You know the dril. Rank em 9 to 1. Also please rank them in order to make scoring easier.

Bartlett at Roselle (Lake Park)
Crete (Monee) at St. Charles (North)
LaGrange (Lyons) at Wheaton (Warrenville South)
Lemont (H.S.) at Geneva
South Elgin at Batavia
St. Charles (East) at West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)
Wheaton (North) @ Lockport
Willowbrook @ Glenbard North
Gurnee (Warren) at Park Ridge (Maine South)

It's been a busy summer that seems to have flown by, and the season snuck up on me. My apologies for getting this out so late.

This starts the 2024 weekly WSC Prediction Thread. Each week on Monday (or early Tuesday morning), I will start the weekly thread – please be patient, as I do have a life/job/responsibility outside of HS football and this board 😉. Picks will be due before kickoff of the first game of the week. Games taking place on days other than Friday night will be annotated.

As was done in previous years, I will post a current standings and weekly winner on the previous week’s thread and start a new thread each week. I will also keep a running score throughout the 9 weeks of the regular season and announce an overall season winner. The more weeks you participate, the better your odds at winning the whole season. @brucealmighy is our reigning Champion, going 64-11 in the regular season last year. @Fishwater41 was a close second at 63-12,

Weekly rankings are determined in the following order - Wins, Number of games Picked, Losses. So if you only pick 6 one week, you will always be behind someone who has picked 7 every week and has the same number of wins. In my opinion, more picks equates to more risk.

We will pick both Gold and Silver, which gives us 14 games to pick in Week 1, 12 games in Week 2, and 7 games in Weeks 3 – 9. That's a total of 75 games. All are welcome and encouraged to participate; here’s to a great season, safety to all players and fans, and good luck!

After watching Edgy's interview on barstool and hearing him talking about the history of the site it got me thinking...

Who told you about Edgy?
When did you first join?
Why did you join?

For me, I was introduced to Edgy in HS in the late 90s, by my teacher, the legendary Charlie Horsefeather. Having a very addictive personality, I was hooked instantly. My love for football at all levels brought me in and I was hooked.

Been a long time since the site displayed things in thread view where one topic (such as public/private) could take up 2 pages.

Friday: JCA at Oswego

Saturday: H-F at Marian Catholic

Week 2 and we have a whole slate of 4 o'clock Thursday kickoffs! Nothing says football like knocking off work a bit early and hitting up a CPL stadium for the first action of the week. On to the picks!

Back of the Yards vs. Noble Golder
Full disclosure, I love typing BOTY. Makes me feel like I'm really getting away with something. If BOTY was playing Noble Johnson, I'm not sure I would be able to type up my pick without giggling like a 7 year old schoolgirl. Unfortunately, the Noble Johnson is not in action until nighttime, and we get Golder traveling to see BOTY at 4 in the sunshine. Nothing likes sun more than BOTY!
Forget the tan lines....BOTY!

Von Steuben vs. Mather
This one seems like it should be an old school CPL Big Shoulders Conference game. I don't have the records in front of me, so I'm pretty sure that Von started football after the Big Shoulders was dissolved in conference reorganization. Either way, I'm going to pretend it is 2012 and this game is at Hansen stadium. One or both teams need to take the CTA to the game, with at least two starters on a bus that is way behind schedule. Referees are late, and both coaches agree that when the referees get to the game, there should be a running clock since they need to hit the barstool for the Thursday night NCAA football games. Ahhh.hhhhh....sweet memories.
IT DOESN'T MATHER THAT VON GETS TO TAKE AN ACTUAL BUS!!!

North Lawndale vs. Rauner
There was a time in the not too distant past where North Lawndale was a contender for the CPL championship. That is a long time ago...
Rauner!

Chicago Academy vs. Collins
A few years ago during the spring Covid season, Chicago Academy was a pretty big deal in their conference dominating everyone. Then they ran up against Taft's JV who was playing a varsity schedule in that conference. That was a great day for the thousands of players that never really were quite good enough to make the varsity lineup in a meaningful way. A real win for the kids that need football more than football needs them.
COLLINS!

Nice to see these teams finally getting a taste of out of conference football...... some teams didn't like that at alllllll. What's our picks for week 2? Give me some score predictions.

