Eyes on some (hopefully) clear skies in Week Five
How bout this weather?
Well, not this weather. But that weather last Friday was ... interesting.
As we continue to dry out from the Week 4 deluge, Eyes on Five looks at another interesting weekend of football in DuPage County.
1. The call:
Last Thursday night high school administrators already were planning to move up Friday night game times in hopes of avoiding expected thunderstorms. The forecast overflowed with doom and gloom.
Personally, I was skeptical. It gets dicey trying to predict lightning, especially when you're talking about pinpointing storms in the middle of a four-hour window.
By Friday afternoon, some schools had moved up games to as early as 5 p.m. Some kept their scheduled 7:30 p.m. start times. Other just canceled to avoid a long night.
Who made the right call? To a certain degree, everyone. You've got to make the call that best suits your specific situation.
After spending the night at Naperville North - where the Huskies and Lake Park waited out two lightning delays - I'd have to say they definitely made the right call.
There was fierce determination by Huskies athletic director Bob Quinn to play that game Friday night - not Saturday afternoon or evening. He banked on a window between the 5:50 start time and an expected line of thunderstorms at some point in the second quarter.
That's exactly the way it worked out. After a one-hour lightning delay early in the second quarter, the game finished without a hitch. There was pounding rain, but no more lightning.
It may not seem like much, but the teams finishing Friday gained a big advantage over the teams delayed to Saturday. Or even Monday in the case of Lisle and Westmont.
Preparation for the next game begins as soon as the current one ends, so teams delaying to Saturday lost a full day of prep.
It might be a long season, but every minute still counts.
Just ask the coaches who played last Friday. Then ask the ones delayed to Saturday.
2. A new league:
I've been reading with interest about the possible football merger between the Mid-Suburban League and the Central Suburban League. As much as I understand the reasoning, I'm not so sure the grass will be greener.
The MSL and the CSL are two of the more stable conferences around. And take it from the folks here in DuPage County ... stability can't be underestimated.
Between the DuPage Valley Conference, the Upstate Eight Conference and the Metro Suburban Conference, all it's taken is one or two moves for the entire apple cart to be flipped over. The three leagues are still trying to stabilize from the movement, and the movement probably isn't done.
That's not to say the MSL and CSL don't have legitimate motives for change in the football alignment. It's been a major case of the haves and have nots in both leagues.
Plus, it's a proposal for football alone. Other sports won't be involved with the merger.
Even around here there have been grumblings about the DVC, UEC and West Suburban Conference trying to come to agreement about rearranging schools for football only. The eagerness for movement exists everywhere.
Sometimes, though, it's best just to stand your ground. Hopefully the MSL and CSL don't start rolling a ball that can't be stopped.
3. Silver show:
Get ready for a crazy few weeks in the West Suburban Silver Conference. Four teams - Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Twp. and Oak Park - are still unbeaten, and the parade of showdowns begins this weekend.
Glenbard West travels Saturday to LaGrange to face Lyons Twp. in the first battle of unbeatens. Then in Week 6 the Hilltoppers face Hinsdale Central, followed by a Week 7 trip to Oak Park.
Hinsdale Central plays Lyons in Week 7 and Oak Park in Week 9 while the Lions and Huskies play each other in Week 8.
It's going to be a fun ride in the Silver the next five weeks.
4. Randomness:
A few random football thoughts, starting with Wheaton Academy's 4-0 start. The Warriors missed out on the playoffs last season, despite having five victories, because they lacked playoff points. This season they already have 19 points - the second-most among unbeaten Class 4A teams listed in the IHSA's playoff outlook.
Wheaton Academy's obviously aiming for six wins and beyond, but the Warriors seem safe with playoff points. Just in case.
Second random thought ... How much did Glenbard East's loss to Glenbard North hurt? Time will tell, but the Rams (3-1) suddenly have a little more urgency on the schedule with South Elgin (3-1) and Geneva (4-0) looming.
Final random thought ... For whatever reason there are a bunch of frontloaded or backloaded schedules in DuPage County this season. Don't assume teams off to a hot start are locks for the playoffs, and don't assume teams struggling right now will miss out.
5. Stat time:
Four DuPage County teams - Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Montini and Wheaton Academy - enter the weekend with 4-0 records. That puts them a win shy of five wins and playoff eligibility.
Even if those teams win this weekend, though, they won't rest on five. A playoff spot isn't guaranteed until six wins.
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