Is this the season the MSL breaks through in football?

There’s no doubting the athletic prowess of the Mid-Suburban League.

But, with the playoffs starting Friday, is this the year the MSL finally breaks through in football? Does the run of disappointments and almosts end with a trophy hoist Thanksgiving weekend at Normal’s Hancock Stadium?

As much as there’s a temptation to say “heck yes,” the recent history doesn’t play in the league’s favor. And considering the competitive landscape in the MSL, that’s pretty surprising.

Since the dawn of the IHSA, the tight-knit conference has won dozens of team championships. From Elk Grove’s girls basketball title in 1981 to Fremd’s flag football crown last year, there’s been no avoiding a Northwest suburban powerhouse somewhere deep in just about every bracket.

And that’s not even considering the countless number of individual state titles. Who could forget Wheeling’s Dana Miroballi winning four straight girls state cross country races in the 1980s?

But let’s not digress with the history. We know it’s rich in the MSL.

So why has it been more of a struggle in football? It’s been 20 years since Prospect finished a run of three titles in five years, the last time the MSL won a football championship.

Only two other MSL schools — Buffalo Grove and Hersey, back-to-back in 1986 and 1987 — have won state football titles since the IHSA began handing them out in 1974.

That stands in contrast to the immense amount of football talent we’ve seen in the MSL. Among others, right now we’ve got Jimmy Garoppolo (Rolling Meadows), Lukas Van Ness (Barrington) and Alex Palczewski (Prospect) roaming NFL sidelines.

Barrington, Palatine and Schaumburg each came oh-so-close to winning it all while settling for second place. Brackets through the years have been filled with top-seeded MSL teams that failed to meet lofty expectations.

Is this the season someone ends the 20-year drought? There’d be no better way to celebrate the anniversary.

Barrington (8-1) may have the best shot as a No. 2 seed in Class 8A, its only loss coming to Maine South during a romp to the MSL West title. With quarterback Luke Tepas and running back Lamar Osterhues working behind lineman Owen Fors, a Northwestern commit, few teams are more offensively balanced.

How about Fremd (8-1), which is a No. 4 seed in 8A after suffering its lone loss to Barrington with Northwestern-bound quarterback Johnny O’Brien on the sideline with a leg injury? It’s always safe to ride with the best players, and O’Brien certainly qualifies in that category when you add receiver Marquan Brewster and a future Northwestern teammate in lineman Owen Jakubczak.

You’ve also got No. 25 Palatine (5-4) in 8A; No. 16 Hersey (7-2), No. 18 Prospect (7-2) and No. 20 Hoffman Estates (6-3) in 7A; and No. 14 Rolling Meadows (6-3) in 6A.

That’s seven MSL teams trying to bust through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man.

Is there something different about any of these teams, something that will allow them to weave through the bracket to that elusive title?

We’ll start getting answers this weekend.