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Hello, everybody, welcome to the Friday Night Drive podcast. This is Josh Welgy joined by Steve Susi as we get ready for Week two in Illinois high school football season, and as we take this Steve on Wednesday. It's one of those things that last week was so exciting and I was purely exhausted by the end of the weekend, needing a break. But you know, usually when I get to Wednesday afternoon, I'm kind of ready for some more football.
You know, how are you feeling and you know, what's your thoughts going in Week two?
Yeah, it's it's one of the one of the crazier weeks because you go all that time where you're just speculating on what things are, and for me, who loves data, finally I'm getting data. So I've been pouring through that over the last couple of days and finally got it sorted out to the where I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what actually happened in week one.
Uh.
But like you, it's it's the middle of the week, and I'm I'm ready for I'm ready for a refresh. I'm ready for some more. I'm ready for some more answers to some more questions that I had that bore out of what happened in Week one. I mean, and there were a lot of teams out there that had some statement victories. There were a few that had some statement losses, and I need to find out how, uh, you know, how relevant those things are over the course of the entire season. Was it a blip or is
this the new normal? So it's very uh, it's a very interesting thing to have to watch. But yeah, like you, usually we get around Wednesday and especially Thursday, I'm like, yeah, let's get going, let's get us another week of football here.
Yeah, as I said, we're taking this on Wednesday, and Steve's he mentioned data. Steve's latest playoff projections dropped on front of nightdrive dot com today, so you want to check it out. And and Steve, as I was looking at over, you know one thing that I noticed, and again it's only we've only played one game, but you know, the big conversation last year was was the number of four and five teams that made the playoffs. And there's a handful and obviously one of them, Nazareth notably, went
on to win the state title. Looking at your early projections, you think that we might be seeing a few more, if not a lot more four and five teams, you know, without sharing how many you think because it's still so early. What are some of the reasons that you're seeing about why this could become an even more commonplace phenomenon.
Well, there are three major things that are involved in this one. Once again, we're in a situation where we have less than five hundred playoff eligible teams in the state right now, we're where at four ninety four, to be completely honest with you, So when you need two hundred and fifty six teams, and once you're out of the segment of the season where you're playing, you're playing less and less out of state opponents. There's only about two hundred and fifty teams a week that are going
to get a win in a given week. So odds are the odds of us getting two hundred and fifty six of those teams that have at least five wins. That continues to decrease because of just simple mathematics, you know, I think we're definitely going to get some four win teams in and then on top of it, I just mentioned the out of state teams. This year we saw a little bit lesser of a trend in that usually in the non conference season we have a lot more of these out of state games where teams are playing
teams from Missouri or teams from Indiana or Wisconsin. There were some this year, but there were less, and like we talked about last week, some of these premiere programs kind of gave up on the out of state experience and just settled in with another Illinois opponent. So that's one less potential win that an Illinois team can collect in those weeks. So it's just there's just less wins to go around now because there are less programs. And then the third thing was a realignment of the Chicago
Public League. Last year, we had twenty seven teams make the playoffs from the Chicago Public League, and based on the way that they restructured their divisions, there are now four divisions at the bottom of the Chicago Public League that have six teams each where the only qualifier that can come out of that division is the winner of
that conference. So essentially, when I said there was four hundred and ninety four teams fighting for those spots, in reality, it's actually four to seventy four because there are twenty teams from the Chicago Public League that have no path to getting to the playoffs if they don't win one of those divisions, can't getting at large berth, they can't get in at six and three or five and four, seven and two, they have to win the division. So
there's actually twenty less teams on the board. So that's leading to a real I think opening of the gates in regards of letting four win teams in. I would be stunned if it's not in double digits this year.
What caused the Public League to that that shift in their their team's getting in aaple plass, you know, did how do we get there with that? That's the one I was reading. I'm thinking, I wonder why that is?
Well, I think, I mean, if you look at the data over a year over year over year, the public league teams on large mass are not doing very well in the state playoffs, and that's being kind a lot
of these scores are really lopsided. So three, I believe it was three years ago, they went to a system where they took the you know, the sixteen best teams in their opinion, and kind of put them all in their own divisions, you know, where they're playing each other, trying to get themselves a little bit more in tune with what it will take to be in Congress to making the playoffs. But that kind of had a twofold effect.
The same teams were still getting through the playoffs, but some of your better Chicago Public League teams weren't because they had to play the upper echelon's public league teams. They used to be more evenly distributed. So I think the reason that they did that was they wanted to keep that way structured for the red but the divisions underneath them were producing some really poor playoff teams, so they made it a little bit a lot harder for
those teams to get a playoff ber. Certainly, some of those teams might break through and they might have a pretty good football team, but the grand majority of them that were making the playoffs for them were largely getting
running clocked beaten badly in those playoff games. So I think in the long run this is a good thing for everybody, because some of those classifications were getting really cluttered with a lot of public league teams that didn't have much of a chance of actually winning those playoff games, and you'd get situations like last year where you'd have Nazareth and Prairie Ridge playing a first round playoff game, and then right below them on the playoff draw were
a pair of public league teams that wouldn't get within fifty points of either one of those two teams just above them on the bracket. So I think in the long run this is better for the quality of the playoffs. It's just going to be strange and take some time getting used to the fact that there's going to be a lot more teams. When we look at that bracket with the seasonal records that have four and five records on them in the actual fields themselves.
Yeah, like you said, you know, ironically, more teams with losing records in the playoffs could potentially make for a more competitive playoffs, you know, just kind of looking at that. I mean, I totally agree with you about some of the outcomes that we saw last year for the playoffs, with some of those public league results a really good read. Everybody wants to check that out. Obviously, look at the projections,
everybody's interested in that. But but just also some of the you know, some the story is a good read. I encourage everyone to check it out again. On Friday Night Drive dot com, Steve's playoff projections. As we sit here again, we're looking at the week two a lot of great games on tap, and and I want to start with some of the games that are involving c C L E s CC games. I want to bring in Michael Duo Jack who covers that league for for for our company on Friday Night Drive. Michael, how you
doing and how is week one for you? You had a kind of a busy weekend there.
Yeah, good, Thanks for thanks for having me, guys. Happy to make my debut this year. Week one was fun. It was busy obviously, sust and I saw two games together. We saw the Mount Carmel Hun's game and East Saint Louis Loyola game and and I had a Phillipson from the Rice sandwiched in there with a big Cruciators win there. But it was good. It's fun. Obviously, it's a lot of football to start things off. I think we got a lot of fun, a lot of fun games to
kind of start the year. So that was it was fun to kind of get things that started.
Looking at two week two h you know, one of the marquee games on on that the league schedule, Brother Rice playing Maris. Big rivalry there, Brother Rice. They're a team that I know you like a lot. I know Steve likes a lot to really make some Nois this year, and of course Maris. Mike Fitzgerald coming home to Maris. You know, he had a lot of success at Maris as an offensive coordinator, you know, winning a state title there, and then of course he did great things ATW York
and now he's back. You know, what's your thoughts going into that game on Friday. I believe you're going to be there.
Yeah, I'll be at that game on Friday. You know, the Battle of Pulaski is always a fun game. Obviously, neighborhood rivalry schools just down a couple of blocks separated on plask Obviously, we got the question because there might be one of the top games in the state this upcoming week. And you know, it's always interest because I feel like it's so cliche to say, you know, throughout the record books when you have a rivalry game like this, but it does kind of feel like that, especially since
this game is happening in week two. Obviously, Brother Rice won fifty to nothing last week against Phillips, but you know, the offense only played the first half. They get a limited snaps. Coach Casey Quentinfield actually was kind of disappointed because he felt like they had too many penalties and offensively, I think they only ended up scoring thirty four points and the rest was a safety and a couple of
defensive touchdowns. But the big thing with them is just you know, offensively, they're so young, They're still trying to figure things out.
CJ.
Gray comes in as a quarterback. You got Tyler Lofton transferring into the program as they're running back a lot of offensive talent, but they're al still trying to come together, so Marris will be a pretty tough test. You obviously saw what they were able to do against Morgan Park in Week one. Obviously they've got Brad Fitzgibbon and Iowa commit, they got archie Le's Anderson a Harvard commit that deep. This was really good against Morgan Park and you know,
limiting and what they're able to do. So I think it would be a really interesting matchup and I'm curious to see you know what Seuss thinks about it as well, But it does feel like a matchup that's going to be decided by a field goal, maybe a lad touchdown the four points, and then a strong and defensive stop either by Brother Rice or Mayrist.
