Can't believe the season starts tomorrow. I feel the West Suburban Silver has no clear-cut favorite for the first time in a while. That being said, here are my early WSC Silver predictions:
1) Oak Park & River Forest- if there ever was a year for the Huskies to win the conference outright, this could be the one. By all accounts, QB Jaden McGill has made significant improvements in his passing abilities, and that can only help the offense. RB Nazareth Bryant came on strong during the second half of 2018 and is one to watch for 2019. The big question is the defense ; the Huskies lost a ton of talent to graduation, especially on the line. If OPRF can successfully reload upfront - and survive two tough non-conference games to begin the season (at Waubonsie Valley, home vs Willowbrook), this is the team to beat IMO.
2) Glenbard West - The Hitters lost a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. Yet, I know Chad Hetlet always does a masterful job of reloading every year and you would be foolish to count GW out. The GW/OPRF tilt on October 25 likely decides the Silver champ.
3) Hinsdale Central - glad to see the district decided to keep football. The Red Devils are perennial contenders every season in the Silver. Losing a top-quality head coach in Dan Hartman is tough, but HC did wise to promote from within; that ensures program stability. Another run at the title is possible.
4) Downers Grove North - I think this is the school that makes a big jump in the standings. I like QB Drew Castens a lot; he's a pure dual-threat. The question for the Trojans is line play; they'll need to successfully reload on both sides of the ball. If it can, DGN makes the playoffs.
5) York - the Dukes started off promising in 2018 under first-year HC Mike Fitzgerald but struggled when they played the perennial powers in GW, HC, and OPRF. York is on the verge of returning to the postseason, and I think the Dukes get the job done in 2019.
6) Lyons Township - honestly, I may have LT ranked too low, especially given that Dan Hartman is the new head coach. The Lions' program always has large numbers and has been solid overall for some time, and there's good reason to believe that last year's 1-8 record was an aberration. There was plenty of young talent that saw action last season, and that experience along with Hartman's track record of engineering quick turnarounds should make LT fans feel confident about a bounce-back 2019. In fact, you can take LT, DGN, and York, shuffle their names in a bag, and any of them could finish 4th, 5th, or 6th.
7) Proviso West - there's always good athletic talent in Hillside, it's a matter of getting it to play football. When that's been the case, the Panthers have fared well - especially when Famous Hulbert was the head coach. But the numbers have been dwindling since Famous left, and while PW has some guys that work hard and leave a favorable impression, they don't have enough of them to make a move upward in the standings.
OPRF, GW, and HC are the contenders, with DGN, LT, and York knocking on the door. It would not be a shock if all 6 of those teams make the playoffs (PW being the lone team out). The Silver - although it doesn't have an obvious favorite - is very strong in 2019.
