Strange....games are hard enough to come by so why back out of a home and home already agreed upon? Sure looks like Brook is bailing on this one??
Bolingbrook now looking for a Week1 game for 2023 and 2024?
- Thread starter EdgyTim
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Strange....games are hard enough to come by so why back out of a home and home already agreed upon? Sure looks like Brook is bailing on this one??
Sometimes teams just have to buckle up and play some schools even though they have no desire.
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Am I reading this wrong or is Brook scared of Brother Rice? Hell what is the concern of playing Loyola besides getting a loss? All those big name skill position transfers Brook brought in + the big name QB and ya’ll don’t want to challenge yourselves against the CCL?
Gonna need to get Gary Wirt on the horn
Maybe I’m interpreting wrong, but how come a lot of the Big School Fans on this site are so damn scared to play each other non conf? I just have more respect for the Batavia’s/ESTLs, etc who will play anybody, anywhere, any time and prove it with their non-conf schedules year after year.
What big name transfers? Prior to this news our schedule had: MS, HC, NN, HF, LP, and LWE. They were overbooked.
That wouldnt really make sense. If they were simply overbooked, they would be trying to cancel a game, not add. It sounds like they are trying to replace an opponent, for whatever reason.
If you choose wisely, you might even get a forfeit win, albeit after the season.
Not too many games. Im talking difficulty if they plan on making the playoffs. I didn't even mention Sandburg who everyone here thinks is a sleeping giant.
The game was against MS. So now we are both looking for a week one game.
Right. So that sort of reinforces the point others were trying to make that Bolingbrook was dodging opponents to get a weaker schedule.
Not sure there was a debate about it here. Hard to say they were dodging opponents when they scheduled it in the first place. In all the criticism I have had of the program, dodging competition hasn't been one of them. You'd be hardpressed to find a program in similar standing that schedules like they do.
Does this argument hold water since they changed coaches and the schedule gets weaker? You can say Ivlow never ducked anyone but until the new guy does carries out the same philosophy the jury is out.
This would have been Ivlow's most difficult schedule. It's still difficult without Maine South, and we don't know who the week 1 game will be. I don't know the new coach from Adam other than he was the DC for one year and it was the worst D we've had in my memory. I'm not sure who decided to back out on this game or the actual reasoning. But I can cut them some slack on scheduling 5 probable losses instead of 6.
Their current 8to18 shows only their 7 CCL/ESCC games so I am unsure if they have any commitments for weeks 1 and 2 yet. I will say that their 7 league games already have 4 games that are toss ups at best- Rita, ND, SF, and Marist (all in a row weeks 3-6 no less). And Marmion and Ignatius at the end are not gimmes by any stretch. So realistically, I am ok with them finding a cupcake or modest challenge for weeks 1 and 2.
Before you start thinking I am Lou Holtzing here, we have to look at the recent past. Since 2013, I can identify only two seasons where JCA likely stays within 4 scores of LWE. 2015 and 2021. So there is nothing wrong with them punching up and trying that scheduling tactic. However, if you are going to do it in a year with 4 built in hammers already, you better feel really positive about what you have coming back and also find a cupcake for the other non conference week. Scheduling an 8A team with Brook’s track record over the last decade could make sense for JCA. Scheduling a program with LWE’s track record only makes sense if you think you have your once in a decade team coming up. Because if it’s average JC vs average LWE, it typically wouldn’t be close.
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Correct. They also ran a program with a school/enrollment/student population that would not have regularly lost to the 70s-90s equivalent of LWE.
JC of the 70s to 90s was regularly on par with WWS, MC, MS, etc.
With their 2023 enrollment, they can expect to occasionally compete with those programs, but not every year.
So yes, I am agreeing with you. It’s not the philosophy of previous years. But demographic realities say it would be a waste to seek out a LWE every year.
It’s less that the philosophy has changed and more that the reality has changed. In 1992 it would be a disappointment if the team wasn’t one of the top 10 in the entire state. I would not have expected mid 90s Driscoll, montini, or MCC to seek out the Maine South’s of the time either, and our current enrollment leaves us there as opposed to closer to the Gordie and Sharp days regardless of philosophies.
2 year two games. It would be great for the players, fans and community
Well said. Not sure why this concept is so difficult to comprehend for some on this board. It's now a school of 600 kids. Very different reality from years past. I'll be interested to see who JCA has on their Weeks 1 and 2 schedule. Given the upgrade in Weeks 3 thru 9 with the move to the Green, qualifying for the playoffs is going to be a challenge.
All.... Absolutely. One has to pick your battles. Sacred Heart-Griffin is in that same same boat as JCA. The new two year enrollment for the Cyclones shows 536 but in reality it's right at 500.
