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 stabilization. Please make sure the game host has plenty of fire extinguishers on hand so you don’t torch the whole field. The goal now is to win every play, and remember, the guy across from you. . . his shoes have a tail too.
Before I get all chesty and start making predictions, let’s take a look back to August, when players were doing the work that is about to start paying off.
Marist topped Pat Disabato’s Daily Southtown pre-season poll. The Red Hawks looked big. . . and they looked angry. Maybe it was the early-morning start to the first day, maybe it was the heat, maybe it was just me. Whatever it was, it worked. The Red Hawks finished the season undefeated.
Next I travelled to Prairie Ridge in Crystal Lake. Southsiders, ya ever make that drive? When I arrived, I asked Chicago Sun-Times writer Michael O’Brien how I could have driven so far north and west and not be in Montana. Having made a similar drive himself, he gave me a polite shrug and headed to the practice field.
The Wolves are the undefeated, defending 6A state champion. If you love good football, the drive is worth every minute to get there. Samson Evans gets most of the headlines, but know they have outstanding players up and down the line up, on both sides of the ball. I only saw Crete-Monee and Providence play once a piece this year, but man would I love to see one of them taking on the Wolves in DeKalb.
My next pre-season stop was Park Ridge, home of defending 8A state champion Maine South. I watched them for several hours on a hot Friday afternoon. What stood out most was their level of fitness. A few weeks later I watched them put their conditioning and ability to the test in an opening game at Glenbard West, and a week later I watched them host Lincoln-Way East. Against GW, the Hawks both ran and threw the ball all over the field. Against LWE, the running game was non-existent, but the passing game was still working. Two games into the season receiver Cam Stacey had (6) receptions for TDs against two high quality opponents. I haven’t seen the Hawks since. . . but I see them making a long run in the playoffs.
When I saw Loyola Academy in August, they had a number of key players out.
A few weeks later, many of those key players still out, I watched them open their season at Gately Stadium against Phillips Academy. It was not a pretty game. The heat affected the play of the game—play was stopped often and for lengthy stretches due to players struggling with leg cramps.
Down by six, late in the fourth quarter, the Ramblers ran four plays inside the Wildcats’ five-yard line. To Phillips credit, the Ramblers did not score.
More recently, I saw Loyola play Providence a week ago. The Ramblers looked good. Their passing attack scored from long distance and from close in. Their defensive line is big and they hit people.
After the opening win over Loyola, I would get to see Phillips Academy play two more times. They are LOADED with talent: J’bore Gibbs, Craig Elmore, and Jahleel Billingsley just to name a few—and their from-north-of-the-border-coach Troy McAllister has already demonstrated the ability to win. I don’t see anyone upsetting Phillips.
Illinois football fans, enjoy the 2017 playoffs. The quality of play through the regular season has been outstanding. Here are my 8A predictions.
In the lower bracket I see Loyola Academy advancing to the final. No disrespect to Barrington or to Marist, the Ramblers have size and speed to match up against anyone, and, more importantly, head coach John Holecek and his staff have the experience to make adjustments.
In the top 8A bracket, it’s a gauntlet for everyone. Maine South’s only loss is to Lincoln-Way East. Homewood-Flossmoor’s only loss is to Lincoln-Way East. When (yes, it’s a few games away) Homewood-Flossmoor plays Maine South, I predict it will be one of the best games of the year. I could see the Vikings’ Justin Hall racking up major yardage and the Hawks’ Cam Stacey adding to his sizable touch down total. And whoever wins. . . gets the Griffins, the undefeated top seed who knocked off FOUR opponents who are 8-1: Crete-Monee and Lincoln-Way Central joining the two I already mentioned. I see Lincoln-Way East advancing.
My prediction for the 8A championship game is weather dependent.
If there is wind, rain, snow, or an unexpected eclipse, I see the Griffins winning a grinding game that leaves the crowd cheering for the players on both teams.
If conditions are ideal, I see a game that comes down to the last possession. The Eastside has a field goal kicker, do the Ramblers?
I see East winning and everyone driving home thinking that was the greatest high school football game ever played. Serious.
I would like to address a concern that is only indirectly connected to football, behavior during the National Anthem.
As a former (long, long ago) Infantry officer more than a few of my friends have asked me how I feel about what’s happening at NFL games and at some high school football games.
My answer is simple: as a soldier I took an oath to defend the Constitution, which includes an amendment that guarantees every American freedom of speech.
I would much rather live in a nation where those who say things I don’t wish to hear have the freedom to say them than live in a country where speech is restricted.
More important than my feelings, I would like to ask, “Do we understand the message players are conveying?” Earlier this year, when a high school team stood off the field with their arms interlocked while the Anthem played, I listened to their message.
How many other times before that night did they and others deliver the same message only to be ignored by me and so many other Americans?
AC photo 22 