So who wins the CCL/ESCC Blue conference this spring?
- Thread starter EdgyTim
- Start date
I'm having a hard time getting excited for this. It's just not the same, more like a scrimmage than a season.
Your not alone. The initial happiness from games being played faded fast when most realized that there wasn’t anything to play for other then the excitement of the game. In the CCL Blue you will see some great football, once the ball is kicked you’ll see them going all out....MC seniors never lost yet, they want to continue it, but with no State on the line you won’t see the same bitterness off defeats or excitement from Victories, at least from the fans.
I honestly think they are going to eventually add more fans and some sort of post season. Hell, I'm hearing they may let cheerleaders, Yell!!!
Maybe it’s just a different attitude when your a CCL Blue type private that is battling for championships every year, but as a fan with zero affiliation to anyone, I absolutely am ecstatic about the season! The SRs get a chance to put it all on the line this spring, what they didn’t get a chance at in the fall and I’m so happy they’ll get at least a conference schedule to play.
Maybe teams can figure put a bowl game scenario - would be real cool alternative at least compared to nothing. Not sure if that talks all smoke or its possible.
Yet bordering states will continue with playoffs and state championships. That’s what gets me.
I feel good the kids get to play, but feel bad the kids get no opportunity to win a playoff game or a possible championship.
I'm with you on this, back in July, I told my wife "at this point, I'd be happy with 5 games". As much as I want to see those kids that had/have scholarships on the line get a chance to play, I want to see the kids that just wanted to play their senior year and worked hard to be on the field get that chance. I've also read about and have met so many of the local college prospects over the past year that I want to see them play and compete against them. Playoffs or a bowl game would be fantastic (and I still think they are going to do something), but it really isn't souring me on the fact that they are getting an opportunity to play.
I have already noticed this with basketball. The games have an "exhibition game" feel to them. I'll take it though, my son is ecstatic to be able to be on the court playing and competing against other schools.
Watching my children get into gear for their respective sports it is a profound reminder to my wife and I that these young student athletes still just want to play the game for the sake of playing...and lets face it some boys just flat out crave physical contact. LOL
I took martial arts for 30 years and what I miss most is the full-contact sparring. It's about the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Last edited:
Some of you have no idea how excited these kids are. Maybe as fans you want a state title. They’ve been locked out of their schools for almost 11 months for the most part. They are ecstatic to play! This year the goal should be enjoying your time with your teammates, maybe a conference title. I can’t tell you how happy I’ve see kids and their parents since athletics began again. It’s incredible the energy that has been put back into school buildings because of this.
As a player, I enjoyed being in a setting where it was acceptable to release a mean streak. Football was a great outlet that helped my conduct off the field.
As my son used to say, football was the only way he could knock someone down and get praised for it.
It will be interesting to keep an eye on what happens with the Divisions. I am pretty confident that in that 2nd Division that Prov will be demoted while JC will be promoted from the 4th tier to 3rd. So PC-JC for 2 years would happen in that scenario. Also, assuming Rita is at full strength they would probably be the favorite to advance to Blue so you would have MC-SR again. Also, Naz probably advances despite losing a ton so could have Naz-Montini in same Division. So lots to keep an eye on during the Spring Season.
I don’t know what they are basing off of. That’s why having 4 teams divisions cause issues. In 2019 MC went 3-0 and LA, BR, and Marist all went 1-2. With all 4 teams probable Top 10 teams this Spring God only knows what will happen. It’s good to play rivalry games but the winning State is the ultimate goal. 2 seasons ago Lenti volunteered MC for the Green which pissed off a lot of people and everyone got a good laugh and shot at MC and it didn’t help Frank keep his job, but MC went 11-2, beat ESL and came a yard away from going to the State Championship. If your good, your good. Naz plays in the Orange...
Well 2019 all 3 of LA, Marist, BR were 1-2 in the division. Could be any of them. Im not sure what the next step is in determining after division record over 2 years if tied.
If MC had scored instead of fumbling, I think SCN would still have had a chance to tie it up. If SCN then failed to score, MC would have advanced to the title game with Naz.
Besides MC losing to a team they should have beaten soundly, the game sticks in the memory as a technical fiasco. NFHS wiped it out with the blue screen of death.
In regulation, with a min remaining it was 3rd down we were at the 1 yard line with a power formation in, and I’m certain we would have pounded it in or at least get to the inch line where we could have leaned it in on fourth. We went out of the shotgun and the QB mishandled a snap that we recovered at the 8 yard line. Being 4th down and now 8 yards away we went for the short FG that still would have won us the game....it got blocked....you know what happened in OT. I hate the shotgun on close yardage plays....don’t make it further!
It was Lynch’s first year coaching. Going to the Green decision was made a year before he was hired.
