Illinois High School Football Thread

[WhiteSox2023]

Road grader (#69)…

https://streamable.com/y3tft7

https://streamable.com/peahp3

https://streamable.com/toabfx

Edited November 24 by WhiteSox2023

[greg775]

5 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

St. Rita went 5-4 in the regular season.  Brother Rice beat them 24-10 early in the season.  But now, they have gotten hotter than s%*#.  Very nice for both teams that Mount Carmel moved to 8A this year.  🤣

Tell your son we fans appreciate the linemen and get hungry for Rita. Rita's starting qb I read was hurt for the first meeting. We also owe Rita for some dominance throughout history. Rita used to beat Rice every year back in the day.

Impressive we pounded Downers in the second half. It was a 7-point game at half and our fans had to be worried considering the turnovers. Hope our QB is able to throw some in the final. Rita may dare us to throw and try to stifle our potent ground game. If we win it all, from what I read, the MVP should be the offensive linemen. Tell those boys we appreciate you and are hopin' for one more monster effort.

This is high school football so no matter what we love our Rice players, win or lose. But if we do win, these kids are immortal. They may even hold a parade down 103rd Street or they should. If we lose ... it may be a long time before we have a team this good again.

Rita figures to keep it close. I assume their coach is good and he will have a game plan. Coach Q obviously has been great in coaching up and recruiting this team which has not even had one game that's been close unless we consider the MC game close.

So tell me, will Rice win? What is your son's attitude about the final? U should be proud. The linemen have been special. We are the favored team so we have to complete the deal. 

Edited November 23 by greg775

[WhiteSox2023]

13 minutes ago, greg775 said:

Tell your son we fans appreciate the linemen and get hungry for Rita. Rita's starting qb I read was hurt for the first meeting. We also owe Rita for some dominance throughout history. Rita used to beat Rice every year back in the day.

Impressive we pounded Downers in the second half. It was a 7-point game at half and our fans had to be worried considering the turnovers. Hope our QB is able to throw some in the final. Rita may dare us to throw and try to stifle our potent ground game. If we win it all, from what I read, the MVP should be the offensive linemen. Tell those boys we appreciate you and are hopin' for one more monster effort.

This is high school football so no matter what we love our Rice players, win or lose. But if we do win, these kids are immortal. They may even hold a parade down 103rd Street or they should. If we lose ... it may be a long time before we have a team this good again.

Rita figures to keep it close. I assume their coach is good and he will have a game plan. Coach Q obviously has been great in coaching up and recruiting this team which has not even had one game that's been close unless we consider the MC game close.

So tell me, will Rice win? What is your son's attitude about the final? U should be proud. The linemen have been special. We are the favored team so we have to complete the deal. 

You are dead on.  The MVP of the game was the OL.  My son and his teammates on the line absolutely dominated tonight.  CJ Gray said the same in his postgame interview on WCIU.  BR had zero passing game and DGN knew they were running almost every play, and they still couldn’t stop them.  CJ ran for 137 yards and 4 TD’s.  It was beautiful football — OL domination, running the ball, and great defense (Kam McGee especially).

You made a good point about the St. Rita QB.  Steven Armbruster is their guy and he was injured early in the season.  He is back now and that explains their resurgence from a 5-4 regular season record.  But BR just shut down a better QB in Lansu tonight, so we’ll see what happens next Saturday.  👍🏻

Edited November 23 by WhiteSox2023

[greg775]

9 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

You are dead on.  The MVP of the game was the OL.  My son and his teammates on the line absolutely dominated tonight.  CJ Gray said the same in his postgame interview on WCIU.  BR had zero passing game and DGN knew they were running almost every play, and they still couldn’t stop them.  CJ ran for 137 yards and 4 TD’s.  It was beautiful football — OL domination, running the ball, and great defense (Kam McGee especially).

