Area football teams have plenty of key games
Area teams have plenty of key games
When Driscoll Catholic opened camp last season, it already had won seven consecutive state titles. Some seven months later, students were informed the school would be closing its doors in June.
That's not to say the 2009 season will have a swing that dramatic. But it's a reminder of how difficult it is to make long-range projections. Those preseason rankings that keep spilling out are just guesses.
Unforeseen injuries and suspensions can derail even the best-run teams. Unpredictable weather in October and November can take teams out of their element. With that warning in mind, here's a week-by-week look at some of the big games and themes to look for across the next three-plus months:
Week 1: It's District 203 vs. 204. Naperville North travels to Neuqua Valley on Aug. 28. The next day, Naperville Central is renting out Benedictine to play Waubonsie Valley. North has dropped 41 points on Neuqua in each of the past two season openers. Central and Waubonsie have split the last two years, and the difference is minimal: The Redhawks outscored the Warriors by a 45-42 margin.
All four schools were slotted as Class 8A in the tentative list updated by the IHSA last week. Class 7A includes Benet, Wheaton Warrenville South and Wheaton North, though the final determinations won't be made until the last day of the season, when the 256-team playoff field is set.
Week 2: Construction at Central is forcing the Redhawks to play at least eight games on the road, or at neutral sites, this season. Defensive end Alex Schaefer insists, "It won't mess with us." They'll play Neuqua on Sept. 4 at North Central College. The two programs have met only once before -- Central earned a 17-14 first-round playoff win in 2003.
The newly renovated Harshbarger-Welzel Field also will host its first football game that night when St. Charles East visits North. Don't expect the Huskies to ever again host another "Mud Bowl" on their turf, like last season's 7-6 win over WW South that clinched the DuPage Valley Conference title. As quarterback Matt LaCosse said: "It's gorgeous -- (you) feel so fast on it."
Week 3: Waubonsie will be tested early in its Upstate Eight Conference schedule with a trip to Bartlett, which went 12-1 last year and advanced to the Class 8A state semifinals. The Hawks lost a lot of personnel, but they've made the playoffs nine straight seasons.
Weeks 4 and 5: Around here, almost as good as it gets. North has cleaned up the graffiti that was spray-painted onto its field last month, but it's still waiting until Sept. 18 to officially dedicate its new and improved stadium before a game against West Aurora.
"That way, we know everything will be done," North athletic director Doug Smith said recently. "We got to put the fence in. We have some paving to do. We just want to make sure everything's correct before we have the ceremony."
More importantly, WW South will be making its way through the District 203 portion of its schedule in Weeks 4 and 5. Meanwhile, Neuqua and Waubonsie will battle at North Central College on Sept. 25 -- a win there could go a long way toward the Wildcats' postseason hopes. A two-point loss to Waubonsie last season contributed to Neuqua's 4-5 finish, which ended a streak of six consecutive playoff appearances.
Week 6: Here's an interesting contrast in scheduling -- while the Redhawks and Huskies stage their crosstown game at North Central College, Neuqua will be some 207 miles away playing Cathedral in Indianapolis.
Weeks 7-8: If Benet is in the playoff hunt, this is where its season could pivot. The Redwings travel to Joliet Catholic and then Marist. The Hilltoppers are ranked ninth in the preseason by the Chicago Sun-Times. Marist upset North in last year's playoffs.
Week 9: On Oct. 23 -- the night before the playoff field is announced -- Central is hoping to hold its senior night and homecoming against Glenbard North. The expectation is that Memorial Stadium will be ready by then.
"I'm still optimistic (that) we'll get at least (one) football game on there," Central athletic director Marty Bee said last week. "I have no reason not to be at this point."
