With the first game of the 2019 season a little more than twenty-four hours away, let me share a look back at what players and coaches have been doing for the last three weeks, preseason. Preseason football uniquely braids heat, pain, uncertainty, and excitement. Spring and summer weight programs have increased players’ strength, but sprints … More ‘On the Hop’ the 2019 Preseason
Welcome to the start of the 2018 IHSA football playoffs. The spotlight is now brighter, the stage is now bigger, and the hits sound more like a sledgehammer smashing rock. It also means @thesouc has worn out the number keys on another keyboard, @EDGYTIM hasn’t slept since July, and @camronsmith, @nwh_JoePrepZone, and @Kevin_schmit get to … More 2018 IHSA Football Playoff Preview
September 9, 2018— It’s three weeks into the 2018 football season, and it’s time to share some photos and thoughts from the early games. With 3 of the top ranked teams getting knocked off this weekend and some strong programs out there quietly beating everyone they’ve faced, next weekend should offer great games. For those … More The 2018 Football Season is Underway
On the day of the 2018 ‘big game’, my children spent as much time watching the Puppy Bowl as they did watching the football game. One of the adds that ran was for a show on Animal Planet called The Zoo. As fast as they were allowed, they watched every episode of the first two … More from the Puppy Bowl to the Bronx Zoo
December 31, 2017—Chasing Champions, As a photographer who spends most of his time chasing champions, 2017 was a pretty incredible year. It was a year of learning about basketball. At five foot six. . . and a half inch. . . this is not a game I ever played. It was a year of learning … More 2017–Chasing Champions
December 3, 2017—FAMILY. This team, this season, the success, all of it comes back to one concept, family. It has been eight days since the Lincoln-Way East Griffins finished an undefeated season by winning the 8A Football State Championship game 23-14 over Loyola Academy. Let me begin by congratulating the players, the coaches, and the … More Family– State Champions
November 17, 2017—Will Maine South’s 34-31 victory over Lincoln-Way East fifty-three weeks ago matter on Saturday? Will the Griffins’ 28-26 victory over the Hawks eleven weeks ago matter Saturday? The lessons learned from those games will matter, but the effort, the decisions, the plays that were made, nothing from those games will matter at all. … More Rematch for 8A Finals
October 29, 2017— Friday night I photographed the Lincoln-Way East Griffins as they opened the playoffs against Joliet West, and on Saturday I drove to Wilmette to photograph the Loyola Ramblers as they played their first-round game against neighbor New Trier. In each game one quarter reminded everyone of the realities of the playoffs: winner … More Winner Moves On
October 22, 2017—It’s time to lace on your playoff cleats. You know the ones. The NASA engineer who designed them originally put heat shields on the toe and soles. They’re so light they float in your locker. And the FAA requires every shoe company who makes them to put a tail on the back for … More Playoff Cleats
AC photo 22 