Landeck, Palatine honor Boyd with heavy hearts

Palatine senior offensive lineman Joe Landeck is making a fitting uniform change for this football season.

Landeck, who will start at left tackle and was going to wear No. 77, has switched to 54 to honor former Palatine center C.J. Boyd. Boyd, who graduated in 2006, was killed Aug. 19 by a roadside bomb while on foot patrol for the Marines in Afghanistan.

"It's affected our team," said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly, who also taught Boyd's wife. "It's tough."

Especially for Landeck, who was Boyd's first cousin and next-door neighbor. Donnelly said last year when Boyd had a 36-hour leave he flew in to see Landeck play against Elk Grove.

Donnelly also said Landeck will be the last Palatine player to wear 54 since it will be retired after the season to honor Boyd. Donnelly said Lake Forest plans to do something before tonight's season opener with the visiting Pirates and the football program will also hold a special memorial for Boyd on Saturday.

Honoring Schnake: Elk Grove will honor former head coach Don Schnake, who died in mid-June from lung cancer, before tonight's varsity home game with Niles North.

Schnake was one of the Mid-Suburban League's most successful coaches with 100 wins from 1968-86 at Elk Grove. His 1972 team led by Jeff Stewart, Tony Tringali, Jeff Schroeder, Dan Mincey and Rich O'Leary was named the mythical state champion by the state's news media in the pre-playoff era.

Elk Grove coach Brian Doll said a presentation with plaques honoring Schnake will be made to his family. Doll said Mike Wary Sr., the president of the booster club who played for Schnake, will help with the presentation.

Doll said they wanted to honor Schnake before the varsity game started instead of at halftime so current players and coaches could be part of the presentation.

Concussion discussion: The Mid-Suburban League is devoting increased effort and attention toward the seriousness of player concussions this year.

All six District 214 schools have adopted a specific protocol for their athletic trainers that includes using the ImPact testing system to determine when an athlete is ready to return to action.

All five District 211 schools will also be using the ImPact system and Barrington already has been utilizing it.

The National Federation of High Schools also made a rule change for this season for game officials where any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors associated with a concussion must be removed from the game and can not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

The previous rule required officials to remove an athlete from play if unconscious or apparently unconscious.

Tough loss: Barrington senior nose tackle Steve Maltese, who started every game last year, tore an ACL during a drill in July that required season-ending surgery.

"He's a kid we'll miss," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. "We feel good about the kids we have up there but we'll miss him."

Sitting out the opener: Because St. Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick was ejected from last season's first-round playoff loss to Cary-Grove, he will have to miss tonight's opener with Sullivan, per IHSA rules.

Bob Moynihan will be in charge of the Lions in the opener. Kirkpatrick will get a head start on preparing for Week 2 by going to scout Dunbar's game tonight at Gately Stadium in Chicago.

Opening closure: The end of the traditional Hersey-St. Viator cross-town opener this year resulted in one-year gap-fillers this year.

Hersey will play Oak Lawn and then open with Glenbrook North next year. Viator plays Sullivan but will open with an East Suburban Catholic Conference team next year as the league goes to an eight-game schedule.

Elk Grove faces Niles North this year but picked up Highland Park next year.

Schaumburg will open with Maine South for the last time and play New Trier next year.

Rolling Meadows' game at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wayne is a one-time deal as next year it will pick up York, which plays Prospect this year. Prospect will open with Glenbrook South next year.

Buffalo Grove will switch from Mundelein to Lake Forest. Palatine, which has opened with Lake Forest, is still looking for an opener for next year.

Wheeling will switch from Maine West to Mundelein next year. Maine West is also still looking for an opener next year.