Opinion

This game offered no feel-good story

Posted October 10, 2023 11:00 pm

I get up Saturday morning and start to read the online edition for prep sports. I had worries and doubts before Friday's game between 8a Loyola Academy, enrollment 1,985 students, vs. IC Catholic Prep, enrollment 325 students.

Before the game, IC Prep had 32 players on its varsity roster vs. Loyola with 107 players. Due to injuries and illness IC Prep had nine players sit out the game most of them being two-way starters on the team.

As you can imagine, the results of the game: Loyola 47 and IC Prep 0. In the article, Loyola was quoted "Once we heard that they weren't going to be playing any of their guys, it just motivated us more. We don't want to drive out here in the cold for an hour on a Friday to play nobody and that's what they gave us..."

Wow. Now that's sportsmanship.

In other sports, scheduling David vs Goliath makes for good headlines and sometimes a feel-good story. But football is not one of those sports. They have a reason why the classes are drawn up to size and that is to provide a safe and competitive game for the students.

I only hope that the kids at IC Prep were able to walk away from the game somewhat healthy mentally and physically for the rest of the season and the "adults" find some common sense and say maybe this isn't such a good idea in the future.

Tony Atkins

Wheaton

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