West Chicago @ Joliet Central
Elmwood Park @ Chicago Christian
East Aurora @ GBS
West Aurora @ GBE
Clemente @ Ridgewood
Riverside Brookfield @ Hinsdale South
Barlett @ Lake Park
Elgin @ Grayslake North
St. Pats @ Larkin
South Elgin @ Batavia
Streamwood @ Fenton

Had audio issues and a bad 9 volt battery was to blame believe it or not.......fingers crossed I believe we have everything figured out from here on out starting with next week's Pigskin Preview Show

CCL Freshman Scores (Week 1)

Barrington vs Hersey

Gumino over at Hersey has the offers and is a stud. Kid has a rocket for an arm and looked really good running the ball last week. Should be a little easier going against the Barrington defense compared to that Warren defense last week.

Barrington has Peipert who had a huge statistical season last year. He had a big game last week finishing a perfect 10/10 in passing.

Should be a fun game with a lot of points (and not much defense)

Who do you got winning?

Each wekk I will prepare the Underclassmen Report which is a look at which underclassmen names I saw in person at each game I cover this season. Unfortunately I did not get any roster for Loyola Academy (not my fault I tried) and also unfortunately I was not able to get any video from the Loyola ESTL game due to a camera memory card issue (sorta my fault). Ill make it up to the Loyola fans later this season.

Maine South Hawks

QB Jameson Purcell 6-foot-2, 185 pounds 2027- Was able to get some reps and work after this game was out of hand. I've been impressed with Jameson's overall game and potential for over a year plus. Purcell has an impressive arm and arm talent, already has college ready physical tools and his development wi;; be fun to watch over the next few years. Already holding multiple early D1 offers this sumemr.

RB Niko Kokosioulos 5-foot-8, 178 pounds 2026- Its another Kokosioulos! The first family of Maine South brings another speedy, strong and athletic running back who has a really nice combination of quickness and power. here. I'm guessing Niko will be the 2025 edition of Mike Dellumo for the Hawks and that's a very good thing to be next season.

DL Dean Arvanitis 6-foot-2, 228 pounds 2026- Good size and just looks like a player with some upside. I'll definitely take a look at his video later this season

LB Jake Cantal 5-foot-11, 206 pounds 2026- A name I was already familiar with before this game against LWE. Cantal has some nasty and plays pretty fast and physical. Has safety physical tools and look and I can also see him as a OLB, but also he doesn't seem to have safety size and length for now. A name to watch for sure.

LB Gavin Smith 6-foot-1, 206 pounds 2026- Brings a bit more size and length to the table and was pretty effective here in both run support and pass coverage skills. I'll definitely need to watch video for a better eval but on the hoof he passes the test as say an OLB or even ILB if he can get a bit stronger/add good weight.

DB Dan Egan 5-foot-9 178 pounds 2026- Moves pretty well, tracks the football pretty well and seems to also have good overall ball skills and can turn and flip his hips pretty naturally. Need to see more tape but my first impression of Dan was good.

Lincoln Way East Griffins

QB Jonas Williams 6-foot-3, 205 pounds 2026 Simply one of the best overall quarterbacks I've seen in my 30 plus years of covering and evaluating high school players. Williams has ideal size (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) and physical tools, plays cool and calm and just never seems to get rattled. Williams arm talent is extremely high and when refs come off the field and tell you how fast his passes are coming out of Williams hand...that's saying something. Williams is also a very strong runner in the open field, makes great decisions and his overall ability again is sky high. Committed to Oregon.

RB Brody Gish 5-foot-9, 180 pounds 2026- Came off the bench when starting RB Zion Gist was injured early in this game and made the most out of his opportunity. Gish runs hard, showed good vision and was able to wait for his blocks then attacked the open hole with a nice mix of speed and power. Very interested to see more video this season for Gish and anytime you can make an impression at East as a underclassmen...that says something.


DT Jacob Alexander 6-foot-4, 240 pounds 2026- Alexander has multiple D1 offers these days and it's pretty easy to see why. Alexander has added more good weight and size, already possessed very good speed, bend and quickness and his overall strength, hand fighting and overall motor is just very impressive. Alexander is really interesting because he has the tools to play as a very effective rush end but also looks like he can add considerable more good weight and size and stay inside and be a monster. Alexander's overall stock will continue to climb once his tape gets out in a few weeks.

DL Gage LaPere 6-foot-2, 260 pounds 2026 Solid linemen here with good overall size and ability. I'll definitely need to see more but I can see LaPere benefit playing on this very strong LWE Dline.