What were I guess what were your impressions, Michael. I know you didn't get to see them for very long, but with a full strength Brother Ice team on the field, because I know last year obviously there were times where they just didn't have all their personnel, all their elite personnel at their disposal. I guess what was it even though it was a limited amount of time, particularly, what were your impressions with the Brother Rice defense.
I think the defense just you know it, when it's healthy, it's great. I mean, you've got so many talents everywhere. Obviously it starts with Christian Pierce as it's leading a linebacker. You've got talent on the inside of the line. In the outside of the line, you've got Condostick King Liggins, so many other talented guys in the secondary as well. So you've just got a team where a defense that's
just really strong. And if they're all on the field, I don't really see how you can run against this defense. Maybe you could pass a little bit, but that secondary is really good too, So it'll be a really interesting test for you know, Maris. Obviously, with Jacob Ritter taking over at quarterback, they got John mccaff who's obviously a talented running back who also you know as a pass
catching threat. It'll be interesting to see because Marys will face a tough test against this defense that you know, really limits you and takes away the run. And once you take away the run, obviously that limit you can really focus on the past game as well, so you know, once healthy, Like obviously that Brother Rice defense is great.
We didn't get to see them fully against Phillips just because of how out of hand the game kind of got pretty quickly, but from what we were able to see pretty early, that defense looked as good as advertised.
Another good rivalry game. And then CCL this weekend, Mount Carmel playing at Sainte Rita. Mount carmellly kind of a unique situation coming in off of a loss. Albeit if that wasn't the game of the weekend on Thursday night, it's in the short list. That game with the Hunt school you're there on Thursday night. I admittedly don't know as much about Saint Rita. You know, what are you looking at with that match up, Michael?
I think we're all still trying to figure out a little bit more about Scene Reta. You know, obviously they picked up a it was kind of close and then they ended up winning. I think it was by ten points against Sanford, So that was a good start to the season for the Mustangs, especially kind of a closer rivalry game. But yeah, I think we're still trying to figure out a little bit more about the Scenerta team.
The offense obviously as a new quarterback. Nick Herman comes back obviously as a key running back, but we're still trying to learn more. And it was funny just listening to you know, Matt Muka, Mount Carmel's linebacker, talking about that Hunt game. Obviously, you know they Mount Carbo gave up forty two points. That's the most points that they
gave up since twenty eighteen as a defense. So you know, it'll be really interesting to see because he said, like I wouldn't want to be by week our week two opponent. That's exactly what Saint Rita is this week. So it'll be interesting. This rivalry has kind of been a little bit lopside of the last couple of matchups, with Mount
Carmelo taking getting the best out of Saint Rita. But you know, it'll be really interesting to see, especially early, if Saint Rita can kind of limit that offense or whether Mount Carmel is just going to do what it did last week and just end up with a big win.
Yeah, we'll see, you know, really eager to see, you know, how Mount Carmel responds, and then also to see what
Saint Rita is all about. Obviously stepping't playing Mount Carmel and in week two a Saturday matchup that I'm going to be at Loyola is at Glenbard West Loyola on their Saturday game is kind of one of the more eye opening results the Week one I would say, Loyola having their nineteen game losing streak or ninety came winning streak sorry, snapped against East Saint Louis Saturday night down in Illinois State. They go to Glenbard West, who actually
also lost their Week one game as well last Saturday Batavia. Michael, what's your what's your thoughts on just Loyola particularly, you know, going into that and just kind of where they're at.
You know, it was interesting because you know, watching that game on Saturday, and I feel like I said this the suse a couple of times about that, was that felt like the most disorganized and kind of dishovel that I've ever seen Loyola just based on offensively, just like with what eastin Lewis was able to do to them, Like you could see that that kind of rocked them with their pressure, with their speed, with their size, and you know, Loyola is not used to that. They have
an offensive line that usually protects them pretty well. Like they're running, you know, joke has been like you can throw back whoever back there. That offensive line is just going to protect them and they'll do a good job running the ball no matter.
Who the running back is.
