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What did we learn week 6!?!?

LakeCtyNewt

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Hard to swallow that this was it for 2021 - spring. If you’re a glass half full, just a couple of months and we will be back at it - 7 weeks to summer camp.

1 - That the MSL title game needs to remain a thing.
2 - That the real heroes this spring besides the kids are the coaches, AD’s, and game officials that helped pull this off.
3 - That the NSC should’ve taken a cue from many other conferences but alas we have shared champs.
4 - That Loyola and LWE should play but Nap Ctrl Warren and many other 8A schools would like to play as well.
5 - That the ain’t over til it’s over award this week is shared by Fremd and Princeton.
6 - That Nazareth will score again - in August or September.
7 - That teams that got all 6 games in - at all levels should take a bow. Hard to do in this here season.
8 - That Reeters may be closer to Loyola than we all thought - week 1 told us something, we didn’t listen.
9 - That we bid a fond farewell to Naperville Ctrl and WWS coaches Stine and Muhich. They did a lot for our game.
10 - That I am truly grateful to have been a part of this shortened season. The ultimate champs are the kids - they got games, and in the end that’s all that matters.

see everyone in 124 days and counting.
 
I so agree with the comment about getting in 6 games. I said the same thing to my son who got in 6 games. Seeing all the Tweets from schools shutting down, whether for a game or two or at the end of the season, was painful to read for those kids.
 
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11. As the spectator count seemed to increase week by week and the excitement of the final spring game brought loud ovations, there’s nothing like being on the field in front of a full house and the atmosphere that comes with it. We learned that it should not be taken for granted, and can’t wait till the fall and normal times to forget the video stream and enjoy this game in person.
 
As admirable as it was for a team to get through an uninterrupted 6-game schedule, so too for those that picked up the pieces after a quarantine to soldier-on with their remains of the season.
 
11. That we can't assume we will have a normal fall as long as IDPH rules still have over-reaching authority. Fans, players, coaches, officials, parents, board members need to actively stay on top of decision makers, lobby for student athletes against IDPH and not sit back "assuming" everything will be normal in the fall. Action needs to continue now through August, not sitting around through the summer like last year.
 
11. That time and time again the people around high school sports showed us what character looks like...from high school coaches and administrators and volunteer parents to folks like Edgy who covered these players to schools that took games on last minute notice...there are a whole lot of people in this country who could learn a lot from how people worked to come together to provide these kids a meaningful experience.
 
In a season of many near-irreconcilable results, Hillcrest - 48, Richards - 0 from this week seems high on the list, regardless of Hawk RB Irving.

The same Hillcrest team that was demolished by LA 2 weeks ago. This only shows the huge disparity from 8A on down. I said this before but it’s worth repeating. Their is a huge difference between 7-8A Vs the rest of the brackets.. Yes occasionally you will find teams that can hang with these two classes but not if they played a full schedule in those classes. I was glad to see Hillcrest step up and play LA. It was a testament to their program & character for taking that big leap. Hats off to them, but make no mistake I never thought they would win that game.
 
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The same Hillcrest team that was demolished by LA 2 weeks ago. This only shows the huge disparity from 8A on down. I said this before but it’s worth repeating. Their is a huge difference between 7-8A Vs the rest of the brackets.. Yes occasionally you will find teams that can hang with these two classes but not if they played a full schedule in those classes. I was glad to see Hillcrest step up and play LA. It was a testament to their program & character for taking that big leap. Hats off to them, but make no mistake I never thought they would win that game.
I completely agree. Every year I look at the 8a bracket and there is nowhere to hide. Some years in other brackets one side could be an easy walk to the semifinals. Not in 8a and 7a isn’t much different in my opinion.
 
We may see another season or two of puzzling and striking outcomes, fewer as time progresses, before things level out to a pre-COVID pecking order that is more completely recognizable? Things seem a bit out of whack in some instances. Maybe not so much shifting has occurred at the very top, but elsewhere, some evidence appears?
 
We may see another season or two of puzzling and striking outcomes, fewer as time progresses, before things level out to a pre-COVID pecking order that is more completely recognizable? Things seem a bit out of whack in some instances. Maybe not so much shifting has occurred at the very top, but elsewhere, some evidence appears?

I agree
I think in 7-8A they have more players and more talent to make up for whatever is thrown at them, even this whacky covid spring season.
 
I agree
I think in 7-8A they have more players and more talent to make up for whatever is thrown at them, even this whacky covid spring season.
I think the more talent comes, in some cases, from a larger area and population density to pull from.

Their are exceptions to the rule - East St Louis would be one of them, Phillips another - that’s in some but not all seasons.

Schools like LWE, Warren, Maine South, Barrington, Etc pull from large populous areas.
It helps, but when you have coaches like Sanchez McNulty Inserra Zavonar and the like it can tilt the scales
 
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We may see another season or two of puzzling and striking outcomes, fewer as time progresses, before things level out to a pre-COVID pecking order that is more completely recognizable? Things seem a bit out of whack in some instances. Maybe not so much shifting has occurred at the very top, but elsewhere, some evidence appears?
I think a lot of those surprises were from motivation. In the non-playoff, shortened season, it seemed that week to week, teams came up with their own Super Bowls or games that if won would make their season leading to head scratching scores and/or outcomes.