LB Colton Zvonar 5-foot-11, 185 pounds 2027- The youngest son of HC Rob Zvonar had a big game starting on varsity for the first time including adding a pick 6 on a nice read that Zvonar made, jumped the route inside then took the football to the house for the TD. Zvonar is again a prototypical LWE linebacker....usually anywhere from 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11, 180 to 190 pounds and just plays fundamentally sound defense and also just tackles everything.

DB Charlie Palmer 5-foot-11, 175 pounds 2027 Again very few sophomore can crack a starting lineup at East so you better be a very strong player to get that done. Palmer has good size and speed. still has a bit of fundamentals to improve upon but the overall ability and his development over the next few years will be fun to watch.

East St. Louis Flyers

WR LaRon Baker 5-foot-11, 165 pounds 2027- One of several speedy, twitchy athletic type of receiver for the Flyers on a team loaded with the same type of impressive athlete on the roster. No question I'll be looking to see a bit move on video at mid season and again he has a chance for big things down the line.

WR/DB Ronnie GoMiller 5-foot-9, 165 pounds 2027- Just a bit shorter compared to the rest of the underclassmen WR rotational players, but GoMiller's ability to start and cut on a dime along with his ability to go over the middle and into harms way to get the football was evident.

WR Armaad Sharp 6-foort-3, 200 pounds 2026- Big strong kid and jsut a very good looking athlete on the hoof. Physically just looks to have the ability to play a few different positions if needed. showed impressive speed and power and will seldom be brought down on initial contact.

QB Reece Shanklin 6-foot-, 175 pounds 2027 Part of a strong QB battle this summer but Shanklin is coming off the bench right now for the Flyers. I was able to see Shanklin throw this summer for Next Level and QB Coach Greg Holcomb and his arm strength, ability to make good and accurate throws along with physically being able to add much more good weight and strength over the next few years....Shanklin will no question be the next in line for East Side and a higher level name.

LB Leon Howard Jr. 6-foot-2, 225 pounds 2026 Big strong and very physical linebacker for the Flyers who is a multiple year starter as well. Howard Jr. is physical as hell at the point of attack, has a great nose for the football and just closes tackles with the best of them. Howard Jr. looks a bit strong this season but still runs and pursues to the football at a very high level/. Howard Jr. will draw a ton of looks at his early video this season.

OL Javon Donley 6-foot-5, 320 pounds 2028- Part of an incredible underclassmen group of massive offensive linemen for the Flyers. Donley did not play in this win over Loyola but the Flyers are looking to ease in and develop this incredible young giagantic group of linemen and I';m guessing you will start seeing these kids next season.

OL Antonio Grays 6-foot-7, 315 pounds 2028- Again this is a Class of 2028 kid measuring in at 6-foot-7, 325 pounds who is athletic, can move a bit and has the frame and look of a Power 4 linemen prospect already. Did not see much of any reps in this win.....but again this is another BIG part of the Flyers future.

OL Keyon Davis 6-foot-5, 310 pounds 2027- See above

OL Jerry Culberson 6-foot-7, 315 pounds 2027- See above

DL Jayden Wheeler 6-foot-2, 330 pounds 2028- Wheeler did indeed play in this win over Loyola and played well in my opinion. Wheeler has very good strength and power, was able to get past and around a big Loyola O line and was just very effective all game long. I definitely need to see a bit more from Wheeler on video but I definitely liked what I saw here.

I prepare these for every team I see live (unless your camera breaks and you dont/can't prepare one sorry Loyola/ESTL fans I'll make it up later this season)

I prepare these for every team I see live (unless your camera breaks and you dont/can't prepare one sorry Loyola/ESTL fans I'll make it up later this season)

Join us live tonight from 6-8PM as we welcome in several guests plus your calls and DM's

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Niles Notre Dame (1-0) @ Sterling (0-1): It’s a learning year in Golden Warrior land as the team is super young and is figuring out how to be varsity football players. Sterling does have some dude as Kaeden Phillips is speedy and dangerous in the open field and Drew Nettleton has a fast ball of a throw. I don’t really know Niles ND, but they look like they have some size and want to punish people up front. Sterling’s kids are tough, but NND probably wears them down for a comfortable win.

Prediction: Niles by 17



Geneseo (1-0) @ Clinton (WI) (1-1): Geneseo makes the long haul to Wisconsin to take on a school roughly half it’s size. Clinton looks like it has some size to it but unsure about the team speed. Clinton also looks to have only about 20-22 kids on the field. Long bus ride probably leads to a sluggish start for the Leafs, but once they start grinding with their double wing/wing t attack, I think they pull away after half time.

