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What did we learn week 3!?!?!?!

As well as LWE, Batavia, ESl, CG, PR, Rochester, SHG, Main South and several others. The top teams in every conference can compete with anyone. This notion that playing in the CCL makes you superior is nonsense. Winning at any level is difficult. A win is a win.
Can’t believe people think the CCL isn’t the best conference in the state. I’m not even a CCL guy. It’s not even up for debate. CCL is superior to any other conference,


Feel like we’re debating What is a Woman. It’s shouldn’t be a debate but somehow it is.
 
I'm rooting hard for the kid trust me, but I'm not sure I can see him as a first rounder ever. I would love to see it though!
He did good against Eastern Illinois, lets see how he does against the Big Ten Mighties. But I'm rooting for him as well, great family!
 
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As opposed to playing in 8a, going 9-0 or 8-1 then getting boatraced in the playoffs at home? There's alot of programs who can take shots at ESL and have the resumes to back it up, but SE aint one of them.

Since you seem to want to take shots at the level of competition ESL plays, the past two years SE has had to common SWC with ESL. At home vs Belleville East and Edwardsville. You guys won 28-20 and 24-13 respectively. ESL won those game 58-0 and 57-0.
SE doesn't recruit St. Louis and grab transfers from Cahokia, but keep going.
 
Nobody has even given an alternative…
The DVC used to be their competition for top conference but obviously no longer exists.

Which begs the question…,why have Naperville and Wheaton football dipped? So many powerhouses 10-20 years ago that are mediocre now.
 
Now with

St. Francis, ICCP, Nazareth, Montini, Wheaton Academy

It’s just more crowded. As an example, back in the day, someone who was a good football player in Wheaton went to Wheaton South or North. Reilly O’Toole’s siblings all went to St. Francis (his older brother was a star basketball player), but he chose to go to South to play football. Now that decision isn’t nearly as obvious.

Schools like Nazareth and SF are going deeper and further into Central and South Naperville than they ever have before.

To add on - programs like the Wheaton Rams were a way for these schools to create a farm system, nothing existed like that for private schools. Now you have things like Boom, and if you look at their rosters I would venture to say a majority of their best players end up choosing to play at a private school.
 
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A conference of private schools in the third largest city in America should be dominant.
Preach good brotha, preach. You’re hitting the nail on the head. Let’s stack the deck and pound our chests!!! But, let’s not put it to the test for fear of exposure. Personally for me, it’s been a thrill to travel to California, Texas, Georgia and earn respect for OUR state evidenced by the in person conversations that I’ve held with fans from St. John Bosco, IMG, and the like.

Respect to the staff of MC in the last 2 years for scheduling a tough opponent out of conference/out of state to start the season. LWE was planning to represent against Florida. All good Stuff!!
 
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Can’t believe people think the CCL isn’t the best conference in the state. I’m not even a CCL guy. It’s not even up for debate. CCL is superior to any other conference,


Feel like we’re debating What is a Woman. It’s shouldn’t be a debate but somehow it is.
Im not hating on the ccl, theres a strong case to be made that it is the best conf. But when its a conf of 17 (probably 2x more than most conf) that spans from Evanston to Joliet, counting trophies isnt a fair comparison
 
Then do tell us the last time the ramblers scheduled anyone from the top 25 not named East St. Louis. Top 25 in the country, not Illinois. Please tell us the last time Saint Rita scheduled anyone from the top 50 not from Illinois. Please tell us the last time anyone from Rice scheduled anyone from the top hundred not from Illinois. at least Mount Carmel is stepping outside of the box.

I gave two examples in which East St. Louis went to the super team of Mount Carmel and gave them their closest game of the year. Mount Carmel went on to lose to Hun this year, a squad East St. Louis is predicted to beat. Why is IMG not visiting a CCL school with the opportunity of maybe playing in one of your fantastic locations up north? I suspect the answer is because they don’t respect a CCL school’s ability to stay close. Lest you forget, the best quarterback in the last 10 years to come out of the CCL escaped Illinois for IMG so as not to damage his chances at Michigan, and as a potential first rounder. The CCL has created an almost closed environment which reeks of inbreeding of competition. Yes I said it. Schedule outside of the norm with nationally elite programs. ESL is doing exactly that. Mount Carmel is Bucky in the trend and making the move as well. The rest of the CCL not so much.