You made a good point about the St. Rita QB.  Steven Armbruster is their guy and he was injured early in the season.  He is back now and that explains their resurgence from a 5-4 regular season record.  But BR just shut down a better QB in Lansu tonight, so we’ll see what happens next Saturday.  👍🏻

Are you hopeful we can win it? Where do you guys live? How does your son get to school? I just wonder cause we lived on 103rd and Homan and had to walk. Got a bit cold. But it seems some of our football guys come from suburbs, etc.

[WhiteSox2023]

14 hours ago, greg775 said:

Are you hopeful we can win it? Where do you guys live? How does your son get to school? I just wonder cause we lived on 103rd and Homan and had to walk. Got a bit cold. But it seems some of our football guys come from suburbs, etc.

Yes, like I said last week, this BR team thinks they can beat anyone.  They are confident and back it up.  Their OL and DL are playing out of their minds.  All CJ Gray has to do is not have another terrible passing game like this, but he still ran for 137 yards and 4 TD’s tonight and they won due to the line play on both sides.

My buddy texted me tonight.  He watched the game.  He was a top recruited linebacker for Bishop McNamara years ago and played for Northern Illinois.  He said that he couldn’t believe the holes that the OL was opening up tonight and said that my son and the OL pretty much won the game.

My son lives in Darien and played with Owen Lansu and many of the Downers Grove North players in “little league” Bill George Youth Football during grade school.  Right after he was hired by BR, Coach Q was attending our Downers Grove Panthers game in 7th and 8th grade and scouting all of the top talent in the area.  He recruited my son only from Downers Grove, but it worked out for the best.

He was taking the BR school bus from Western Springs but now he has a car and is driving himself and his younger brother to BR.  I still pick up my younger son a lot at BR and Uber got expensive so it’s nice that AJ can drive himself.  We are still meeting with colleges and he is deciding on where he wants to go.  And the cold doesn’t bother these kids at all.

Love this one…  #69…  ❤️

https://streamable.com/toabfx

🤣

Edited November 23 by WhiteSox2023

[WhiteSox2023]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRYTBySDf2c/?igsh=MWoyZzNlNnAyb3R3Yg==

[WhiteSox2023]

[WhiteSox2023]

[WhiteSox2023]

“IHSA state championship football games will not be played at ISU on Saturday due to expected snowstorm“

[WhiteSox2023]

For @greg775.  Second slide is 🔥.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRn5rjZDLcE/?img_index=1&igsh=cDVra2xyM3FrY2Ri

Edited November 29 by WhiteSox2023

[greg775]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

For @greg775.  Second slide is 🔥.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRn5rjZDLcE/?img_index=1&igsh=cDVra2xyM3FrY2Ri

Thanks. Football is such a weird sport in that it starts in 90-105 degree hot August days/nights and ends in blizzards. To be a champion truly is difficult. I can only imagine a quarterback and receiver trying to hook up on a day their hands are ice cold and their bodies are shaking with bitter cold and wind and snow. I'd just as soon they split the pot and declare Rice and Rita co champs if we can't play them in a dry indoor arena. Sort of kidding but it does show why teams with strong running games are probably built more for the end of the season.

[WhiteSox2023]

7 hours ago, greg775 said:

Thanks. Football is such a weird sport in that it starts in 90-105 degree hot August days/nights and ends in blizzards. To be a champion truly is difficult. I can only imagine a quarterback and receiver trying to hook up on a day their hands are ice cold and their bodies are shaking with bitter cold and wind and snow. I'd just as soon they split the pot and declare Rice and Rita co champs if we can't play them in a dry indoor arena. Sort of kidding but it does show why teams with strong running games are probably built more for the end of the season.

Screw that.  It’s like Highlander — there can be only one.  🤣  You are either all in or all out.  It will be a good game.  My guess is that BR will try to use both of their lines (OL and DL) as the game winner, run the ball like crazy again like last week against DGN, and defend, defend, defend.