Prediction: Geneseo by 3 touchdowns.



Limestone (0-1) @ Galesburg (0-1): Last season, Galesburg won this game 41-7. This is Galesburg chance to right the ship. After getting handled last week by Dunlap, Galesburg gets a Limestone opponent still finding it’s feet as well. I think Limestone is a little better this season, but Galesburg has a few more athletes and should overwhelm Limestone in the end.

Prediction: Galesburg by 17



Moline (1-0) @ Benet Academy (1-0): Last season, Benet won 38-7. Game of the week in the conference this week. Moline built a lot of confidence and momentum in beating a good Missouri school in overtime last week. History says Benet just has Moline’s number, no matter how good Moline is. I think that all changes this season. Moline will look to pound the ball and keep Benet’s O off the field. Moline’s D needs to not have the late game break down it had last week that let the game slip into overtime. I think Moline finally gets over the Benet hump this season.

Prediction: Moline by 1



Alton (0-1) @ Quincy (1-0): Last season, Quincy won this game 40-6. Quincy handled in town rivel Notre Dame last week but was very sloppy in doing so. Even still, Quincy’s talent and speed was on full display. Alton got hammered by Althoff last week, their secondary giving up 3 TD’s on 4 pass completions. Hate to say it Redbirds…Quincy likes to sling it. I see Quincy cleaning up their penalties and tightening up the defense for a comfortable home win.

Prediction: Quincy by running clock



Dunlap (1-0) @ Rock Island (1-0): Last season, Dunlap won 21-7. Dunlap looks very solid last week in its plastering of Galesburg. Rock Island showed flashes of what it could be in it’s loss to Minooka. I think this game comes down to can Rocky control the ball and limit possessions for Dunlap’s dangerous offense. If they can, I think they have a good shot at pulling a W. If not, Rock Island’s defense will eventually break.

Prediction: Dunlap by 10



Chicago Muchin (0-1) @ United Township (0-1): Last season, UT won 60-6. I do not think this will be much of a game. UT has size on the line and a running back who has blink and you miss him speed. The defense played very solidly last week against LP. Games is over by halftime and the back ups get some experience reps.

Prediction: UT by running clock.

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I believe this is the 1st time these New Lenox schools are playing each other. Don’t know too much about either but curious what people thought of the matchup.

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Week 2 Chicagoland Top 30 poll

Week 2 EDGYTIM Class 8A Top 10 poll

Week 2 EDGYTIM Class 7A Top 10 poll

Week 2 EDGYTIM Class 6A Top 10 poll

Week 2 EDGYTIM Class 5A Top 10 poll

Week 2 EDGYTIM Class 4A Top 10 poll

When Edgy joined Marquee Sports Network a couple of years ago, I thought the network was going to start covering high school sports a little more often. Obviously the Cubs are king, but I would have thought Marquee would take the place of the late, great High School Lites that aired on soon-to-be defunct NBC Sports Chicago. But nothing has come of Edgy joining the network (not sure if they’re still working with him TBH), and it looks like there will be no high school highlights show on TV again in the Chicago area this fall. And frankly I am not sure if there will ever be one again. Too bad.

Sandburg 21 St. Rita 7 Soph

‘Tone took care of business as expected. 55-14

Coalers put up a decent fight @ Morris, but eventually got worn down. I heard their QB1 also suffered an injury and didn’t play the second half. Unsure of his status. 31-12

Wilmo handled Hope a bit easier than I expected. After giving up an early score, adjustments were made, and Hope did little the rest of the way. 44-6

Manteno put up quite a few points vs Sandwich and won what looked to be a bit of a shootout. 54-32.

Streator pulled out the win vs Ike in what was maybe a mini upset. 20-12

Herscher got relatively handled by Chicago Christian. 34-14.

R-C got humbled by a decent EPG team. 28-6

It looks rough in Lisle. Scored the first TD then proceeded to give up 42 unanswered to a Harvard team that hadn’t won a game since 2021. 42-7

Overall 4-4 for the league.

Neither East Side's starting QB Kendrick Lyons or Christopher Bennett Jr. have profiles for Rivals as far as I can tell.

This is similar to the stars and MVPs for many CG and PG teams - great talented and disciplined high school ball players, maybe not so much in college.

