Football Season Preview South Suburban Conference

A look at how the area South Suburban Conference teams look heading into the 2023 football season.

ARGO  
HEAD COACH: Phillip Rossberg
2022 RECORD: 5-5

2023 OUTLOOK: A mixture of eight returning starters and some young players will try to keep the momentum going at the Summit school. Back for the Argonauts are seniors Abel Alvarado (an offensive and defensive lineman), Beandre Dugans (wide receiver/defensive back), Jacob Fries (tight end/linebacker), Leonardo Marques (offensive lineman) and Tadeo Sierra (quarterback), and juniors Maciej Jarosz (tight end/linebacker; team leader in tackles in 2022) and Jakub Jarosz (tight end/linebacker).

Nonconference success helped propel Argo into the playoffs last year for the first time since 2013 and the fourth time in program history. The Argonauts went 3-1 outside the South Suburban Red.

“We are a young team with a lot of [juniors] on the roster,” Argo coach Phil Rossberg said. “There is a good amount of talent but we’re just lacking varsity experience.”

DID YOU KNOW? The Argonauts have never qualified for  the Illinois High School Association playoffs two years in a row.

Aug. 25 Noble/Muchin, 6

Sept. 2 at Bloom, noon

Sept. 8 Oak Lawn, 7

Sept. 15 at Reavis, 7

Sept. 22 Shepard, 6

Sept. 29 Eisenhower, 6

Oct. 6 at Richards, 6:30

Oct. 13 at Evergreen Park 7

Oct. 19 Thornton Fractional South, 6

EVERGREEN PARK
HEAD COACH: Jim Ramazinski
2022 RECORD: 8-3

2023 OUTLOOK: New coach Jim Ramazinski comes to Evergreen Park after serving as the defensive coordinator for Andrew. He will inherit several starters, including senior quarterback Deijon Feliciano, from a playoff qualifier.

“He is cool under pressure and can do it in the air and on the ground,” Ramazinski said.

Seniors including two-way lineman Eduardo Antiuez, running back/defensive back Jed Adjayi, running back/defensive back Antonio Clay-Jones and offensive lineman Gerald O’Hare are other returning starters.

The Mustangs have made it to the playoffs the past four full seasons and would set a program record if they can accomplish that for a fifth consecutive time.

They open their bid for that accomplishment with two non-conference home games against Marengo (5-5 last year) and CICS Longwood (7-2).

DID YOU KNOW? Ramazinski was the first District 230 co-op lacrosse coach when the sport became sanctioned by the IHSA in 2018.

Aug. 25 Marengo, 7

Sept. 1 CICS/Longwood, 7

Sept. 8 Reavis, 7

Sept. 15 Bremen, 7

Sept. 22 Richards,

Sept. 29 at Oak Lawn, 7

Oct. 6 at Eisenhower, 6:30

Oct. 13 Argo, 7

Oct. 19 at Shepard, 7

OAK LAWN
HEAD COACH: Ryan Pattison
2022 RECORD: 1-8

2023 OUTLOOK: Finishing. That is something that Oak Lawn coach Ryan Pattison is heavily emphasizing this year. Last season, the Spartans led five opponents in the second halves of games, and were ahead in the fourth quarter in three of them.

“There was a big emphasis on finishing this offseason,” Pattison said. “[Last year] was a tough schedule and we competed in a lot of football games.”

The defense returns eight starters and the offense five, so there are plenty of players who gained experience.

Wide receiver Kyle Bader will switch to quarterback and center Mustafa Qurt is a three-year starter.

On defense, lineman Jon Salinas, safety TJ Vrabel and cornerback Fabian Soto should help keep opposing offenses in check. Brother Rice transfer Hasan Hussein has impressed as a defensive back.

DID YOU KNOW? The Spartans are gunning for their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2009.

Aug. 25 Romeoville, 7

Sept. 1 at Stagg, 7

Sept. 8 at Argo, 7

Sept. 15 Richards, 7

Sept. 23 at Reavis, 1

Sept. 29 Evergreen Park, 7

Oct. 6 Tinley Park, 7

Oct. 13 Shepard, 7

Oct. 20 at Eisenhower, 6:30

REAVIS
HEAD COACH: Tim Zasada
2022 RECORD: 5-5

2023 OUTLOOK: Will the young Rams take their lumps or dish some out? That’s a question coach Tim Zasada is interested in finding out.

As many as seven sophomores could get significant playing time, and that list includes quarterback Johnny Liesen and wide receiver Logan Hurtado.

Only four players have starting experience: senior wide receiver/quarterback/cornerback Nick Gomez, senior offensive lineman Victor Reyes, senior offensive lineman Dan Berringer and junior running back/cornerback Jorden Brown.

The Rams open the season with non-conference home games against Bremen and Chicago Noble/Rowe-Clark before diving into the South Suburban Red pool.

Last year, the Rams opened with a 14-8 loss to Stagg but turned on the jets in Week 2 with a 51-14 win over Rowe-Clark.

DID YOU KNOW? Reavis qualified for the playoffs six times in Zasada’s 11 years at the helm. He passed Dennis Wierzal, who qualified five times in 12 years and guided the Rams to the Class 6A state championship in 1982.

Aug. 25 Bremen, 7

Aug. 31 Noble/Rowe-Clark

Sept. 8 at Evergreen Park, 7

Sept. 15 Argo, 7

Sept. 23 Oak Lawn, 1

Sept. 29 Oak Forest 7

Oct. 6 at Shepard, 7

Oct. 13 at Eisenhower, 6:30

Oct. 19 Richards, 7

RICHARDS
HEAD COACH: Tony Sheehan
2022 RECORD: 6-4

2023 OUTLOOK: Myles Mitchell’s nickname is “Money,” and Richards fans are hoping the junior running back continues to hit paydirt.

As a sophomore, Mitchell ran for 650 yards and 11 TD, including four scores in a wild 49-36 win over South Suburban Conference Red foe Shepard. He is already getting Division I looks and has an offer from Kent State.

Coach Tony Sheehan is high on senior quarterback Dijon Newman, whom he calls a “very electric dual threat.” He called sophomore defensive back Ahmad Buchanan “the next big thing” for the Richards program.

Sheehan said this team is capable of “being lunch-bucket tough.”

The season starts off with a 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25 home battle with Chicago Public League power Morgan Park. Last year, Morgan Park beat the Bulldogs 30-2.

DID YOU KNOW?  Richards was 6-0 in conference play and outscored its opponents 248-119. The Bulldogs were outpaced 218-38 in four non-conference losses, including a first-round playoff loss to eventual Class 6A state champ East St. Louis.

Aug. 25 Morgan Park, 6:30

Sept. 1 at Libertyville, 7:30

Sept. 8 Eisenhower, 6:30

Sept. 15 at Oak Lawn, 7

Sept. 22 at Evergreen Park, 7

Sept. 29 Shepard, 6:30

Oct. 6 Argo, 6:30

Oct. 13 Lemont 6:30

Oct. 19 at Reavis, 7

SHEPARD
HEAD COACH: John Rone
2022 RECORD: 3-6

2023 OUTLOOK: Seven starters are back on a team that has something to prove.

Not only was last year’s 3-6 record the first losing record in the John Rone era, it was the first sub-.500 mark at the Palos Heights school since 2014.

That’s not sitting well with the Astros and they begin their mission to right the ship on Aug. 25 when they visit Joliet West (4-5 last season). They also have Brooks (2-7) and T.F. North (two wins in its past 18 games) on the non-conference schedule before diving into South Suburban Red play.

Jimmy LasCola returns as the quarterback for a second season after learning the ropes on varsity as a sophomore last year. He will be throwing a lot to returning receiver Cameron Tryon.

Offensive linemen Ernesto Hernandez and Jason Crowe bring experience in the trenches.

Linebacker Rod Garcia brings experience to the linebackers while defensive backs Devontae Mosby and Angelo Fuller return. Anthony Loughran, who played defensive back last year, will see action as a running back this season.

DID YOU KNOW? The Astros picked up a transfer from Alabama in Peyton Woods-Evans, who has been practicing as a wide receiver and defensive back.

Aug. 25 at Joliet West, 6

Sept. 1 Brooks, 7

Sept. 8 Thornton Fractional North, 7

Sept. 15 Eisenhower, 7

Sept. 22 at Argo, 6

Sept. 29 at Richards, 6:30

Oct. 6 Reavis, 7

Oct. 13 Oak Lawn, 7

Oct. 19 Evergreen Park, 7