Marist receiver Patrick Johnson and all of the players in the CCL/ESSC Blue will have rough and tumble games this season. Photo by Jeff Vorva
IHSA releases 2022 football schedule
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
It’s that time of year.
The IHSA has released the 2022 football schedule.
So, from now until Aug. 26, one can go on the IHSA website, look at the schedules and see all of the blanks where the results and scores will be. It’s a clean sheet for all, and the time for dirtying up and filling in those blanks will be here before we know it.
Here are a few observations after scanning the area schedules:
The Blue stew
Standing out like a sportswriter in a GQ magazine is the stew in the Blue.
Any game in the four-team powerhouse Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Blue is must-see. There are only six contests and they are all gems.
Marist is at Mount Carmel to kick off the conference season on Friday, Sept. 16. Brother Rice is at Loyola at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
Brother Rice hosts Mount Carmel at 7 p.m. Sept. 30. Marist hosts Loyola at 7 p.m. the same night.
The Crusaders host the RedHawks in the neighborhood grudge match at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 while Mount Carmel visits Loyola at 1 p.m. on Oct. 22 to close out the regular season.
People can argue all they want whether this is the best conference in the state, but there doesn’t seem to be a dud in the schedule.
Not easy being in Green
The CCL/ESCC Green may be a tick below the Blue but it is not too shabby, with Class 7A runner-up St. Rita along with Nazareth, Benet and Notre Dame hashing things out.
For local fans, St. Rita at Nazareth will be the main event at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30.
Nazareth’s non-conference schedule gets off to a rocking start as the Roadrunners host Class 5A runnerup Kankakee at 7 p.m. Aug. 26.
For the most part, St. Rita will stay within the CCL/ESCC for its non-conference opponents as it faces the Blue’s Mt. Carmel, Brother Rice and Loyola, Orange member Providence and Purple resident St. Patrick.
The Mustangs also face Marian Central Catholic, which is an independent that was in the CCL/ESCC in recent years.
Heading to Indy
Chicago’s Christian’s second-week trip to Ottawa for a game against Marquette will not be the Knights’ longest jaunt of the season.
The eighth week of the season, on Oct. 15, the Knights have a long trip to Indianapolis to take on Phalen Leadership Academy.
For those unfamiliar with PLA — and that is most of us — the Falcons were 1-5 last year in games reported to MaxPreps, including an Oct. 16 forfeit to Mount Carmel because the team had several players missing due to COVID-19.
The team’s lone win was a 50-14 rout of Christel House at Manual (Indianapolis).
Too much information on Indiana football? Agreed. Let’s move on.
An extra win in this schedule?
Oak Lawn finished 4-5, just missing being playoff-eligible in Ryan Pattison’s first year as Spartans coach in 2021.
This year’s three non-conference battles for the Spartans are against Tinley Park (1-8 last year), Stagg (0-9) and Bremen (5-5), so a good showing against that trio and a winning record in the South Suburban Blue could put the Spartans in the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Huge rematches
Troy McAllister is in his second year at the helm of Sandburg. In his first year, the Eagles had one of the most amazing turnarounds from one week to the next, which was followed by a run to the Class 8A playoffs.
Sandburg hit rock bottom in the sixth week of the season with a 42-0 home loss to eventual Class 8A state champ Lockport, falling to 2-4. Its chance to qualify for its first postseason appearance since 2015 was toilet paper thin.
Then the Eagles did the seemingly impossible the following week. They knocked off Lincoln-Way East, 30-27, in Frankfort. It was their first win over the Griffins since 2007.
That sparked a season-ending streak that featured wins over Stagg, Homewood-Flossmoor and Lincoln-Way Central to help the Eagles make the playoffs.
In 2022, the Eagles have back-to-back games against these two teams again. They visit Lockport at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 and host Lincoln-Way East at 6 p.m. on Sept. 30.
Morton looking for history
Morton went 3-6 last season, the most wins for the Mustangs since winning four in 2010.
The Mustangs have never qualified for the playoffs. If they can pick up a couple of more victories this season, they can make history.
The bad news is they have Riverside-Brookfield, York and Oak Park on the schedule for non-conference games. They lost to those three schools by a combined score of 118-28 last year. Can they turn it around this year?
In high school football, anything is possible.
Stagg looks for a win
Stagg finished 0-9 last year and the Chargers’ closest setback was a 24-19 home loss to Lincoln-Way Central. The rest of the losses were by 19 or more points. The Chargers last win was Aug. 30, 2019 when they pillaged Little Village, 35-16, in the season opener.
