A big rivalry game, but the rest could be duds. Also, have a pair of Thursday games in the mix!

Geneseo (3-2) @ Sterling (3-2): Last season, Sterling won 13-3. Ohhh baby is this a huge one for both teams! Not just a rivalry game, but a game to get to that 4th win and make the post season a very real possibility. Sterling probably needs this one a little more than Geneseo does as two of their remaining three games are Quincy and Moline. For Geneseo, they are still trying to get the Sterling bear off their back as they haven’t beaten the Golden Warriors since 2014. For Sterling, can they find consistency on offense? For Geneseo, can they finish a second half without let down?

Prediction: Sterling by 1


Quincy (5-0) @ Galesburg (1-4): Last season, Quincy won 56-19. Quincy has been on a tear, scoring 40 plus points in every game and only giving up 20+ points once. They have played fast and physical, but have been a little loose with the ball at times as Bradyn Little threw multiple interceptions last week. For Galesburg, it’s been a rough season but one bright spot has been their running game where twice, they have rushed for over 400 yards. If Galesburg wants a chance in this one, they need to be able to run the ball and keep Quincy’s offense on the sidelines. Quincy just has to keep doing Quincy things. This is a Thursday game.

Prediction: Quincy by running clock


Thornton (0-5) @ Moline (3-2): Who ever got this game schedules should be beaten with a pool noodle. Coming off a big rivalry win over Rocky, Moline gets to home game against a Thornton team who is not very good. Moline should look to get up big early and let the young kids take it home in the second half. This is also a Thursday game.

Prediction: Moline by running clock


Rock Island (0-5) @ United Township (2-3): Last season, Rocky won 24-14. Oddly enough, last season, Rock Island was 0-5 going into this game and got the win. Can they do it again? Rocky would have to put together a full game to get that first win. UT has shown the potential to be a solid team who can make the postseason and they must get this one to keep that hope alive. I think UT has the team to keep Rocky in check.

Prediction: UT by 10.

We are over 50% done with the regular season. Now the fun starts as we get our first qualifiers next week.

1 - That the untimely demise of Lake Zurich has been overstated.
2 - That Fremd is legit.
3 - That if you’re looking for a quick Friday night football game, try CG-PR if you need to meet a 2 hour time limit.
4 - That Francis hasn’t been the same since it beat Loyola
5 - That we don’t speak of Morris much and we should.
6 - That the glory days of New Trier football are long LONG gone.
7 - That Minooka is probably for real but……
8 - That scoring 84 points in a win is a big number but we don’t learn much from it.
9 - That football officiating is a tough job but it helps to know what down it is.
10 - That GBW got win one. Could this be the start of a winning streak?

Those are my thoughts through 5 weeks…..

Who doesn’t miss the good old days of banter between all of the Southwest Suburban public’s? And as an added kicker…we will very soon include Minooka and Morris as part of all discussions.

According to Gambletron, the only two competitive games will be in LaGrange and Roscoe Village. What does it know that we don't? Weather Friday evening: a few showers developing late, low of 61°, winds out of the northeast at 20 knots, chance of precipitation 30%, and the moon will be in a waning crescent - which is, as the Meteors demonstrate, a time of surrender, rest, and healing.

BR @ SP
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Brother Rice (Chicago, IL) 38 (98%), [2024] St. Patrick (Chicago, IL) 3 (2%)
BA @ MC
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) 49 (>99%), [2024] Benet Academy (Lisle, IL) 6 (<1%)
SI @ SV
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] St. Ignatius (Chicago, IL) 46 (97%), [2024] St. Viator (Arlington Heights, IL) 17 (3%)
LA @ DP
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Loyola Academy (Wilmette, IL) 35 (81%), [2024] DePaul College Prep (Chicago, IL) 21 (19%)
ND @ SR
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] St. Rita (Chicago, IL) 42 (>99%), [2024] Notre Dame (Niles, IL) 0 (<1%)
Marist @ ICP
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Marist (Chicago, IL) 31 (88%), [2024] Immaculate Conception (Elmhurst, IL) 12 (12%)
JC @ Naz
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park, IL) 35 (73%), [2024] Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, IL) 26 (27%)
PC @ SF
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] St. Francis (Wheaton, IL) 35 (90%), [2024] Providence Catholic (New Lenox, IL) 14 (10%)
MA @ MCHS
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Montini Catholic (Lombard, IL) 27 (94%), [2024] Marmion Academy (Aurora, IL) 3 (6%)
DLS @ F
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Fenwick (Oak Park, IL) 62 (>99%), [2024] De La Salle (Chicago, IL) 0 (<1%)
Leo @ SL
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] St. Laurence (Burbank, IL) 50 (>99%), [2024] Leo (Chicago, IL) 3 (<1%)
Marian, Heights @ CoM
regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Carmel (Mundelein, IL) 28 (95%), [2024] Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, IL) 3 (5%)

