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Q: Who are the Top Programs of this Decade?

No particular order (larger classes - must have at least one championship in that time and consistently make long playoff runs.):
NAZ
Batavia
ESL
LA
CG
GBW
Mon
LZ
MS
LWE
MC
JCA
SHG
Stevie
PR
 
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Since 2010:

Forreston:

90-20 / three state championships


Sterling Newman:

102-11 / two state championships


Lena Winslow:

105-22 / three state championships
 
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No particular order (larger classes - must have at least one championship in that time and consistently make long playoff runs.):
NAZ
ESL
LA
CG
GWE
Mon
LZ
HF
MS
LWE
MC
JCA
SHG
According to yourself, HF should not be on your list. Haven’t won anything since 1994
 
No particular order (larger classes - must have at least one championship in that time and consistently make long playoff runs.):
NAZ
ESL
LA
CG
GBW
Mon
LZ
MS
LWE
MC
JCA
SHG
Stevie
PR too. They’ve won 3 titles in 8 seasons.
 
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Also, my intent was not to offend the supporters of the smaller classes. IC could make an argument.l, but what do I know.
 
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Also, my intent was not to offend the supporters of the smaller classes. IC could make an argument.l, but what do I know.

IC has an argument for the last 4 years...but they have missed the playoffs and had 6 win seasons in the last 10...I personally think a program shouldn't have years like that to be a top program...A lot of the small school public power programs are grouped together in the same conference or neighboring conferences, cutting into deep runs every year...Or you get the private power who takes over...McNamara & JCA are in the same position...
 
IC has an argument for the last 4 years...but they have missed the playoffs and had 6 win seasons in the last 10...I personally think a program shouldn't have years like that to be a top program...A lot of the small school public power programs are grouped together in the same conference or neighboring conferences, cutting into deep runs every year...Or you get the private power who takes over...McNamara & JCA are in the same position...
4 state titles in the last 10 years isn’t enough?
 
MC
2010- State Runner Up
2011- Prep Bowl Champs
2012- State Champs
2013- State Champs
2014- State Semifinals
2015- Prep Bowl Champs
2016- Prep Bowl Champs
2017- State Semifinals
2018- State Semifinals
96-26....not a bad decade so far.....
 
Please..no prep bowl championships should be included in this comparison as it is a discriminatory title that is offered to only a handful of state participants. Carry on.

How 'bout no "state championships" by teams that play big schools in Sept and Oct, but tiny schools in Nov? Hmmm?
 
Please..no prep bowl championships should be included in this comparison as it is a discriminatory title that is offered to only a handful of state participants. Carry on.
It means their still playing Thanksgiving weekend!
 
Great...I played Thanksgiving Day as well. Can I count that for a LWE win? No seriously, if the losers bracket games are not available to all of the state, they should not be included in THIS thread. You can keep your trophy and win for whatever the value is in the city of Chicago for recruiting purposes.
 
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Wilmo......Over the past 10 seasons they are 96-12 with one state title. Not as strong a resume as some of the others listed but there were four years of those ten in which they only had one loss. 2 of those 4 years the losses were to IC, who were possibly two of the best teams I have ever seen in 3A. Always seemed to have just one more barrier in the way of a few extra trophies.
 
Great...I played Thanksgiving Day as well. Can I count that for a LWE win? No seriously, if the losers bracket games are not available to all of the state, they should not be included in THIS thread. You can keep your trophy and win for whatever the value is in the city of Chicago for recruiting purposes.
Bah! Humbug!
 
SHG 2 titles and 1 second 92-13 record

Montini
4 titles and 2 seconds since 2010
98-21 overall record.

I don't think any school can top the resume of Rochester this decade
7 titles and a record of 102-11

Bowie mentioned JCA on list. Not this decade. Only one title and one runner up as well as missing playoffs 2x
 
Maybe we should ask the question of what would eliminate a program from consideration? Is missing the playoffs even one season call for removal?
 
4 state titles in the last 10 years isn’t enough?

