Rivalry going back to school
Week 3 already?
Eyes on Five is terrified by the lightning pace of the season thus far, but we push on to talk about the joy of home cooking.
1. Valleys at a Valley:
For the first time since 2002, District 204 rivals Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley won't play their regular-season game at North Central College. Instead, Friday's DuPage Valley Conference showdown will be at Neuqua Valley.
We approve.
In 2000 Naperville Central and Naperville North began the trend of playing rivalry games at a college site by shifting their annual game to North Central. Not only did it ease overcrowding at the high school venues, it added a game-of-the-century feel to the rivalry.
An estimated crowd of 15,000 the first year confirmed the rivalry's status as one of the state's best. In recent years, though, the glow has faded.
Maybe it's the logistical problems, maybe it's the unfamiliar surroundings of a college facility. In any case it'll be nice to see Waubonsie and Neuqua return to its roots this weekend in southern Naperville.
That's not to say District 204 is done with North Central College. Metea Valley and Waubonsie will play there in Week 5 to begin an annual three-school rotation. Metea and Neuqua will play there in 2016, and Waubonsie and Neuqua will return in 2017.
That's all well and good, but part of the thrill of prep football is the electric atmosphere at the high schools. That's what we'll be enjoying this weekend at Neuqua.
2. Upstate East:
We've asked before, but is this the year Glenbard East breaks through?
The last - and only - playoff appearance by the Rams came in 1999. Since then the program struggled to compete in the DuPage Valley Conference and last year's shift to the Upstate Eight Conference resulted in a 3-6 season.
The Rams endured five four-win seasons since that Class 6A semifinal run in 1999. Four of those seasons would have ended in a playoff berth with just one more victory.
Now we might be in the midst of a perfect storm that returns Glenbard East to the postseason and ends DuPage County's longest playoff drought.
The Rams are 2-0 after 3-touchdown wins over Willowbrook and Glenbard South. They enter Upstate Eight Valley play this weekend with Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley no longer in the picture because the District 204 trio moved to the DuPage Valley Conference.
Reaching the postseason may require six wins. That means the Rams need to find four more wins among East Aurora, Glenbard North, West Chicago, South Elgin, Geneva, West Aurora and Bartlett.
The playoff door is open. It's time for Glenbard East to storm through it.
3. Sad news:
Football player safety again hit the headlines in tragic fashion last week when Tyrell Cameron, a 16-year-old from Louisiana, died from injuries suffered during a game. He reportedly broke his neck.
In the wake of nationwide fears regarding the dangers of football, safety initiatives have been introduced from seemingly every segment of sporting society. From a coaching perspective, tackling technique has become the focal point for player protection.
While an emphasis on heads-up tackling has become an obvious alternative to the more-dangerous heads-down technique, the Seattle Seahawks have developed a buzz for promoting their rugby-inspired shoulder tackling technique.
Rugby players typically don't wear protective head gear. And even if they do, they certainly never wear the massive football helmets that give players a false sense of invincibility.
For their own protection, rugby players lead with their shoulders and not the exposed head. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is trying to bring that same technique to football in an effort to reduce head and neck injuries.
If it proves effective in the reduction of injuries, hopefully it spreads like wildfire.
4. Really bad sports:
Have you seen the video from last week of the two Texas prep football players targeting an official with vicious hits? With the official's back turned to the two defensive backs behind him, the first player blindsides him to the ground and then the second player dives helmet first into the official's back.
It's unclear why the players threw the cheap shots at the official, although Tuesday there were reports that the hits were encouraged by an assistant coach. There are also accusations that the official made racial slurs.
It's a disturbing situation.
The players have been suspended pending an investigation. Regardless of the reasons, it's behavior that can't be tolerated.
5. Stat time:
Last weekend the West Suburban Conference had its annual Week 2 crossovers, and once again the Silver division dominated the Gold.
The Silver won six of the seven matchups, although Lyons Twp. and York won by a combined total of 10 points and Glenbard West needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat Hinsdale South.
The one Gold victory came from Willowbrook, which beat Proviso West 16-6.
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