Nm

My weekly column for the Daily Herald is linked

Even when Leo could have good teams they can’t compete with the bigger Catholic teams. If they played in the Chicagoland Christian Conference they would do good playing teams closer to their size and actually make the state playoffs and compete with schools their size.

De La Salle could play varsity football next year and see if they could build up their program to see if they could come back to the CCL in a few years.

Football enrollment #s
*De La Salle 701
Wheaton 669
Marian central 389
*Leo 386
Christ the king 371
Bishop Mac 320
Chicago Christian 316
Hope academy 274
St.Edward 268
Aurora Christian 200

Who looks good in 6A?
Who's the CCL representative?
Who's the team we should be be talking about but we not?
And any other talking points

Anyone recall the last time JCA was shutout? Did Provi shut them out in a playoff game many years ago at Provi?

Hello all,

I noticed that Minooka is a 4-0 to start the season. However the combined record of the teams they beat is 1-15.

How would you assess them in the 2nd half of the season I was at first impressed by the Neaqua Valley win but they sit at 0-4.


Does anyone have any insights?

Now past the half way point of the season. Quincy has punched it's ticket and looks unstoppable. Moline, UT, Geneseo, and Sterling are all still in the mix. Galesburg is on it's last legs. Rocky is sadly out of it, but that doesn't mean they can't spoil someone elses season.

Galesburg 21 @ Geneseo 28: Back and forth game which actually saw the visiting Silver Streaks outrush the Maple Leafs by close to 100 yards. Jamar Range had 160 yards on 3 carries in the 1st quarter for the Streaks. He would end the game with 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. Galesburg would doom itself with turnovers and a crucial missed field goal. Geneseo’s scoring drives were methodical like we imagined a triple option team would be.

Moline 37 @ Rock Island 12: This game was a back and forth 14-6 game two minutes before halftime, and then Moline get’s a pick six and a fumble recovery to go into the half 24-6. Rocky never recovered after that as Moline ground out yards (377) and time on the clock for a big rivalry win.

United Township 7 @ Quincy 49: A another week of Bradyn Little just making defenses look like they are not there. Also did not help UT’s cause that Quincy was also able to run the ball as well. Quincy’s defense also kept UT’s offense in check most of the night. Quincy continues their quest for a second straight perfect season. UT will look to right the ship as they are still in the hunt for 5 wins and a playoff berth. Side note, Little is now 4th in career TD’s and 5th in career yards on the IHSA lists.

Sterling 32 @ Beloit Turner 0: Sterling played very sloppy at times on offense, but the D and special teams were on point pitching the shut out and Sterling’s kicker hit 3 field goals, 2 of them were 40+ yard kicks. Beloit had a moderately stout defense, but their offense was pretty toothless. Good long road trip win for the Golden Warriors going into Geneseo week.

The Big Man from East Side is a Redshirt Freshman, slotted at LT behind another from his class who was the top ranked lineman. Also, another RS/Frosh tackle is getting PT before him. He was next up, but an injury this weekend proved otherwise when the 2nd RT (RS Soph) moved to LT when Proctor got hurt.

In this day and age of the portal, I am guilty of thinking about his next home, but he still has plenty of time to earn his Sunday stripes. In fact, the young man is a cheerleader for the team's recruiting of other linemen.