The CS8 in the upcoming season has one non con game with the Big 12 before the new two division conference happens the following year. Now the team SHG will play is not power wise the school (s) you gents are talking about but as a rule finishes at the top or nearby of their conference. 7A Normal Community with an enrollment up a little over 2000. A difficult opening game for the Cyclones.
The following year the CS8 teams will have the opportunity to schedule two out conference games under the new format. SHG has a two year deal with CBC out of Missouri. The Cadets won back to back state championships the last two years going 13-1 both seasons. Those two losses East St. Louis.
Aggressive scheduling is a delicate dance when trying to make postseason play. (LFF23) Ratsy
The CS8 in the upcoming season has one non con game with the Big 12 before the new two division conference happens the following year. Now the team SHG will play is not power wise the school (s) you gents are talking about but as a rule finishes at the top or nearby of their conference. 7A Normal Community with an enrollment up a little over 2000. A difficult opening game for the Cyclones.
The following year the CS8 teams will have the opportunity to schedule two out conference games under the new format. SHG has a two year deal with CBC out of Missouri. The Cadets won back to back state championships the last two years going 13-1 both seasons. Those two losses East St. Louis.
Aggressive scheduling is a delicate dance when trying to make postseason play. (LFF23) Ratsy
One thing the last 20 years has shown is school enrollment has zero to do with athletic success for private schools. It is not the athletes no longer attending, it is the regular students.
That said the last 20 years it has shown success with Athletes. See Loyal and MC last year and JCA the year before. Let’s not kid ourselves. Privates keep trying to hide the athletic success but it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see they have success recruiting top athletes. I get that it’s hard to recruit normal everyday students that want to pay tuition for a Catholic education but let’s not pretend the big Catholic schools don’t recruit the big time players. The school success draws them in for sure. 😊
Not really sure I agree with that. I think when JC was 800-1000 in the late 90s and early 00s, they were ranked with and could play with anyone. PC of the 90s and 00s was in the same boat with well over 1000 students. montini in the early 2010s was similar and I believe had around 800 students total. Once your enrollment drops over 25 percent to 600 or less, then those programs just can’t regularly hang with the Maine south, LWE, etc type programs.
Yes, the athletes still come with a 600 enrollment but a lot of their friends who are athletic but not top shelf are not there to fill in gaps and play important roles. Those kids are there by the dozens at Lincoln way east.
So a school with 600 can sometimes play with anyone. 2021 JC did just that. But I don’t see a little engine that could having a similar run of 90s PC, 2000s JC, or 2010s montini because those schools were bigger and could sustain a top 10 statewide ranking over a lengthy duration. A few hundred students less than 2000 JC or 2010 montini can still win a 4a, 5A , 6a title. But they will likely not be a perennial top 5-10 preseason or postseason type team. Just my thoughts.
All..... 600 I wish. SHG's high mark years ago was 840. It is now 500. The Cyclones super group that took seasons to develop will graduate this year. I have mentioned this before, while attending a game last year noticing in a program I purchased a picture of the sophomore team. All 16 of them. They are not getting a lions share of the stellar in town and nearby athletes as they enter high school. With a number like I'm happy with anyone that wants to even play.
SHG (SF) will be 5A this year. Should they make the postseason the Cycs potentially will be playing schools up to a max of close to 1300. That will be interesting.
The school has frozen tuition for three years and revamped their assistance program in hopes of increasing school enrollment. The next few years I believe will be a crossroads for them. We will see. (LFF23) Ratsy
SHG (SF) will be 5A this year. Should they make the postseason the Cycs potentially will be playing schools up to a max of close to 1300. That will be interesting.
The school has frozen tuition for three years and revamped their assistance program in hopes of increasing school enrollment. The next few years I believe will be a crossroads for them. We will see. (LFF23) Ratsy
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Um, no. You cannot generalize like that.
When a school's enrollment drops, then that school drops down to a lower (usually less competitive) class. In JCA's case, they were in 4A back when there were only five classes. That was the second highest class back then. Currently, they are in 4A, which is five classes from the top in the current eight class system. Is success by JCA at the 4A level in our current eight class system the same as it was for them when they were in 4A back when there were five classes? Sure, they won titles back then and they are winning titles now. But, would they be winning consistently at the second highest class in the current playoff classification system? I think not.
I spot checked a few of their title game roster sizes over a recent 19 year period, and here is what I found:
2000: 75 with 62 upperclassmen
2004: 79 with 67 upperclassmen
2009: 73 with 51 upperclassmen
2011: 69 with 42 upperclassmen
2018: 50 with 37 upperclassmen
Shall I do another spot check using Bishop Mac? SHG? Hell, Alleman's numbers of athletes are so low that they can't even field a varsity football team next year, and they were in three 5A and 4A title games from 2005-2012!
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