There's something to be said for playing on grass

Will the era of the grass football field and sloppy field conditions soon be a thing of the past?

I have to admit, while I've been one of the more vocal fans of the new synthetic playing surfaces that continue to be added to high schools across Illinois at a blistering pace, weekends like this past weekend are what has always made football fun to watch even in monsoon-type weather.

Last Friday night I was able to watch two quality teams in Providence Catholic and Mt. Carmel square off in a steady rain while playing on an old-fashioned grass field. Within a few series the middle of that good old-fashioned grass field quickly turned into a good old-fashioned mud pit.

Sure, the game then goes from being a wide-open offensive show to a battle of ball control, and the team that makes the fewest mistakes will generally win, but for me anyway, that's the beauty of high school football.

So do the new synthetic fields really make a big difference?

Just ask both Niles West and Niles North, who last Friday played on an artificial surface and rolled up almost 1,000 yards of total offense between the two teams in a wild 64-63 Niles North win. Try playing that same game on the grass/mud field at Providence Catholic last Friday night, where the Celtics upset previously No. 1-ranked Mt. Carmel 6-3 and see if you get the same amount of offensive output that was on display in Skokie last Friday night.

Recruiting news: Pat Fitzgerald and his Northwestern Wildcats added another big piece to an already impressive recruiting class when Rivals.com four-star offensive tackle prospect Patrick Ward decided to give the Cats his verbal commitment last Sunday.

Ward, who is the son of former Hinsdale South and Illinois standout offensive linemen Brian Ward, becomes the highest ranked locally produced talent to commit to the Wildcats since Napoleon Harris back in 1997. Ward is the fifth Chicagoland prospect to pledge to the Wildcats recruiting Class of 2009, joining Wheaton North running back Mike Trumpy, Glenbard North quarterback Evan Watkins, Oswego linebacker Tim Riley and Mt. Carmel defensive linemen Anthony Battle.

Northern Illinois University and coach Jerry Kill have added a few in-state commits recently. Marist defensive tackle Nabal Jefferson and Plainfield North cornerback Dominique Ware have both verbally pledged to the Huskies recruiting class.