`18 14-0 4A Champs
'17 13-1 3A Champs
'16 14-0 3A Champs
'15 11-2 3A Semis, both losses to McNamara (3A champ)
'14 4-5
'13 6-4
'12 7-4
'11 6-4
'10 6-4
'09 4-5
'08 10-4 2A Champs

Sorry, by my count that is three straight titles, one semi in last four years...But the six seasons prior are two playoff misses, three first round losses, and a second round loss...The '08 title is not in the last decade by my analysis....Two misses and three first round outs just doesn't scream "top program of decade" to me...last five years, sure, even with the miss in '14...
 
Like it or not you have to throw Rochester into the list.

Rochester & Maroa have one quarter and two semis each in the last ten years...But Rochester has 7 titles, and Maroa has one title and six runners up...I doubt there are any better resumes than these two...
 
Maybe we should ask the question of what would eliminate a program from consideration? Is missing the playoffs even one season call for removal?

Missing one season shouldn't be call for removal...but for reference, check this:

Playoff streaks of 10 or more (from IHSA Playoff Info)...

8A...LWE 18, Glenbard West 12, Stevenson 30, Maine South 27, Loyola 16, New Trier 16

7A...Simeon 18, MP Harlem 11, Normal community 23, Rockton Honegah 12

6A...Cary Grove 15, Chatham Glenwood 16, Crete Monee 14, Lake Villa Lakes 10, Richards 10, SHG 19, Washington 12...

5A...Montini 26, Marion 14...

4A...Richmond Burton 12, Rochester 13...

3A...Carlinville 12, Monticello 10, Williamsville 10, Wilmington 23...

2A...Aledo Mercer County 10, Bismark Henning 10, Downs Tri-Valley 11, Maroa Forsyth 15, Sterling Newman 18...

1A...Camp Point 11, Kewanee Wethersfield 12, Lena Winslow 20...

There's some pretty high profile programs missing from the 10 year string list...

And there are some programs with strings of just making the playoffs...in 5A for example, Montini sure is a power program, but downstate Marion hasn't been past the second round - of course, I'm guessing that SHG has had some input, and JCA...
 
Missing one season shouldn't be call for removal...but for reference, check this:

Playoff streaks of 10 or more (from IHSA Playoff Info)...

8A...LWE 18, Glenbard West 12, Stevenson 30, Maine South 27, Loyola 16, New Trier 16

7A...Simeon 18, MP Harlem 11, Normal community 23, Rockton Honegah 12

6A...Cary Grove 15, Chatham Glenwood 16, Crete Monee 14, Lake Villa Lakes 10, Richards 10, SHG 19, Washington 12...

5A...Montini 26, Marion 14...

4A...Richmond Burton 12, Rochester 13...

3A...Carlinville 12, Monticello 10, Williamsville 10, Wilmington 23...

2A...Aledo Mercer County 10, Bismark Henning 10, Downs Tri-Valley 11, Maroa Forsyth 15, Sterling Newman 18...

1A...Camp Point 11, Kewanee Wethersfield 12, Lena Winslow 20...

There's some pretty high profile programs missing from the 10 year string list...

And there are some programs with strings of just making the playoffs...in 5A for example, Montini sure is a power program, but downstate Marion hasn't been past the second round - of course, I'm guessing that SHG has had some input, and JCA...
I do not agree with playoff streaks being a factor. You gotta win in the PO's consistently. For example, LA has appeared in 9 of the last 8A semis. That is performing at a consistently high level over the past decade.
 
Just to keep LWE in perspective, the eighteen number is every year of existence and the only school to have done that it Illinois. Albeit the first year with Frosh,sophs, and Juniors only. Also, Coach Zvonar is the only HC to date.
 
`18 14-0 4A Champs
'17 13-1 3A Champs
'16 14-0 3A Champs
'15 11-2 3A Semis, both losses to McNamara (3A champ)
'14 4-5
'13 6-4
'12 7-4
'11 6-4
'10 6-4
'09 4-5
'08 10-4 2A Champs

Sorry, by my count that is three straight titles, one semi in last four years...But the six seasons prior are two playoff misses, three first round losses, and a second round loss...The '08 title is not in the last decade by my analysis....Two misses and three first round outs just doesn't scream "top program of decade" to me...last five years, sure, even with the miss in '14...

If this is not HHStigerfan, there must be something in the water down in Kankakee county that keeps people from using one period to end a sentence.
 
