I had a chance to get out and see a handful of strong teams last night at Naperville North. NN head coach Sean Drendel will be hosting these every Tuesday night over the next handful of weeks and the team lineup will chance from week to week. This night featured Naperville North, Mount Carmel, Neuqua Valley, Minooka, Plainfield North and also Downers Grove South. The format is pretty simple....a clock is used and each team has a certain amount of time on offense then it's switched. No scoring is kept but the emphasis is on just getting work in and team ran it's systems without trying to pile up the 7on7 points etc.
Here are my some quick observations from last night on each team.
Naperville North- 2023 QB Aidan Gray is the real deal on a lot of levels and looks primed for a big fall season. Gray threw the football pretty well here and has a handful of solid receivers including 2022 WR Zeke Williams who will be a main target. The Huskies defense was ok and like every other team in 7on7 they had some good stop and gave up some passes etc. and again it's hard to really judge a defense without being in game mode in pads etc. The best matchup for North was against Neuqua Valley and as you'd expect....it was a very spirited game
Neuqua Valley- Again the Wildcats played a ton of underclassmen in the spring season and the expectations are always high at NV but I get the feeling that the expectations for this team are also high. It was nice to see former Plainfield North HC Tim Kane back coaching at NV as an assistant. 2023 QB Mark Mennecke is a very solid quarterback who throws a good ball and his deep ball in particular and Mennecke was impressive here. NV used a handful of quarterbacks here and used several different kids in various spots etx. and overall the talent level remains pretty high here.
Mount Carmel- You just don't expect to see the Caravan anywhere near the suburbs for anything...but MC was here and showcased several up and coming names to watch over the next handful of seasons. MC's first unit's as expected are strong, big, speedy and physical on both sides of the football. MC used several different quarterbacks here and that will no question be one of the biggest questions this preseason...and that is who takes the snaps for MC in Week 1. Backup QB Brandon Rogers is still in a brace and rehabbing after having surgery so his return is still uncertain. MC still has plenty of talent on board and as mentioned....this will be a very young yet very talented team on both sides of the football this fall.
Minooka- The Indians looked pretty solid here and used a handful of quarterback with junior QB Gavin Dolley and senior QB Ethan Murphy got the majority of snaps. Both Dooley and Murphy had some good series and reps and I fully expect the QB battle to run through the summer. The Indians receivers will be a strength this fall with senior WR Trevor Hudak, senior WR Malik Armstrong (NIU) as keys, yet also keep an eye on WR Darren Anderson who ran the 4x100 relay track for the Indians state title team and who sure looks like he's ready for Friday Night Lights. The defense is young and will need to gain more reps this summer but the Indians have a chance to be pretty solid here.
Plainfield North- The Tigers also have a retired HC now as an assistant coach in former Waubonsie Valley HC Paul Murphy who is the OC for Plainfield North. The Tigers always have speed and while they don't have a ton of size here, they have some talent no question. The Tigers used three different quarterbacks and senior to be Harrison Klien looks to be the leader in my eyes after this 7on7 and the defense like the offense has a ton of speed and closes really well.
Downers Grove South- The Mustangs have a handful of key names to watch and this sure looks like a team in line for better things this fall. Junior QB Ryan Dawson is a big and strong signal caller who in many ways is already physically college ready. Senior WR Eli Reed (NIU) is as polished as receiver as anyone in the 2022 class and is a key play maker. Also junior TE Mack OHalloran (who didn't play at this event but was in attendance) is another key name for South heading into the fall. Overall I just saw a lot to like here for the fall season.
Here are my some quick observations from last night on each team.
Naperville North- 2023 QB Aidan Gray is the real deal on a lot of levels and looks primed for a big fall season. Gray threw the football pretty well here and has a handful of solid receivers including 2022 WR Zeke Williams who will be a main target. The Huskies defense was ok and like every other team in 7on7 they had some good stop and gave up some passes etc. and again it's hard to really judge a defense without being in game mode in pads etc. The best matchup for North was against Neuqua Valley and as you'd expect....it was a very spirited game
Neuqua Valley- Again the Wildcats played a ton of underclassmen in the spring season and the expectations are always high at NV but I get the feeling that the expectations for this team are also high. It was nice to see former Plainfield North HC Tim Kane back coaching at NV as an assistant. 2023 QB Mark Mennecke is a very solid quarterback who throws a good ball and his deep ball in particular and Mennecke was impressive here. NV used a handful of quarterbacks here and used several different kids in various spots etx. and overall the talent level remains pretty high here.
Mount Carmel- You just don't expect to see the Caravan anywhere near the suburbs for anything...but MC was here and showcased several up and coming names to watch over the next handful of seasons. MC's first unit's as expected are strong, big, speedy and physical on both sides of the football. MC used several different quarterbacks here and that will no question be one of the biggest questions this preseason...and that is who takes the snaps for MC in Week 1. Backup QB Brandon Rogers is still in a brace and rehabbing after having surgery so his return is still uncertain. MC still has plenty of talent on board and as mentioned....this will be a very young yet very talented team on both sides of the football this fall.
Minooka- The Indians looked pretty solid here and used a handful of quarterback with junior QB Gavin Dolley and senior QB Ethan Murphy got the majority of snaps. Both Dooley and Murphy had some good series and reps and I fully expect the QB battle to run through the summer. The Indians receivers will be a strength this fall with senior WR Trevor Hudak, senior WR Malik Armstrong (NIU) as keys, yet also keep an eye on WR Darren Anderson who ran the 4x100 relay track for the Indians state title team and who sure looks like he's ready for Friday Night Lights. The defense is young and will need to gain more reps this summer but the Indians have a chance to be pretty solid here.
Plainfield North- The Tigers also have a retired HC now as an assistant coach in former Waubonsie Valley HC Paul Murphy who is the OC for Plainfield North. The Tigers always have speed and while they don't have a ton of size here, they have some talent no question. The Tigers used three different quarterbacks and senior to be Harrison Klien looks to be the leader in my eyes after this 7on7 and the defense like the offense has a ton of speed and closes really well.
Downers Grove South- The Mustangs have a handful of key names to watch and this sure looks like a team in line for better things this fall. Junior QB Ryan Dawson is a big and strong signal caller who in many ways is already physically college ready. Senior WR Eli Reed (NIU) is as polished as receiver as anyone in the 2022 class and is a key play maker. Also junior TE Mack OHalloran (who didn't play at this event but was in attendance) is another key name for South heading into the fall. Overall I just saw a lot to like here for the fall season.