But obviously I guess against East Sint Lewis it didn't really happen, but it'll be interesting to see. Obviously, Glenbard West gave Batavia a really good game in the first week to start things off, and you know, it's kind of the same mindset where maybe Loyla didn't really say this, but I've really I wouldn't want to play Loyola in week two, specifically because Loyola hasn't lost the back to back game since twenty eighteen and they're now really used
to a loss like that. That was their biggest loss in twenty eighteen as well, So it'll be really interesting. I don't think, you know, if they were playing anyone else, or mostly anyone else, I would say that this would probably be a blowout win for Loyola, But Lombard was. You know, they can challenge them, and based on what we saw from that offense, for Loyola, that's something that I'm really interested to see. How are they going to respond because they did not look good on Saturday at all.
They have an experienced quarterback obviously in Ryan Fitzgerald. There's going to be a walk on in Iowa. Drew McPherson is a running back who has a scholarship at Iowa. So they have talent on this offense. It's just putting it together. And other than the fifty yard run, we didn't see that offense look good at all against e. St. Louis, So I'm curious to see can they regroup and can they kind of get better against a pretty talented, you know, Glenbard West defense.
Yeah, and on the opposite I mean, Seve was there for this was Glenbard West Batavia. There is a there's several times in that game that I thought the game could get away from Glenbard West Patavial led by a couple of touchdowns on a few occasions. But to Glenbard West credit, they able to hang around, hang around, hang around to the end, and they almost were able to, you know, you know, maybe tie and go to overtime. Significantly for Glenbard West, their their best offensive player, tay
On Oriental, a senior running back. He left the game when the second and last drive of the game with you know, I talked to him afterwards. Looked like he had a hand in hand injury. Wasn't sure the extent of that. But but if they don't have him, I mean he is he is an enormous part of their offense.
I mean he's a game breaker, He's a guy that can make plays for them, So that that would be something to watch as we look forward to that game and Glenbard West Man Steve, you touched on on your podcast with Matt Rodewald or this week, if there is a more difficult first four game schedule the season, I don't know what it is with Glenbard West.
Yeah, it really is kind of ridiculous. I mean, they follow these two these two games to start the season, then they have counters Grove North, then they have Lions downers Grove North, the top ten team in the Friday Night Drive Power rankings. Lions. I just put them in this week after their win over Prospect in Week one.
That is one heck of a gauntlet. But you know, like we were talking about at the beginning of the beginning of the podcast here, obviously, if you're Glenbard West, you don't want to dig yourself too big of a hole here, but it is survivable more this year than I think it has ever been. If that does end up having, if they end up coming out of it, let's just say, for our sake of argument one in three or or god forbidzho and four, there's still a window there that maybe didn't exist in the past.
Yeah. No, that's that's very true, and uh, yeah, we'll see. I mean that is I you know, when we first saw the schedule in July, I said to myself, Wow, that's the really that's the really first four games. And then the way Lions Township like week one beating you know, beating Prospect, I thought, wow, that's even more difficult. So yeah, we'll see. It should be a one on Saturday, Loyola
at one Bard West. Mike, before we let you get out of here, what are some other games involved in CCL teams that that you're really keeping an eye on this this weekend.
I think the biggest game I'm kind of interested in, you know, keeping an eye on, is probably gonna be saying Nacious and Fenwick mostly other than you know, it being a rivalry game. You know, these two teams like the really clashed in the White Division before they kind of change divisions with Dignatius going to the Blue. I'm just kind of curious just to see what Saint Ignacious
is at this point. Obviously, they had a huge forty point win against the team from Milwaukee, so it's kind of tough to tell, you know, exactly, you know, what that means in the grand scheme of things, but I am interested. Obviously, Saint Ignacious doesn't have Justin Scott anymore. He is with Miami, you know, at the University of Miami. So but they're still gonna run that's you know, triple
you know, triple option offense. There's still got a lot of guys that have kind of grown into the program, and obviously they they had more talent other than just you know, Justin Scott last year. So I'm really interested just to see what they're going to look like against the Fendwick team that has talent as well. Obviously, you know Nate Marshall, he's going to Auburn. He's a very talented defensive end and we saw in Week one he's
a pass catching threat as well. And obviously you have Jack Harris who's a big defender for Fenwick, and Tommy theas is also very good for Fenwick. So these are two talented teams. I'm really interested to see how, you know, who kind of comes out in that one. Because if City Nations can come out in that one, I think
that's really good momentum to start the year. Obviously they'll have a tough task in starting to Blue, but if they can start the season two and one three and know even heading into that Blue matchup, I think that'll be really interesting. But that's my top matchup obviously, Gonna keep track of other games. Obviously ken Win and Nazareth are gonna play against each other. Interested to see how Nazareth kind of responds after playing in the tight game
in Week one against kan Kaki. I'm always gonna keep looking at Carmel just to see what Trey Taylor is doing because he had he already had an impressive first week, only played one half and through four touchdowns and made it look pretty easy. So obviously going to keep tabs on them. But yeah, I mean, there are a lot
of good storylines in the Mega Conference. Maybe not as exciting as a week as we had a Week one, but a pretty good Week two slave before really get things started in a Week three and Week four.
Yeah, I feel like Trey Taylor is sort of like Jonas Williams the first couple of years that you know, even if you're not paying attention to him, he's still have the out of the corner the eye. You just want to keep an eye because you never know what he might be doing, except it's gonna be doing a lot of good things.
So he's definitely going to do a lot of good stuff. And obviously that Carmel team is more than Trey Taylor. Obviously the got Devonte Allison, a lot of a lot of great guys there that Jason McKee and a lot of the former Bears are running over there, so that'll be a really fun team to kind of keep track off throughout the year.
That's Michael Duwell Jack. You'd follow m Duwell Jack ninety four. He has his ccl SEC notebook that dropped today on Wednesday. A lot of good stuff. I read it, really great stuff. You'll want to be found this weekend at the Battle Plaste Friday and that'll be covering the Bears this weekend, So a very busy weekend for Michael. You want to you want to pay give him a foul, Michael, thanks for joining us.
All right, thanks for having me. Guys. Hey football fans, listen up.
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They have it all, Steve. As we look ahead to some of the other games this weekend, you know one game involving a CCL team that that we didn't touch on with Michael, that you know, I'm kind of interested in, uh Joiet Kathlic playing Oswego aswego coming off with a very you know, impressed the week one went over a Nicua Valley Joy Catholic beat a team from I as well.
I talked to coach Brian Kons from Oswego and I said, you know, when's the last time you guys played them, and he wasn't sure, but he was bringing up the name Mike Alstott involving Juliet Catholic. And if people don't know who Mike Alstadt was, you might want to look him up. They played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But uh, it's been a while, Uh, but I'm really looking forward
to that matchup. Just see, you know, if I sweel can kind of step and up and play at that level against the team with Joey Catholic, what are you looking at for that one?
Yeah, it was a really interesting, uh situation with that game in particular. You know, I looked at it. That game didn't actually get scheduled until I believe sometime in mid May, which if you're unfamiliar with how the scheduling process works, that's really really late. And it was a situation that was kind of hatched out of both teams
kind of needing a game. And we've talked about this a lot, you know, basically just kind of just saying, well, we were both gonna have to play a good football team, and I just out of curiosity while we were talking here, I actually heard you make mention of that. The answer to your question of when Oswego and joy At Catholic played last nineteen eighty nine, is the answer. So yeah, so that's that's uh, you know, it's a long time
since these two teams have played. When I originally heard about this game being scheduled, I wasn't sure if I liked it too much from Oswego's perspective. But the more I learned about Oswego, I think they're using this as a really good opportunity to take a measuring stick of themselves, how good really really can they be? And challenging themselves and playing Joli at Catholic will certainly provide that opportunity. So I'm a lot more intrigued by this game than
I was a month ago. I will say that I think I think Joey Catholic is still the favorite to win this game, but I do think it's going to be considerably more competitive than what I originally might have thought it would have been.
Yeah, no, I mean you know talking, I mean, obviously players gonna be confident. Even talking to to Bran Coone this week, I mean he wasn't given anything for this matchup. I mean he he likes his guys. He has sixteen returning starters back from last year, and obviously most notably his son Carson Cooney, a linebacker going to Iowa. So you know, yeah, that that that should be a fun matchup kind of learn a little bit more about both of those teams. Joey Kathley got a sweek on Friday night.
If there was a better performance in Week one by a running back than the Warren running back Aaron Stewart, I'm I'm yeah, I don't know who. I don't know who would be. I think he he had like two hundred and seventy yards and five touchdowns or something crazy like that in the first half in Week one. And and now Maine South, who had to deal with Jonas Williams in Week one, Well now they got to deal with with with Warren. Apparently they have an explosive offense.