In my area of knowledge:
SR v LA
PC, NDCP v SR
BR v MC
Naz performance after key players left v teams that needed a signature win

And I’m thinking that scenario played out in other conferences around the state. This makes what LA did even more impressive. They faced 4 top ten teams that wanted that pelt on their mantle and LA ran the table.
 
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Biggest thing we learned this year was that a bunch of goofballs (EdgyNation) miss high school football. I can’t wait to get back in the stands come August/September. So glad for the seniors across the state that they got to strap up the chin strap one last time.
 
14. That Hinsdale Central may have taken over as king of the West Suburban Silver. The Red Devils defeated all three of its main conference challengers - Glenbard West, LT, and OPRF - by at least three touchdowns in each game, giving up a combined total of 24 points.
 
Not sure ... schools are calling up Warren for scheduling pick up's. Hopefully Maine South & Barrington stay on Warren non conference schedule next year. It's been a great development spring for Warren. Warren was fairly young this spring. Fall brings experience & optimism ! Home of six flags 🎢 ... signing off for a few months.
 
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Biggest thing we learned this year was that a bunch of goofballs (EdgyNation) miss high school football. I can’t wait to get back in the stands come August/September. So glad for the seniors across the state that they got to strap up the chin strap one last time.
I wonder how different the game experience will be next fall compared to pre-COVID. I fear ticketing will be less flexible. If streaming persists along with no 2nd-level game beforehand, attendance should be affected. Finally, it seems like 6 or 6:30 pm Friday night starts (without the preliminary game) could be somewhat problematic, particularly for non-cons at distance.
 
The biggest issue next season as I see it will be officials. Or lack of them.

The number I hear, and Newt, correct me if I am wrong, is that there were 25% less officials this season. Now, start adding in more CPS games, more level games, college football and youth football, which guys can make way more money at, and the issue will be even greater next year.

I don't see this getting any better.

You may see way more under level Thursday night games next season. You may also see some Saturday night varsity games.

I am way ok with no sophomore/JV game before a varsity game. Schedule the varsity games earlier. Play the JV game on Thursday
 
The biggest issue next season as I see it will be officials. Or lack of them.

The number I hear, and Newt, correct me if I am wrong, is that there were 25% less officials this season. Now, start adding in more CPS games, more level games, college football and youth football, which guys can make way more money at, and the issue will be even greater next year.

I don't see this getting any better.

You may see way more under level Thursday night games next season. You may also see some Saturday night varsity games.

I am way ok with no sophomore/JV game before a varsity game. Schedule the varsity games earlier. Play the JV game on Thursday

Quags - It’s a real issue and one that isn’t going away any time soon. AD’s are going to have to get creative in how they schedule games - you’ll see games Thursday Friday Saturday and even Mondays in some areas.

25% is a good number and could be higher depending on those that opted out this year and won’t come back.

I for one love it. It’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun because it keeps me close to the game.

Where the challenge will come is when youth ball starts back up. What’s going to happen then? Good news is games are shorter and only 3-man crews work.

I think the IHSA will have to address pay at some point. Illinois is low compared to Wisconsin Iowa and Indiana.
 
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Quags - It’s a real issue and one that isn’t going away any time soon. AD’s are going to have to get creative in how they schedule games - you’ll see games Thursday Friday Saturday and even Mondays in some areas.

25% is a good number and could be higher depending on those that opted out this year and won’t come back.

I for one love it. It’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun because it keeps me close to the game.

Where the challenge will come is when youth ball starts back up. What’s going to happen then? Good news is games are shorter and only 3-man crews work.

I think the IHSA will have to address pay at some point. Illinois is low compared to Wisconsin Iowa and Indiana.
I have been saying for years that officials are underpaid. And the low numbers of guys wanting to work bears that out. That is even more true when guys can work youth or AAU games and make triple for just an hour or so more work.
 
I have been saying for years that officials are underpaid. And the low numbers of guys wanting to work bears that out. That is even more true when guys can work youth or AAU games and make triple for just an hour or so more work.

Here’s an example. I did two games in one night this past season for $92 total. Not the schools fault but it’s not much for 5 hours of officiating
 
I have been saying for years that officials are underpaid. And the low numbers of guys wanting to work bears that out. That is even more true when guys can work youth or AAU games and make triple for just an hour or so more work.

This is strictly a guess. I think the gap between the elite programs and the teams the elite teams could struggle with is going to get much wider.
I think that football numbers are declining at the prep level for obvious reasons but they don’t seem to decline at the powerhouse schools. What is going to happen is that the mighty schools are going to wind up only having meaningful games vs each other. I m guessing that lopsided scores are are going to be more commonplace in coming years. As for the Catholic league while I don’t know anything about what besides football attracts a kid to a given school I see the league having a certain number of great programs and a bigger number of programs in decline. Basketball doesn’t face that problem because a team can win big with three really good players. Football requires quality and quantity and I think when the quantity shrinks the quality will go join schools with quantity and quality.
 