Edited Saturday at 02:01 PM by WhiteSox2023

[WhiteSox2023]

[greg775]

This is ridiculous. A state title game Wednesday at Illinois State will be awful. Hold it somewhere next Friday night or Saturday. Is Soldier Field available? Isn't that owned by the state? Hold it there. Rita and Rice can make it there easily. This could screw up our state title.

[WhiteSox2023]

8 minutes ago, greg775 said:

This is ridiculous. A state title game Wednesday at Illinois State will be awful. Hold it somewhere next Friday night or Saturday. Is Soldier Field available? Isn't that owned by the state? Hold it there. Rita and Rice can make it there easily. This could screw up our state title.

A Sun Times journalist shot the Soldier Field rumor/idea down.

 

[WhiteSox2023]

Brother Rice will play St. Rita at 3 PM at NIU’s Huskie Stadium.

[WhiteSox2023]

[WhiteSox2023]

10 hours ago, greg775 said:

This is ridiculous. A state title game Wednesday at Illinois State will be awful. Hold it somewhere next Friday night or Saturday. Is Soldier Field available? Isn't that owned by the state? Hold it there. Rita and Rice can make it there easily. This could screw up our state title.

Curious what you mean by this.  How would the day they play the game have any impact on screwing them over for the state title?  These kids play on Thursdays and Fridays.  This will be on Wednesday, and the kids get another half week of rest which I know is good for my son’s sore knees.  They would have likely gotten screwed more by a snowy/sleety field with bullshit plays and injuries due to kids slipping.  That nightmare far outweighs them playing on a Wednesday as opposed to a Saturday.  It’s local Chicagoland high school football.  They don’t need prime time.  Not that many people are watching.

Edited Sunday at 06:55 AM by WhiteSox2023

[greg775]

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Curious what you mean by this.  How would the day they play the game have any impact on screwing them over for the state title?  These kids play on Thursdays and Fridays.  This will be on Wednesday, and the kids get another half week of rest which I know is good for my son’s sore knees.  They would have likely gotten screwed more by a snowy/sleety field with bullshit plays and injuries due to kids slipping.  That nightmare far outweighs them playing on a Wednesday as opposed to a Saturday.  It’s local Chicagoland high school football.  They don’t need prime time.  Not that many people are watching.

I hear you. But the snow wasn't bad at all in champaign on saturday night. Did ISU get all the snow predicted if Champaign didn't? Could they have gone to NIU on Saturday this week? Or next Saturday? I just think the kids should be allowed to play on Friday night or Saturday this week. Is Brother Rice going to have a half day school Wednesday? Then have buses take all the students to NIU? I am glad your son gets some more rest for his knees. Say what we want .... it's just high school sports but if these kids win the state title they will be regarded as Rice legends forever. Football is a big deal in the CCL as we all know.

Anyhow I accept whatever the decision is. I am all for the players and I will not think any less of these players if we lose to Rita. These kids deserve a parade. It's high school sports and these kids have had the best season in Rice history perhaps. I'm just saying Rice is known for its academics and its football. Winning the title would be monumental forevermore.

[WhiteSox2023]

3 hours ago, greg775 said:

I hear you. But the snow wasn't bad at all in champaign on saturday night. Did ISU get all the snow predicted if Champaign didn't? Could they have gone to NIU on Saturday this week? Or next Saturday? I just think the kids should be allowed to play on Friday night or Saturday this week. Is Brother Rice going to have a half day school Wednesday? Then have buses take all the students to NIU? I am glad your son gets some more rest for his knees. Say what we want .... it's just high school sports but if these kids win the state title they will be regarded as Rice legends forever. Football is a big deal in the CCL as we all know.

Anyhow I accept whatever the decision is. I am all for the players and I will not think any less of these players if we lose to Rita. These kids deserve a parade. It's high school sports and these kids have had the best season in Rice history perhaps. I'm just saying Rice is known for its academics and its football. Winning the title would be monumental forevermore.