I didn't know they did those kind of things. And Warren Warren in Maine South, what are you looking at for that matchup? Yeah, this is this is definitely a really interesting game, and like you just said, with Warren kind of demonstrating that they have the ability to put some points on the board. And I mean it's not
like they were playing a slouch last week. I mean they beat Hercy, a team that has been very, very good and almost never lose those regular season games at this point, so a good, a great start for them on both sides of the football. Usually you think of Warren as a defensive minded team that maybe they'll scratch out enough points against quality opponents to pick up these wins. And despite the result last week, I mean, I think
Main and South's a really good football team. So I mean a lot of teams are going to have those kinds of troubles with Lincoln Way East. So Maine South's got to really, you know, really bounce back quickly here to avoid that zero and two start.
I think. Fortunately for them, I don't think their schedule is really all that treacherous the rest of the way, so if they did drop to zero to two in this game, they have plenty of opportunity to recover from that. Not the ideal though they certainly don't want to do that. So just a really really interesting game there, just because, like I said, Warren's a little bit out of character
for themselves from that first game result. If that's sustainable, I'll raise that eyebrow and say, boy, we maybe have to change our conversation about you know, who is who belongs in the top of a A in the classification, because right now it's a two horse race. Do we need to bring a third horse into that. I mean, it's a valid question. I think at this point.
It's not in the past with Warren you know, they brought the defense to the party. Now if they can bring a pretty explosive offense to join them, well then we're onto something. I mean, they're gonna be a program that's gonna be a force to be reckoned with regardless, but maybe maybe they go to the next level if they can have that. We'll see. I mean, it's week one, but obviously a good start for them, a matchup that
I'm looking forward to. Interested in Lion's downship plane at Wheaton Warrenville South, both coming off of good Week one wins Lion statue. Of course, their head coach, John Bucher, was a great quarterback for Wheaton South back in the day when I had way less gray Hairs. But a metch of there that they're kind of two teams in
very strong leagues, the West Suburban Silver the Dukene. I think they're kind of like right there to maybe go to the next level in their conference, but you know, I want to learn a little bit more about them. What do you think, Well.
This is one of those games when you look at it and both these teams got wins in week one, that's a good stride. But I never like to say this in week two. But looking forward, this this game has a lot of weight for both of these two teams.
I mean, I think especially for Wheaton Warrenville South, because if you look at the conference play that they go into, I mean you can make an argument that there are four teams in that league that are a little bit ahead, a little bit or quite a bit ahead of them
right now, even with where they're at. So if they don't figure out a way to not only win the games beneath with the teams that maybe are a little bit behind them, but pick off one of those games against one of those teams ahead of them, they're they're on that fence. Then there, I mean, it's really the that's the situation, because I mean in the Dukeune, you've got Batavia, You've got Saint Charles North, You've got Geneva. Those are three teams right there that I think are
are problematic to try to to try to beat. And then you've got Wheaton North too, who picked up an impressive win over Providence in week one. So with those four teams right there, Wheaton Warnville South, if they were to lose this game to Lions, needs to figure out how to beat at least one of those teams as well as everyone else on their schedule, just to get to five wins. So I mean that it's way too early to use the phrase must win, but this is
a really really important game for them and Lions. It's it's almost the same conversation because you talk about the fact that there are teams in the conference that are you know, right there with them or maybe a step ahead of them, and you just have that you have to go through for them after this game is over too.
So Lions and Wheat and Warville South are and there's a laundry list of these teams where it's really really advantageous for them to get through the non con with a two to zero record, just to give them a little bit of breathing room when they get into their brutal conference Lates.
Yeah, it's one thing I've noticed. I mean, I look at the Ducane Conference in particular, is their non conference schedules by some of these teams have been really put themselves in a position where you said, they really need to win them, but easier said than done situations. You know, this that game in particular, you know, definitely stands out as a tough one to look forward to. That matchup on Friday. The Mid Suburban League, a league that are
former colleague Kyle Nighbors. I think that might have been his favorite league. It was definitely in the conversation. They had some teams that had some tough Week one losses and there's setting up some interest seeing Week two matchups. I'm looking at Palatine Prospect, I'm looking at Barantee, Hurt, Barrington, Percy Well Barrington won Week one. You know, what are you looking at with some of those games?