Can Colt Nero’s team taste victory in 2022? Non-conference opponents are Reavis, Oak Lawn, Lincoln-Way East, Sandburg and Bolingbrook. SouthWest Suburban Red foes will be Andrew, Bradley-Bourbonnais, and Lincoln Ways West and Central.
Did you know?
Because of some CCL/ESCC defections, the conference’s Red division has just two teams: DePaul and Leo.
Thus, the Sept. 16 tangle between the two teams at Leo will determine the conference championship.
Local News
Winter storm could bring heavy snowfall
Spread the loveParts of Cook County could see up to 12 inches of snow over the next day as a winter storm moves across the area starting tonight. The county’s Department of Transportation and Highways is monitoring conditions and has resources on standby to keep the 1,500 lane miles the county maintains, safe for drivers.…
Polk insists residents should use 9-1-1 when they need help
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva With snowstorms and bad weather hitting the area, first responders and 9-1-1 operators are taxed and stretched out. But Palos Park Police Commissioner Dan Polk said that should not deter people from calling 9-1-1. He insists on it. At the Jan. 24 village council meeting, Polk made a passionate speech…
District 230 waits for judge’s decision on mask mandates
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Stagg and Sandburg students, parents and teachers are awaiting the decision of a Sangamon County judge to find out if there is any change in the mask mandate. District 230 was one of 145 districts in the state taken to court by parents who are against the mandate and believe…
Summit approves deal with CEDA for water assistance
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Help may be on the way for some Summit residents that have trouble paying their water bills. The Summit Village Board recently approved an ordinance authorizing an agreement by, and between the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County. It’s a vendor agreement for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance…
Willow Springs hires Grace as village administrator
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Citing his experience in Lyons, Willow Springs Mayor Melissa Neddermeyer said Ryan Grace was the best of five finalists interviewed for the job of village administrator. Grace, 38, had been public works director in Lyons the past four years, working on a wide range of village issues and events in…
Body of missing Forest View woman found
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The search for 20-year-old Charisma Ehresman of Forest View is over. The body of the young woman was found Friday evening in her vehicle in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood, on the city’s west side, which borders Oak Park. The car had apparently been there for several days. The Cook County…
Heritage Middle School cheer team takes first
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Congratulations are in order for the Heritage Middle School Cheer Team. The team competed for the first time on Saturday, January 15, at Old Quarry Middle School in Lemont and took first place. It was a huge accomplishment for the team and Summit School District 104 is very proud of…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg bowls ’em over at state; Marist cheerleaders win sectional
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Is there a state trophy coming for the Sandburg boys bowling team in the future? With this unpredictable sport, that’s hard to predict. But after a fourth-place finish in the IHSA state tournament, held Jan. 28-29 at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon, the needle is pointing up. The…
Intense dance performance nets Evergreen Park sixth place at state finals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Actual competitive dancing returned to the state level this year and Evergreen Park’s dancers couldn’t be happier. The Mustangs are on the rise, and the team enjoyed its highest state finish by placing sixth in Class 1A in the IHSA state meet held Jan. 28-29 at Grossinger Motors…
Neighbors
Ban on ‘captive audience’ meetings, AI regulations among 466 bills to pass this session
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR, & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures…
Potawatomi land transfer advances in Illinois House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would help the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation expand their newly established reservation in DeKalb County advanced out of a state House committee Tuesday, despite concerns about the tribe’s long-term plans for the property. House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over…
Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created…
Once again working through the night, lawmakers finalize $53.1 billion budget
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose Wednesday morning. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Regulators slash Chicago gas utility’s rate request, setting up likely legal battle
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday once again reduced a request to increase customer rates from Chicago natural gas utility Peoples Gas. In November, the ICC paused all spending related to Peoples Gas’ controversial “safety modernization program” for replacing aging infrastructure and reduced its $404 million…
Ban on ‘captive audience’ meetings, AI regulations among 466 bills to pass this session
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR, & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures…
Would-be union of legislative staffers accuse Welch of undermining organizing effort
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Seven months after Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch advanced a measure that would allow legislative staff to unionize, members of his own staff on Tuesday blasted the speaker for allowing the bill to languish. The legislation has not seen any action since its passage…
Lawmakers OK bill to require ‘faithful’ electors in 2024, loosen campaign finance rules
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Illinois appears likely to join most of the rest of the country in requiring that the state’s Electoral College votes go to the winner of the state’s popular election. The measure is part of a broad package of election-related legislation…
Once again working through the night, lawmakers finalize $53.1 billion budget
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose Wednesday morning. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach…