. Elmwood/Brimfield at Hall
IC Catholic vs. King at Riverside-Brookfield
Stillman Valley vs. Monmouth-Roseville at Geneseo
Reed-Custer vs. Carver at Lincoln-Way Central
Durand/Pecatonica vs. Catalyst-Maria at Burlington Central
Seneca vs. Winnebago at Mendota
Byron vs. Lisle at Sycamore
Prairie Central vs. PBL at GCMS
Hillsboro vs. Roxana at Staunton
Harrisburg vs. Tolono Unity at Richland County
Monticello vs. Mt. Carmel at Mattoon
Benton vs. Olympia at North Mac
SJO vs. Robinson at Charleston
Williamsville vs. Carlinville at Rochester
Eureka vs. Beardstown at Canton

2A
Maroa-Forsyth vs. North Lawndale at Bradley-Bourbonnais
El Paso-Gridley vs. Farmington at Peoria Stadium
Rockridge vs. Newman at United Township
Mercer County vs. Bloomington Central Catholic at Dunlap
BHRA vs. Westville at Danville
Knoxville vs. Mendon Unity at Macomb
Wilmington vs. Chicago Christian at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Tri-Valley vs. Clifton Central at Pontiac
St. Teresa vs. Chester at Edwardsville
Carmi-White County vs. Athens at O'Fallon
Pana vs. Auburn at Taylorville
Fairfield vs. North Mac at Vandalia
Johnston City vs. Flora at Hamilton County
ALAH vs. Vandalia at Shelbyville
Althoff vs. Shelbyville at Salem
Red Bud vs. Nashville at Belleville East

1A
Lena-Winslow vs. Chicago Richards at Hampshire
ROWVA/Williamsfield vs. Stark County at Galva
Fulton vs. Aurora Christian at Dixon
Annawan/Wethersfield vs. Rockford Lutheran at Rock Falls
Chicago Hope vs. Goode at Mount Carmel (on Dante)
St. Bede vs. Forreston at Rochelle
Ottawa Marquette vs. Morrison at Bureau Valley
Dakota vs. Iroquois West at Yorkville
Ridgeview/Lexington vs. Madison at Springfield Southeast
Red Hill vs. Salt Fork at Marshall
Tuscola vs. Brown County at Riverton
Routt vs. Villa Grove at Warrensburg-Latham
Camp Point Central vs. Dupo at Jersey
Sesser-Valier vs. Central A&M at Greenville
Greenfield/Northwestern vs. Calhoun at Carrollton
Rushville-Industry vs. Cumberland at Williamsville

Thoughts?

It would great to see Loyola or Lincoln way schedule East st.Louis for a non conference game im sure sunkett wouldn’t mind.

Plus we cover issues such as low attendance, public versus private and much more

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Paul was a first-year teacher my senior year. He was the RB coach ... Hickey was not going to listen to him, let's just say. He was totally befuddled by some of the actics we got away with ... different times!

But he built a nice program - decently successful. Sadly, he is leaving because he is tired of the BS of folks not liking his triple-option.

Bassler said he could handle the push for change from people outside the program.

“The community, I could deal with and I have dealt with over the 25 years I’ve been doing this,” he said. “Everybody wanted more throwing, more of this, more of that. The kind of stuff they see on Saturdays and Sundays, they wanted to see. Some of the parents and people in the community would corner me and say something to me. I would say, ‘Hey, come on out to practice and watch us complete 20% or 30% against no defense.’ That wasn’t going to be a good formula for us.”

What Bassler said he wasn’t able to handle as well was the restlessness. He sensed the desire for change from his assistants and players coming into the program.

“I’m at the point now where I’m coaching kids of kids I’ve coached,” Bassler said. “I’m getting the second generation of kids. I think they’re getting antsy and they want to move on and do some other stuff. I felt like I was the lone ranger, philosophically. Being the lone ranger isn’t a fun place to be. It was a lot more fun when we were all on the same page, talking the same language and doing the same things. The past couple of years weren’t as fun.

“I have guys on staff that want to go a different direction. They want to air it out and throw it all over. I think they have a good group coming back to be able to do that with. Some of the kids we threw to this year are coming back and Isaac Ackerman will be the next quarterback. He can sling it and spin it really well. He’s got a great arm. They’re going to be able to do some of the things they want to. I just don’t know whether, year in and year out, those (players) are going to be available.”