You know, it's it's just a it's just an interesting league. And it was one of those things where like you look at that league on paper and you can kind of get a scope of where you know where certain teams are likely to fall. But then then you had a couple of really really in my mind, big surprises in Week one that also emerged out of that league. From handling Lake Zurich in the in the fashion that they did really surprised me. Schomberg with a regular season
win over Antioch. I think Antios lost like three or four regular season games in the last six years. I mean, so it's for those two teams to kind of invite themselves to this party. Means that, especially in this crossover period, almost every week, you're gonna have some really interesting games
between these two divisions. And at the end of the day, I think instead of going into the conference season of this with a couple of teams that are maybe undefeated and are kind of trying to go through the string, I think you're gonna have a bunch of teams that are sitting there at maybe three and one or two and two, or maybe even one in three where you
feel like on paper the game's a toss up. So I think we're looking for some looking forward to some wild days in mid Suburban conference play when we get to the divisional portion of the schedule.
Yeah, from the from isn't froms quarterback going to Northwestern, I believe, Yeah. I mean, but teams like that where you know, I know, who's some of the big dogs, but it's those Week one wins where it's like, Wow, I did not know that they could do that. That kind of puts my radar up a little bit. And I went like six the last two years. So I mean this, I don't want to say it came out of nowhere, but you just kind of get accustomed to that. I mean, Schomberg's won five games over the course of
the last three seasons. So I mean, when you're establishing a preseason pecking order, there's a logical way to go about doing it, kind of based on past track record, But so far logic is being thrown out the window in regards to that league. Yeah, they didn't they didn't
exactly beat nobody's week one. They beat some pretty good teams week one, So good wins there, Uh, Steve, Before we get out of here, you know, I want to look at some of the some of the some of the smaller school of big matchups around the state in Week two. I know, the Northwest up State a line I obviously one of the best leagues in that area. I know Fulton Lina Winslow is a matchup that you and I are both looking at. You know, what are
what are you seeing there? And what are some of the other matchups that stand out?
Well, I think for for a lot in a lot of ways, like you kind of know what that although that conference has produced a ton of like state finalists and state semi finalists, you kind of know the packing order going into things. It's Lina Winslow and then it's everybody else, at least it has been for the last
five or six years. But primarily the I guess the main contender to that thrown over the last five seasons or so has been Forreston And last week Fulton went in to Forrest And and dominated them in a twenty eight to nothing victory, which raised my eyebrow a little bit. I'm not saying I think they go into Lina Winslow and knock them around in the same fashion, but I do. I'm very interested to see how it comes out, because
I think Fulton's a pretty good football team. That went over Forrest and confirmed that in my mind, and I'm interested to see how good of a run they can give Lena Winslow in this game.
Yeah, Lena Winslow also had a pretty good Week one win, although I mean not entirely surprising, how good Lena Winslow and I believe they beat Morrison rather Handle in week one, so that should be a good Week two matchup. So a lot of good football coming up this weekend, a lot of good coverage on Friday Night Drive. See before we get out of here, any final thoughts, you.
Know, I think this is an interesting week once again for you know, kind of getting a handle on confirming some of the things that we learned in week one. Maybe the schedule doesn't have quite as much fire as week one does, but it has a lot of interesting games where you look at them on paper and you're like, based on what we learned last week, I think this
might be pretty interesting. I'm not sure. I mean, I think there are just quite a few fifty to fifty games on the board this week, and it's just really interesting to get those games in the books so you have a better understanding of what teams are moving forward, and I think week two has a lot of opportunities to do that.
Gate a lot of great games this wee get a lot of good coverage on Friday Night Drive. You want to follow some of our other podcasts, I tape the West Suburbans podcast with Joe Bennett's you want to check that out. JT Penalty, Eddie Carriffio and Drake Landsman will be taping a podcast where they look at some of the games in northwest Illinois. And of course Friday Night Steve will be back on with Matt Rutwald for our live screen which is from nine to thirty pm to
eleven pm on Fridays again. You can file me at Jay Welgy ninety six. You can follow the Seuss at the Seuss. You can file Friday Night Drive at F and Drive and also on Facebook and Instagram. Before then, I want to again thanks everybody for joining us. Enjoy week two and we'll see us soon.
This is State Representative Steve Reich and I'm happy to sponsor this year's Friday Night Drive. There'll be plenty of time for politics down the road, but for now, let's enjoy some high school football. Whichever school you follow, give them your support.
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