Never seen Loyola in action so don’t know much about them I know the flyers have reloaded at the qb position and are good as usual every where else I was thinking it could turn to a shootout

Welcome back!
Our friends over at Gambletron have provided us with a new feature: Winning Probability. Should we transition to a pick 'em/confidence pool? Or should we stay with you vs the spread?
Either way, make your picks - if you'd like to rank them (many 99% games this week), fine. If not, cool by me. We have a Pick 'Em thread already and I don't want to step on toes.
So this week, make your picks in the traditional manner (vs the spread).

CCL/ESCC (Blue)
Phillips @ BR
[2024] Brother Rice (Chicago, IL) 52 (>99%), [2024] Phillips [Wendell] (Chicago, IL) 0 (<1%)
Hun of NJ @ MC
[2024] Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) 35 (84%), [2024] Hun (Princeton, NJ) 20 (16%)
SLU High @ SI
[2024] St. Ignatius (Chicago, IL) 35 (87%), [2024] St. Louis University (St. Louis, MO) 17 (13%)
ESL vs LA @ ISU
[2024] Loyola Academy (Wilmette, IL) 31 (81%), [2024] East St. Louis (IL) 17 (19%)

CCL/ESCC (Green)
Sandburg @ SR
[2024] St. Rita (Chicago, IL) 42 (99%), [2024] Sandburg [Carl] (Orland Park, IL) 6 (1%)
St Mary of SL @ ICP
[2024] Immaculate Conception (Elmhurst, IL) 41 (>99%), [2024] St. Mary's (St. Louis, MO) 3 (<1%)
Kankakee @ Naz
[2024] Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park, IL) 41 (98%), [2024] Kankakee (IL) 8 (2%)
Kenwood @ SF
[2024] St. Francis (Wheaton, IL) 52 (>99%), [2024] Kenwood (Chicago, IL) 7 (<1%)

CCL/ESCC (Orange)
MP @ Marist
[2024] Marist (Chicago, IL) 28 (65%), [2024] Morgan Park (Chicago, IL) 21 (35%)
Iowa City @ JC
[2024] Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, IL) 38 (90%), [2024] Iowa City (IA) 17 (10%)
PC @ Wheaton North
[2024] Providence Catholic (New Lenox, IL) 31 (88%), [2024] Wheaton North (Wheaton, IL) 12 (12%)
SP @ ND
[2024] St. Patrick (Chicago, IL) 26 (77%), [2024] Notre Dame (Niles, IL) 14 (23%)

CCL/ESCC (Purple)
SV @ Riverside Milwaukee
[2024] St. Viator (Arlington Heights, IL) 42 (98%), [2024] Riverside University/Meir (Milwaukee, WI) 7 (2%)
Deerfield @ DP
[2024] Deerfield (IL) 28 (53%), [2024] DePaul College Prep (Chicago, IL) 27 (47%)
SP @ ND (above)
BA @ Hillcrest
[2024] Benet Academy (Lisle, IL) 35 (96%), [2024] Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, IL) 7 (4%)

CCL/ESCC (Red)
Oak Forest @ MA
[2024] Marmion Academy (Aurora, IL) 31 (73%), [2024] Oak Forest (IL) 22 (27%)
Argo @ DLS
[2024] De La Salle (Chicago, IL) 35 (92%), [2024] Argo (Summit, IL) 13 (8%)
Leo @ Genoa Kingston
[2024] Genoa-Kingston (Genoa, IL) 24 (61%), [2024] Leo (Chicago, IL) 19 (39%)
Marian, Heights @ Rich
[2024] Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, IL) 40 (96%), [2024] Rich Township (Olympia Fields, IL) 12 (4%)

CCL/ESCC (White)
Noble @ SL
[2024] St. Laurence (Burbank, IL) 62 (>99%), [2024] Noble Academy (Chicago, IL) 0 (<1%)
Hyde Park @ MCHS
[2024] Montini Catholic (Lombard, IL) 56 (>99%), [2024] Hyde Park (Chicago, IL) 0 (<1%)
CoM @ Grayslake Central
[2024] Carmel (Mundelein, IL) 56 (>99%), [2024] Grayslake Central (Grayslake, IL) 0 (<1%)
F @ OPRF
[2024] Fenwick (Oak Park, IL) 42 (99%), [2024] Oak Park-River Forest (Oak Park, IL) 6 (1%)