Bassler, a Belleville East graduate, called former Althoff coach Glenn Schott before he made his decision to resign. Bassler was an assistant under Schott in 1990 and 1991. “Coach Schott was hilarious. I said, ‘When did you know it was time?’ He goes, ‘Paul, when I was more excited about coming home and watching CSI than coaching football, I knew it was time.’ I understand. You get to the point where you’re so tired of watching film and doing the things that were necessary. It just struck a chord with me.”

Big 7A matchup Saturday at Batavia. Batavia is battle-tested, Hersey is flying high. Who do you guys like?

I’ve seen a few comments on this matchup (even hypothetically) on a couple other threads, but I don’t believe that it has it’s own thread for the actual matchup. So, here:

Just honest opinions and not personal attacks/attitudes, please.

Here are the final standings. Thanks to everyone who participated this year.

Not great, but the 3A/4A crew is way better.

Lindo/Barnhart/Standohar

>

McInerney/Rodewold/Dan Jackson

All the talk about attendance got me looking back to when the playoffs first started up with five classifications at ISU.
Head count from 1974-78, ranged from 3,611 (1974 1A) to 9,064 (1975 3A). Metamora was biggest draw of the time, attracting crowds of 8,000-9,000 in 3A state finals ('75 vs Geneva, '76 vs Geneseo, '77 vs Geneseo).
Only two other games (1975 4A between JCA and Springfield Griffin and 1975 5A between Boylan and Deerfield) were over 8K.

FYI this will be the 2022 season finale WJOL Pigskin Preview Show and we had to move it to Wednesday night from 6-8 PM because WJOL is contracted to cover Lewis Basketball on Thursday.

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How about that? Talk a little Rock and Roll one week and it turns into a class. And that's a great thing but the problem is that the poster tossed bouquets of praise at all of you and that tells me they need a bit more discernment in their lives.

I'm not putting a time down for each game. Our first kick off is 11am Friday between Fenwick and Simeon so 'Make Me Smile' and get your picks in before then.

Good luck to our young men lacing them up this weekend. some maybe for the last time. We are proud of all of you. Now go out there and take it!

[2022] Simeon (Chicago, IL) 28 (53%), [2022] Fenwick (Oak Park, IL) 27 (47%)

[2022] Providence Catholic (New Lenox, IL) 28 (53%), [2022] Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield, IL) 27 (47%)

[2022] Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park, IL) 35 (53%), [2022] Peoria (IL) 34 (47%)

[2022] Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) 35 (92%), [2022] Batavia (IL) 13 (8%)

[2022] Loyola Academy (Wilmette, IL) 28 (62%), [2022] Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, IL) 22 (38%)

This has been referenced in many ways. Here is testimony.

After Cary-Grove ran for 386 yards in last year's championship game, Sunkett said proving they could stop a triple-option offense was a high priority for the Flyers defensive unit.

"The defense, they still felt bad from last year," Sunkett said. "With each headline, they read, 'Can we stop the triple-option?' That's all we heard from the time we lost the state championship game last year up until this week. So, we really felt like we had something to prove this year, that we actually could."

FINAL STANDINGS

Click the link above to view the entire sheet.

TOTAL
Matt B - 512

KING 8A to 5A
NIU - 270

SMALL SCHOOLS 4A to 1A
Matt B - 266

8A - STL - 77
7A - BushwickDubs - 78
6A - Big Groff, Tom - 77
5A - Mike, Eireog - 63
4A - Bill J - 78
3A - The Weatherman - 74
2A - Brian DeLucia - 64
1A - Matt B - 77

“The coin toss was almost comical, the size difference,” Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp said. “You can’t match up with that.”

Chat away

This game was getting talked about too much on the MC/SR thread so I figured I would give the game it proper own thread.

The main headline on this game is the “revenge” factor for Batavia. I won’t get into the final drive of last years game, I said my peace on it over a year ago. But wanting to play MC again for revenge is silly. MC did nothing wrong. MC didn’t cheat, MC didn’t play dirty or cheap shot anyone, MC didn’t pay off the refs. MC has been getting flagged for just about anything under the sun this year, nothing has been let slide. MC has played the last 40 years with a bullseye on their back. They are circled on every teams schedule and when they are beaten it makes many teams season. They are used to it. Revenge, if some want to deem this game as, gets your blood pumping but it doesn’t make you faster or more athletic. Revenge ends at kickoff.

I’ll chime more in on the actual game later but I figured I’d address this topic early in the week.