Not only that, he is getting himself a good education, earning Honor Roll status. I sure hope he stays all five years and gets a grad degree before getting Day 1 drafted. He is a student athlete I can really root for!

Paris Patterson transferred from Arkansas to SMU - he too has not taken a snap this year.

Crazy how I thought both could get into the rotation right away. They are playing with the Bog Boys now!

NM

Dierre Hill for 80 after the first possessions by both squads yielded little.

Top 7 all with perfect scores

They are 4-1, with a sorta close loss to Jackson, MO at the Classic. Jackson is one hell of a program!

They have some playmakers on both sides of the ball and decent size. Unranked and barely mentioend in the 4A AP polls, garnering 2 points.

Here is the lede for the game piece that ran today. How long has this writer been wanting to use this twist of words:

Correyontae Midget was one of the smallest guys on the field Friday night.

But the 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior running back towered over the Marion defense all game.

His 275 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries keyed Cahokia’s 28-6 South Seven Conference win that put it in the driver’s seat to win the league title.

Midget rushed for scores of 4, 57 and 55 yards, using a patient running style and exploding into the open field after making one decisive cut.

Sorry no postgame

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The second week of division games. All Friday contests, although MacArthur vs Eisenhower has a 5 pm start time.

West Division
Lanphier (0-3) at Jacksonville (2-1)
The Crimsons led SHG 10-7 last week at half before losing 35-10. They should get back on track this week against the winless Lions. Jacksonville 48 Lanphier 6. Massey prediction: Jacksonville 47 Lanphier 7.

Springfield (3-0) at Southeast (0-3) Game at Memorial Stadium
Springfield has looked good so far this season and should go to 4-0 against the Spartans. After almost knocking off East Peoria in Week 1, Southeast has lost handily to Lincoln and been shutout and running clocked by QND. Springfield 45 Southeast 8. Massey prediction: Springfield 43 Southeast 13.

SHG (2-1) at QND (2-1)
SHG wants to build on the momentum they showed in the second half last week against Jacksonville, when they outscored the Crimsons 28-0 and put a slow 1st half behind them. QND has been impressive in all of their games so far, even in their Week 1 loss to 7A power Quincy. SHG wants a fast start on the road and will run the ball until the Raiders show they can stop them. QND cannot afford to get down by multiple scores early and needs maximum support from a large home crowd. I think this is a 4-quarter contest, but the Cyclones ultimately have more offensive firepower. SHG 31 QND 18. Massey prediction: SHG 40 QND 14.

East Division
Eisenhower (0-3) at MacArthur (1-2)
The battle of Decatur, which has been one-sided in favor of Mac recently. Eisenhower was competitive with Streator in Week 1 but has since been blown out by both Jacksonville and Chatham. The Generals should go to 2-2. MacArthur 41 Eisenhower 6. Massey prediction: MacArthur 44 Eisenhower 7.

Lincoln (2-1) at U High (2-1)
Other than the running of FB Paytan Bunner, Lincoln did not have much positive to point to after losing 63-7 to Rochester at home last week. U High had a strong bounce back week after their close loss to Bloomington by running clocking MacArthur. U High should win comfortably, possibly by a running clock. U High 45 Lincoln 13. Massey prediction: U High 42 Lincoln 21.

Rochester (2-1) at Chatham (2-1)
Rochester pulled away after a close 1st half last year and won 63-21. However, that was a much more experienced Rocket team which turned the offense over to RB Nolan Mrozowski during a 2nd half downpour. Now, the Titans have as many or more veteran players, especially with QB Colton Knoedler making his 16th career start vs Rochester QB Tanner Beal making his 2nd. The game hinges on a key question for both team's defenses. Can the Titans stop the run and force Rochester into 3rd and long passing situations? Can Rochester put enough pressure on Knoedler that he can't survey the field and has to get rid of the ball quickly? Chatham had a surprisingly low scoring 14-7 loss to 8A Edwardsville in Week 1. I expect this to be a higher scoring contest, though not a track meet. Rochester 38 Chatham 25. Massey prediction: Rochester 45 Chatham 20.

nm