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Making the playoffs, alone, is pretty meaningless. What you do there is what counts ...like winning the championship of the class where you compete during the regular season.
 
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I’ll throw out some filters for accomplishments over the last decade. It would be interesting to see how many teams can check one, several or best of all, every box.

At least...
100 wins
1 State title
2 Finals appearances
4 Semis
6 Quarters

Any program checking all boxes would make the list. I think any program checking any one of the boxes should be able to make an argument. If not, save your thought lol.
 
I’ll throw out some filters for accomplishments over the last decade. It would be interesting to see how many teams can check one, several or best of all, every box.

At least...
100 wins
1 State title
2 Finals appearances
4 Semis
6 Quarters

Any program checking all boxes would make the list. I think any program checking any one of the boxes should be able to make an argument. If not, save your thought lol.

Using your criteria, JCA hits on 3 of the 5
they have
1 title
2 finals appearances
3 semi's '
6 quarters


Based on the above criteria, I would guess JCA falls somewhere around the 10th-15th most successful program this decade.

The 2010's is the school's least successful decade since the playoffs started
70's- 4 titles
80's- 2 titles, 5 Quarterfinals, qualified every year
90's- 2 titles, 2 seconds, 5 Semis
00's- 5 titles, 1 second, 112 total wins.
 
I do not agree with playoff streaks being a factor. You gotta win in the PO's consistently. For example, LA has appeared in 9 of the last 8A semis. That is performing at a consistently high level over the past decade.

You forgot a number in there. Should be 9 of the last 10 8A semis.
 
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I’ll throw out some filters for accomplishments over the last decade. It would be interesting to see how many teams can check one, several or best of all, every box.

At least...
100 wins
1 State title
2 Finals appearances
4 Semis
6 Quarters

Any program checking all boxes would make the list. I think any program checking any one of the boxes should be able to make an argument. If not, save your thought lol.

Like the idea of filters to have teams bubble up, but...

Using your filters, the following programs could "make an argument" for being a top program:
  • a program that perennially wins their first ten games and never gets past round two of the playoffs
  • a program with one state title and nine other seasons being a non-qualifier
  • a program with two state finals appearances and eight other seasons being a non-qualifier
I realize that the above scenarios are not likely to happen. However, if you set the filters too low, you have to be prepared to accept that it will absolutely result in some programs satisfying one or more of your filters that shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as some of the REALLY top programs.

One way to avoid that is to increase the selectivity of your filters (change 1 state title to 2, 3 finals appearances instead of 2, for examples). Another way would be to add disqualifying filters to what you already have. Yet another is to use Boolean logic to further define and refine your selection. For example, you could say that a top program the past ten years would have to have all of the filters you listed (or one of the filters you listed) and no top program over the past ten years could ever complete more than three seasons playing in fewer than 11 games and/or no top program could ever fail to qualify for the playoffs over the past ten years.

If you are an LA grad who had John T. Connelly teach you computer programming, you'd know all about Boolean logic.
 
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My hat goes off to Crete-Monee and Richards on criteria that may differ from some of the other proposed filters in this thread. They have achieved a decade of admirable results sharing the following conditions:
  • public and boundaried
  • modest socio-economics
  • proximity to private and non-boundaried options
  • youth feeder programs probably past their peaks
  • unpretentious facilities (including grass game fields)
  • no fear in scheduling tough non-cons
 
I’ll throw out some filters for accomplishments over the last decade. It would be interesting to see how many teams can check one, several or best of all, every box.

At least...
100 wins
1 State title
2 Finals appearances
4 Semis
6 Quarters

Any program checking all boxes would make the list. I think any program checking any one of the boxes should be able to make an argument. If not, save your thought lol.

With your filters Montini would fit all the categories since 2008.

108 wins
5 State titles
7 finals appearances
8 semis
9 quarters
 
My hat goes off to Crete-Monee and Richards on criteria that may differ from some of the other proposed filters in this thread. They have achieved a decade of admirable results sharing the following conditions:
  • public and boundaried
  • modest socio-economics
  • proximity to private and non-boundaried options
  • youth feeder programs probably past their peaks
  • unpretentious facilities (including grass game fields)
  • no fear in scheduling tough non-cons
Having turf makes a team/school pretentious?
 
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