Yeah, the years of the majestic Prep Bowls at Soldier Field and 50K+ fans in attendance are over.  They actually still have the Prep Bowl but it’s been some mediocre teams most recently.

Professional and college sports being televised all over have ruined those epic days.  It is what it is.  I know that both of my son’s knees were sore and now he has four more days to ice them and recuperate so that is a good thing for the OL, CJ Gray, and both RB’s.  The BR backups, especially OL backups, are absolutely awful so you wouldn’t want to see them.

My guess is that BR will barely have their football players in class Wednesday morning.  Maybe morning classes, but they will have the bus running to DeKalb early.  It’s at 2.5 hour drive from BR.

And remember, to these kids, this is the biggest game of their lives.  They haven’t been to college yet.  They only know Pop Warner, BGYFL, and HS sports.

Edited Sunday at 11:40 AM by WhiteSox2023

[Milkman delivers]

9 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Yeah, the years of the majestic Prep Bowls at Soldier Field and 50K+ fans in attendance are over.  They actually still have the Prep Bowl but it’s been some mediocre teams most recently.

Professional and college sports being televised all over have ruined those epic days.  It is what it is.  I know that both of my son’s knees were sore and now he has four more days to ice them and recuperate so that is a good thing for the OL, CJ Gray, and both RB’s.  The BR backups, especially OL backups, are absolutely awful so you wouldn’t want to see them.

My guess is that BR will barely have their football players in class Wednesday morning.  Maybe morning classes, but they will have the bus running to DeKalb early.  It’s at 2.5 hour drive from BR.

And remember, to these kids, this is the biggest game of their lives.  They haven’t been to college yet.  They only know Pop Warner, BGYFL, and HS sports.

Man, I hope their dads don’t read this site.

[WhiteSox2023]

2 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

Man, I hope their dads don’t read this site.

Just being honest.  They don’t really look like they want to play much, and the games go south quickly when they are in.  It’s probably because they are undersized compared to the first line players.  I guess that’s why they are backups.  But everyone has a role, and theirs is to make sure the starters don’t get injured in blowouts by allowing them to sit out the fourth quarter or longer.

Edited Sunday at 08:48 PM by WhiteSox2023

[greg775]

13 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Yeah, the years of the majestic Prep Bowls at Soldier Field and 50K+ fans in attendance are over.  They actually still have the Prep Bowl but it’s been some mediocre teams most recently.

Professional and college sports being televised all over have ruined those epic days.  It is what it is.  I know that both of my son’s knees were sore and now he has four more days to ice them and recuperate so that is a good thing for the OL, CJ Gray, and both RB’s.  The BR backups, especially OL backups, are absolutely awful so you wouldn’t want to see them.

My guess is that BR will barely have their football players in class Wednesday morning.  Maybe morning classes, but they will have the bus running to DeKalb early.  It’s at 2.5 hour drive from BR.

And remember, to these kids, this is the biggest game of their lives.  They haven’t been to college yet.  They only know Pop Warner, BGYFL, and HS sports.

I remember Rice was in the Prep Bowl one year when I was there. Didn't they hold it after the actual state playoffs? A team could actually be in both? I can't remember who we played in the Prep Bowl. I think Rice won big.

[WhiteSox2023]

5 hours ago, greg775 said:

I remember Rice was in the Prep Bowl one year when I was there. Didn't they hold it after the actual state playoffs? A team could actually be in both? I can't remember who we played in the Prep Bowl. I think Rice won big.

Apparently the Prep Bowl was just held on Friday.  St. Ignatius beat Morgan Park at Hanson Stadium.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-football/2025/11/28/st-ignatius-prep-bowl-chicago-morgan-park

Gone are the days of a packed Soldier Field.  Sad…

Wikipedia has a list of all of the Prep Bowl results over the years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Prep_Bowl

Edited Monday at 04:01 AM by WhiteSox2023

[Harry Chappas]

Hanson is a CPS Stadium on the north side.