Rita played a Trinity team out of Kentucky in 2021 and won that was ranked in top 10 in country at the time & has won multiple state chips....
I gave two examples in which East St. Louis went to the super team of Mount Carmel and gave them their closest game of the year. Mount Carmel went on to lose to Hun this year, a squad East St. Louis is predicted to beat. Why is IMG not visiting a CCL school with the opportunity of maybe playing in one of your fantastic locations up north? I suspect the answer is because they don’t respect a CCL school’s ability to stay close. Lest you forget, the best quarterback in the last 10 years to come out of the CCL escaped Illinois for IMG so as not to damage his chances at Michigan, and as a potential first rounder. The CCL has created an almost closed environment which reeks of inbreeding of competition. Yes I said it. Schedule outside of the norm with nationally elite programs. ESL is doing exactly that. Mount Carmel is Bucky in the trend and making the move as well. The rest of the CCL not
 
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Carmel Catholic traveled out-of-state twice in the last 10-12 years to face Cincinnati Elder (OH) and Wayzata (MN). The outcomes of those games were not positive, but we held our own (21-14 and 24-21 losses, if I remember correctly).

Although not national powerhouses, they were tough programs from their respective states.
 
For 80yrs of football you came up with one example. You proving the wrong point
 
The point is that the flagship conference/team should be out battling other states best not arguing about JCA champions
 
Can’t believe people think the CCL isn’t the best conference in the state. I’m not even a CCL guy. It’s not even up for debate. CCL is superior to any other conference,


Feel like we’re debating What is a Woman. It’s shouldn’t be a debate but somehow it is.
Here is a list of the nine conferences/divisions (as currently comprised) that have won a state championship (5A or larger) in the last five years (in which a playoff was held). Therefore, it includes the 2018 playoffs because there were no playoffs in 2020. The order in which the conferences are listed is based on a total of earned points. Each conference earned 4 points for winning an 8A football title, 3 points for winning a 7A title, 2 points for winning a 6A title, and 1 point for winning a 5A title. The list provides a sense of which conferences are the strongest in the state of Illinois.

1. CCL/ESCC (Blue) - 21 points [6 championships]
2. Southwest Valley (Blue) - 8 points [2 championships]
3. Fox Valley - 6 points [3 championships]
4. CCL/ESCC (Green) - 5 points [3 championships]
5. Southwestern - 4 points [2 championships]
6. DuKane - 3 points [1 championship]
7. CCL/ESCC (White) - 1 point [1 championship]
8. Central State Eight - 1 point [1 championship]
9. CCL/ESCC (Orange) - 1 point [1 championship]

As you suggested, there should be no debate.


* The last three listed conferences have each won a single 5A championship in the last five years. They are listed in the order of which conference won the more recent championship.

** The North Suburban Conference and the West Suburban (Silver) Conference deserve an honorable mention. Each of those two conferences have placed four teams in the semifinals over the last five playoffs. No other conference, that has not won a championship, has placed more than three teams in the semifinals.
 
Here is a list of the nine conferences/divisions (as currently comprised) that have won a state championship (5A or larger) in the last five years (in which a playoff was held). Therefore, it includes the 2018 playoffs because there were no playoffs in 2020. The order in which the conferences are listed is based on a total of earned points. Each conference earned 4 points for winning an 8A football title, 3 points for winning a 7A title, 2 points for winning a 6A title, and 1 point for winning a 5A title. The list provides a sense of which conferences are the strongest in the state of Illinois.

1. CCL/ESCC (Blue) - 21 points [6 championships]
2. Southwest Valley (Blue) - 8 points [2 championships]
3. Fox Valley - 6 points [3 championships]
4. CCL/ESCC (Green) - 5 points [3 championships]
5. Southwestern - 4 points [2 championships]
6. DuKane - 3 points [1 championship]
7. CCL/ESCC (White) - 1 point [1 championship]
8. Central State Eight - 1 point [1 championship]
9. CCL/ESCC (Orange) - 1 point [1 championship]

As you suggested, there should be no debate.


* The last three listed conferences have each won a single 5A championship in the last five years. They are listed in the order of which conference won the more recent championship.

** The North Suburban Conference and the West Suburban (Silver) Conference deserve an honorable mention. Each of those two conferences have placed four teams in the semifinals over the last five playoffs. No other conference, that has not won a championship, has placed more than three teams in the semifinals.
Is the 8a trophy any different then 5a? If no, why are you adding more points for championships.
 
Calpreps and Massey say otherise.

IMG vs ESL 28-14
vs MC 42-21
vs Rice 52-3
vs St. Ig 52-8

HUN vs ESL 21-28
vs MC 42-38
vs Rice 48-17
vs St. Ig 48-24

oh and Loyola, (BTW I went to a Jesuit school)

ESL 35-7
vs IMG 42-6
vs HUN 38-21

Stop hatin on the Flyers. The Mount Carmel Super Team of 2023 squeaked one out against ESL in 23. And the 24 team is dominant....as the Ramblers will tell the rest of the CCL. And remember, the Flyers are a PUBLIC 5A school in community with a 31% poverty rate playing UP in 6A against the best squads they can schedule.
Serious question about ESL. Is it really a public school football team. Don’t a lot of those kids transfer or move there so they can play for ESL. Not really the same thing as most IHSA public schools like LWE, Maine South, Barrington, etc…Not knocking them as I’m proud they are part of IHSA and root for them frequently. I am just wondering.

Can you really say it’s just a “public” 5A school that’s playing up against private schools in the state? I mean is that really accurate? Serious question.
 
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Now he may have took advantage of an opportunity to get out cleanly but JJ McCarthy swears to the high heavens that he would not have gone to IMG had IL not cancelled the 2020 season.

Serious question here, I’ve asked it before but outside of “it’s been answered to death” I truly have no idea so I’ll ask again who bankrolls ESL? I know they don’t raise travel expenses doing car washes and selling popcorn and peanut brittle. It’s not a wealthy community so someone is flipping the bill. I honestly think MC would love to play a national power on the road but if you are talking a plane ride and hotel for 70 players and 12 coaches and additional staff that’s an enormous fee that their typical fundraiser wouldn’t come close to covering. Most CCL schools are fighting and clawing these days. MC can’t spend tens of thousands on a weekend trip when 450 of their students dont even play football.
I have two family friends and two more family members in Texas with kids in powerhouse schools. They typically foot the bill to bring a team in to play. This is not an official statement. And I will not name names.
 
The point is that the flagship conference/team should be out battling other states best not arguing about JCA champions
That is an opinion and, as such, I certainly cannot say it is wrong. Each person is entitled to his own opinion. I can say, though, that on a matter such as this it is a very subjective opinion. Some persons might have the opinion that the Chicago-area Catholic schools are getting plenty of competition in the Chicago area. Consider that the three conferences/divisions placing the most teams in the playoff semifinals over the past five years are:
1. CCL/ESCC (Blue) - 12 teams
2. CCL/ESCC (Green) - 8 teams
3. CCL/ESCC (Orange) - 7 teams
No other conference has placed more than 5 teams in the semifinals. Each of those CCL/ESCC divisions are four-team divisions. They are getting plenty of competition playing amongst themselves. And then, in the playoffs, they compete against the best that the Southwest Valley, DuKane, North Suburban, and West Suburban conferences have to offer.

This message board allows people to express their opinions and it is interesting to hear what others think. And, it is true, not all opinions are equally valuable. Nevertheless, we sometimes have to accept that not everyone is going to agree with us, and that does not automatically mean they are wrong. Personal preferences are allowed.
 
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That is an opinion and, as such, I certainly cannot say it is wrong. Each person is entitled to his own opinion. I can say, though, that on a matter such as this it is a very subjective opinion. Some persons might have the opinion that the Chicago-area Catholic schools are getting plenty of competition in the Chicago area. Consider that the three conferences/divisions placing the most teams in the playoff semifinals over the past five years are:
1. CCL/ESCC (Blue) - 12 teams
2. CCL/ESCC (Green) - 8 teams
3. CCL/ESCC (Orange) - 7 teams
No other conference has placed more than 5 teams in the semifinals. Each of those CCL/ESCC divisions are four-team divisions. They are getting plenty of competition playing amongst themselves. And then, in the playoffs, they compete against the best that the Southwest Valley, DuKane, North Suburban, and West Suburban conferences have to offer.

This message board allows people to express their opinions and it is interesting to hear what others think. And, it is true, not all opinions are equally valuable. Nevertheless, we sometimes have to accept that not everyone is going to agree with us, and that does not automatically mean they are wrong. Personal preferences are allowed.
Ok ,sounds soft to me ,but agree to disagree
 
Personally for me, it’s been a thrill to travel to California, Texas, Georgia and earn respect for OUR state evidenced by the in person conversations that I’ve held with fans from St. John Bosco, IMG, and the like.
I think ESL did it right. They may have gone 100mph out of the gate with some major programs the first couple of years of scheduling the games against IMG, Bosco, Texas, etc. And the Flyers may have taken a couple of lumps in those games. But there are kids on this years team that took part in those games and it seems like those kids are now more comfortable when playing very good out of state teams. And we are seeing them win some of those games now.

I would like to see MC keep doing an out of state game against good opponents and build up the national recognition of the program. I don’t think it needs to be IMG or Bosco, it can continue to be the Hun School or St. Joes of Philly or some other programs that might be in the top 100 but not necessarily always in the top 25 nationally. If you start winning those games consistently then you can look towards the games with the top 25 teams and keep building the program.
 
Is the 8a trophy any different then 5a? If no, why are you adding more points for championships.
Intrinsically, each trophy is the same and each team that wins one should feel equally proud and gratified. However, if one's purpose is to measure the level of competition being played in the various classes, there is a difference. I was using the number of championships won as a measure for the level of competition being played. Taking the matter to its logical extreme, Lena-Winslow is not going to beat Lincoln-Way East. Belleville Althoff is not going to beat East St. Louis. I do not believe any rational person believes the level of play in the Central State Eight Conference is as strong as the level of play in the CCL/ESCC Blue Division***. That is why I assigned more points for winning a championship at a larger class level. The point of what I posted was that the Chicago-area Catholic schools were facing plenty of strong competition within their own conference divisions.


*** That is not to say a first-place team from the Central State Eight Conference could not defeat a fourth-place team from the CCL/ESCC Blue Division. It is to say a first-place team from the Central State Eight Conference would probably not defeat a first-place team from the CCL/ESCC Blue Division more than about 10% of the time. There is a difference in playing ability between the teams from the two conferences.
 
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The conference only has 8A playoff teams. Why wouldn't ESL petition up to 7A then. Hmmmmm....
An incorrect statement. Of the 5 other teams in the league with ESt.L, three of them would be 8A if they made the playoffs, and 2 would be 7A in the postseason, given the IHSA's as-of-now guestimate at the cutoff for 7A/8A teams.
 
Intrinsically, each trophy is the same and each team that wins one should feel equally proud and gratified. However, if one's purpose is to measure the level of competition being played in the various classes, there is a difference. I was using the number of championships won as a measure for the level of competition being played. Taking the matter to its logical extreme, Lena-Winslow is not going to beat Lincoln-Way East. Belleville Althoff is not going to beat East St. Louis. I do not believe any rational person believes the level of play in the Central State Eight Conference is as strong as the level of play in the CCL/ESCC Blue Division***. That is why I assigned more points for winning a championship at a larger class level. The point of what I posted was that the Chicago-area Catholic schools were facing plenty of strong competition within their own conference divisions.


*** That is not to say a first-place team from the Central State Eight Conference could not defeat a fourth-place team from the CCL/ESCC Blue Division. It is to say a first-place team from the Central State Eight Conference would probably not defeat a first-place team from the CCL/ESCC Blue Division more than about 10% of the time. There is a difference in playing ability between the teams from the two conferences.
Based on what? The one chance 4A Rochester got the opportunity to meet 7A St. Rita in the 5A state championship game, Rochester destroyed St. Rita. No one knows who will win what game when it comes to High School football. Sure for the most part we can predict results however, each year teaches us this lesson. The classes are built on enrollment and not skill. Based on the rhetoric on this board, BR should be able to win every other conference in this state except for the CCL blue. The reality is there is only a hand full of conferences that I can see them having a chance to win. The rest results will be similar to the CCL Blue.
 
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This kid was recruited by him? No chance.
I'm not going to argue with you about something i know too be fact.

He also tried to get a kid who was a rb from the west side (Proviso i believe) who ended up at Batavia.
 
Serious question about ESL. Is it really a public school football team. Don’t a lot of those kids transfer or move there so they can play for ESL. Not really the same thing as most IHSA public schools like LWE, Maine South, Barrington, etc…Not knocking them as I’m proud they are part of IHSA and root for them frequently. I am just wondering.

Can you really say it’s just a “public” 5A school that’s playing up against private schools in the state? I mean is that really accurate? Serious question.
Didnt maine south just get in trouble for using ineligible players??

Didnt lwe just get the #1 player in the state to transfer in?
 
Here is a list of the nine conferences/divisions (as currently comprised) that have won a state championship (5A or larger) in the last five years (in which a playoff was held). Therefore, it includes the 2018 playoffs because there were no playoffs in 2020. The order in which the conferences are listed is based on a total of earned points. Each conference earned 4 points for winning an 8A football title, 3 points for winning a 7A title, 2 points for winning a 6A title, and 1 point for winning a 5A title. The list provides a sense of which conferences are the strongest in the state of Illinois.

1. CCL/ESCC (Blue) - 21 points [6 championships]
2. Southwest Valley (Blue) - 8 points [2 championships]
3. Fox Valley - 6 points [3 championships]
4. CCL/ESCC (Green) - 5 points [3 championships]
5. Southwestern - 4 points [2 championships]
6. DuKane - 3 points [1 championship]
7. CCL/ESCC (White) - 1 point [1 championship]
8. Central State Eight - 1 point [1 championship]
9. CCL/ESCC (Orange) - 1 point [1 championship]

As you suggested, there should be no debate.


* The last three listed conferences have each won a single 5A championship in the last five years. They are listed in the order of which conference won the more recent championship.

** The North Suburban Conference and the West Suburban (Silver) Conference deserve an honorable mention. Each of those two conferences have placed four teams in the semifinals over the last five playoffs. No other conference, that has not won a championship, has placed more than three teams in the semifinals.
The ccl has 27 teams. The southwest valley blue has 5. The swc has 6. That's the problem i think some ppl have when you just say the ccl is better and start counting championships or semi finals appearances compared to other conferences. They have 4x or 5x as many teams to pulls from.
 
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