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Here’s an example. I did two games in one night this past season for $92 total. Not the schools fault but it’s not much for 5 hours of officiating

I haven't coached youth football in 5 years. But when I did, those 5 hours would have translated into 3 games at $45 per game and $135.

Meanwhile, the people working security, the clock, announcing and in some instances, even the chains, are making more money than Newt did for those two games. How dumb is that?
 
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What do I see?

1. The Southland Conference's stability has to be in question. Big 2 (Crete & Kankakee) & Little 5 could be ripped apart by either the Big 2 wanting better competition or the bottom tiring of the running clocks...Crete has been dealing with this forever; the Kays finally seem to be in the right direction...

2. The ICE is going to become less Big 2 (Wilmo, Coal City) and the Little 6,,,As long as Wilmo & CC average 15 kids in the junior & senior classes, they will stay on top. Reed Custer, the dregs of the conference for almost 15 years, is rising rapidly (freshman & sophs were undefeated in 2019). Peotone is solid but not very deep, Lisle isn't going anywhere. Manteno, I predict, is going to continue being better at the end of the year rather than the beginning (they may have only had 7 seniors, but they have a rebuild for fall - QB, receiver, LB). Herscher had lots of seniors. Streator...they can't get any worse, can they?

3. Kankakee area will likely not have referee issues because the expanded VVC, pretty much everybody between Kankakee and Danville, will probably only play varsity on Friday - which probably will become more common at the 1A and small 2A levels.

4. In the VVC, I think Clifton Central is about to come back to the pack after the graduation of an amazing senior group (QB Lemanager to Mt. Union, WR Shoven to North Central to start). Iroquois West might have their best year since the 2A title in 2003 - led by the Leonard boys, Clayton committed to Illinois, 6-9 Cannon being recruited for both football & basketball, and their younger brother will be a freshman - and supposedly a better athlete than his older brothers.
 
I haven't coached youth football in 5 years. But when I did, those 5 hours would have translated into 3 games at $45 per game and $135.

Meanwhile, the people working security, the clock, announcing and in some instances, even the chains, are making more money than Newt did for those two games. How dumb is that?
Not that I disagree with you about the refs getting paid, but everyone running clocks, chains etc in our organization were volunteers.
 
Not that I disagree with you about the refs getting paid, but everyone running clocks, chains etc in our organization were volunteers.
Kind of an apples to eggs comparison. Many of those clock operators and scoreboard folks do get paid extra.

And if they aren’t there, the officials keep the clock on the field.

I would wager the importance of officials is a bit higher than that of the press box folks.
 
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I hope to one day love something as much as @micahjones loves Warren football.
Home of six flags .... the noise starts slow and builds ... that is what Warren has been doing for the last few years ! Actually Warren is a great place to watch a Friday night HS football .. atleast for those who venture north past LA & Stevenson .... but most people do not want to make the drive. Maybe you will come ride the roller coasters & shop at Gurnee Mills. See everyone next season !
 
Kind of an apples to eggs comparison. Many of those clock operators and scoreboard folks do get paid extra.

And if they aren’t there, the officials keep the clock on the field.

I would wager the importance of officials is a bit higher than that of the press box folks.
I never made a comparison between the officials and the “press box folks”.
To me it seems it’s more common in youth football for those positions to be volunteers so I do t know why you would use them as an example of why refs should be paid more.
 
I never made a comparison between the officials and the “press box folks”.
To me it seems it’s more common in youth football for those positions to be volunteers so I do t know why you would use them as an example of why refs should be paid more.
You compared refs to people operating the game clocks. So yes, you compared them to press box folks.
 
I never made a comparison between the officials and the “press box folks”.
To me it seems it’s more common in youth football for those positions to be volunteers so I do t know why you would use them as an example of why refs should be paid more.
Earlier I said that officials were underpaid. I followed that up with an example of youth officials and how they are paid more in he same time span than an official doing a high school game. It's way, way wrong and needs to be fixed quickly.

I also said that game officials (clocks, announcers and even chain crew) are paid more. This is at the high school level. At the youth level, where Newt and I coached for many years, all of the game officials, other than the referees, are volunteers.
 
Earlier I said that officials were underpaid. I followed that up with an example of youth officials and how they are paid more in he same time span than an official doing a high school game. It's way, way wrong and needs to be fixed quickly.

I also said that game officials (clocks, announcers and even chain crew) are paid more. This is at the high school level. At the youth level, where Newt and I coached for many years, all of the game officials, other than the referees, are volunteers.
For clarity purposes, the school chooses how much they pay the clock operators, announcers, security, chain crew, etc. They do not determine official pay.
 
Earlier I said that officials were underpaid. I followed that up with an example of youth officials and how they are paid more in he same time span than an official doing a high school game. It's way, way wrong and needs to be fixed quickly.

I also said that game officials (clocks, announcers and even chain crew) are paid more. This is at the high school level. At the youth level, where Newt and I coached for many years, all of the game officials, other than the referees, are volunteers.
But, if you actually reread your original post, that I responded too, you never mentioned high school.
You referred to youth games, then you mentioned clock operators etc getting paid.
That was what I questioned.
 
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