There is nothing wrong with you hoping for this, but I can think of a number of reasons why the last football game being played by every high school in the state this year with be no later than April 23-24 (Friday/Saturday).
1) Spring sports begin practice on April 5 and spring sports include lacrosse, boys track, girls track and girls soccer. Those four sports all use the football stadium with the exception of a few schools that have their track set up away from the football stadium. For every school that has a separate track facility, I can name 10 that don't. With practices starting April 5, you have to figure that games will be scheduled starting April 26.
2) Players are going to sign up for football believing that they will be able to join their spring sports team (track, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, water polo and gymnastics) beginning on Monday, April 26. Extending the football season by a minimum of one week, and if you want a playoff system of some sort that means more than one week for some schools, renders joining your spring sport pretty much a non-option. I honestly don't know how a freshman baseball team starting practice on April 5 and playing games starting on say April 26, is supposed to do with what might be 15 freshmen who played football and now want a freshman baseball team, or a JV lacrosse team.
3) The IHSA has said there will be no playoffs for football this spring. If the IHSA is going to change its mind about football and add a week or two or three to the season, then I suspect it would first do that for basketball. Basketball is the far more popular sport in terms of schools competing than is football. And of course adding weeks to the basketball season dramatically affects basketball players who also want to play football. Remember also that last year, the hoops players did not get to finish their playoffs. Football did. Extending the season past April 23-24 is simply not feasible.
4) I believe the IHSA said when it made dates for athletics that it wanted the spring sports teams to have as close to a normal season as possible, as last year, nobody played in the spring. Extending football practice flies in the face of that position.
5) Some conferences have set their schedule up so they can end the six-week season with a league championship game. Other leagues have chosen just to play regular conference schedules. Trying to start some sort of playoff on April 30-May 1 or to play a seventh game on that weekend is not part of any schedule.
6) There is no way feasible to have a high school football playoff that's not part of the IHSA unless you want the playoff to occur after maybe three weeks of games. In boys basketball, for example, eight of the state's highly regarded teams (DePaul,, Evanston, Fenwick, Mundelein, Notre Dame, Simeon, St. Patrick and Young) are coming together for an end-of season tournament in Chicago on March 12-13. It's a great idea, but it's also being played during the time period allowed by the IHSA for basketball. With a six-game season set for everybody, the idea of postseason play or a "bowl" game would push football past its deadline. If the IHSA is going to break the rules for football, then it is going to be defenseless when it comes to not breaking the rules for basketball. And for every week of basketball season that would be added at the back end, that's one less week of football the athletes are going to have.
Finally, and this is on another point that was made on this forum: I totally agree with those who say that the 2021 football season won't be as much fun for fans and players as a regular fall season would be.
Someone who wrote to the affect that the "agony of defeat" isn't going to be there because its six games and done has total support from this guy who's getting older by the minute.
Finally finally, the state reported online on Feb. 24 that 2.3 million doses of the vaccine have been administered. There are, however, 9.1 million people age 18-over living in Illinois, and each person must get two doses. So, using those numbers, we need 18.2 million vaccinations to cover the state, and so far we are at 2.3 million. Using those numbers, it's obvious there is still a long way to go before things are back to normal. We've been at this vaccine thing now for a month.
.
It’s three weeks to kick off and basically the same 20 posters have been chiming in. There has been very few team previews or discussions. Most of the most dedicated posters and self proclaimed experts have been MIA for months. So if people are doubting the fans interest in the Spring season then the proof is in the pudding. I think with No Championships on the line and fans being unable to attend games I just think it’s taken it’s toll on people. Hoping this changes at kick off!
I think there will be some change but not much. There will be a little excitement about football being played however, given the season and the short time to prepare, things just aren't the same or no where near. I do however, think there will be a lot of chatter following the spring
Last edited:
Very difficult to discuss team strength because who is playing in terms of individual players is obviously not clear at this time.
The concept of seniors having mentally checked out is the great unknown. Some kids haven’t yet attended an actual class in school in a year. Normally you have the summer workouts to show which of last years juniors are going to be football contributors. This year nobody knows on February 25 who’s playing.
You also normally have the analysis of teams trying to get to five wins for the playoffs which obviously is a non-starter this spring.
Then there’s the great banter between supporters of downstate schools such as east St. Louis and Springfield sacred heart griffin and Rochester vs the Chicago powers. That banter won’t exist this spring. First there are not 8 football classes this year and no hoped for matchups.
And then there’s a group of students who have not been in a classroom in a year. That’s unprecedented obviously. So for a ton of reasons there is uncertainty about football. I mean if baseball is your sport you probably are going to pass on football because of the overlap.
So many questions. We will get a better handle when practice starts and this board offers up team numbers At the various levels.
