The Big Ones

At long last, it's here; HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON!

Hope you all enjoyed your summer break, but it's time to put the beach blankets and sun screen away and buckle the helmets to knock some heads. Week 1 has some exciting match-ups that will change up the rankings for teams in the Top 10. Away we go.

Tomorrow afternoon, (4)Mount Carmel will try to stop (6)Simeon in the Bears Den, er, Soldiers Field at 2:30. Last season both of these teams made valiant runs for state titles. This year, they both look to do it again. Will Caravan QB Robert Gregory out toss the Simeon D led by two-way star Brandon Greer or will Mount Carmel lose the opener like they did last year against the same team?

Tomorrow night, 7:30, Memorial Stadium, Joliet, Illinois, (12)Joliet Catholic plays host to (7)Carmel and the top seeding for the East Suburban Catholic. Both teams have explosive, 3-man back fields who promise heavy ground attacks from both squads. But will it be Andy Bitto's Corsair's or Dan Sharp's Hilltopper's who come away with the win?

And of course, (16)Minooka travels West down Old Route 6 Friday night to battle long time nemesis Morris. Do Bert Kooi;s Indians have it in them for the upcoming battle with Alan Thorson's Redskins? These two programs, when put on a football field against each other, no matter either skill level, turn this game into a blood fight, er, a death match. Games between the Bears and the Packers for the NFC Championship are like kittens playing with puppies compared to these games. Will this game hold the hatred for ones opponent the games between these squads over the last 40 years has held? Will these two teams come to battle with the "Kill or be Killed" attitude all of Grundy County is hoping they bring? We can only hope so. 

Game of the Week

The 2009 high school football season is well under way and after a few setbacks--the sideline death of Curie's Quaashi Chandler and the game ending brawl between North Chicago and Simeon--things are as normal as one could hope for.

A big congrats to head coach Bert Kooi and his boys in Minooka for their 21-14 victory over one time Minooka head coach Mike Briscoe and his team at Plainfield South.

With that big win, maybe the attention of some has been caught and the Indians might sneak into a Top 25 sometime soon. But they'll have to keep at it. Friday night will determine if they can stay at it when they go to Oswego East, even though East hasn't won a game yet this season and has only scored twenty points this year, while allowing 32+ in each of its games.

Prediction:

Minooka 42, Oswego East 7--Minooka QB Mitch Brozovich runs for 117 yds and 2 scores while collecting 247 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Game of the Week

After two weeks of football, there has been so much action to watch and read about. Be it from Lake Forest's Tommy Rees turning in that 526 yd. passing performance last week, the death of Curie player Quaashi A. Chandler or the ridiculous fights at the Simeon vs. North Chicago and the Niles West vs. Niles North games.

But no matter what we are feeling as humans, be it happiness or pain, we have to move on.

And tonight, everybody will be trying to do that.

There is much talk that the Game of the Week will be played between (15) Joliet Catholic and (19) Nazareth or (14) Providence and (17) Loyola. Can JCA turn around after the loss to the Celtics last week? Will the Celtics keep their motors running against Loyola this week? It doesn't matter. The Game of the Week will be played between (6) Hinsdale Central at (8) Glenbard West.

Both schools have great QB's in John Whitelaw (Hinsdale Central) and Tyler Warden so watch for both to have big yards via land and air.

Pick: Glenbard West 24, Hinsdale Central 22