Schmit: A fascinating prep football season heats up with the start of conference play
Few things annoy prep football fans more than bad weather.
Playing in it, watching from the stands in it. Just talking about it is a drag.
But there it is, always. This weekend, the heat could cause issues if the WetBulb Globe Temperature (whatever that is) rises to certain levels. A measure of air temperature, humidity, wind speed and sun intensity, the WBGT could cause delays Friday and Saturday.
At the very least, we’re guaranteed to see a bunch of water breaks.
It’s the latest factoid in what’s already been a fascinating football season. As many leagues enter conference play in Week 3 (we’ll need to wait a little longer on the Mid-Suburban, the DuPage Valley and others), let’s look at the starting point for some of the races.
North Suburban Conference
This group epitomizes the wild start to the season. Mundelein and Zion-Benton are 2-0 while the other six teams are all 0-2.
Mundelein — which hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2004 — already has matched or exceeded its win total from 14 of the last 20 seasons. Zion-Benton previously made the playoffs in 2018, but has two wins or fewer in four of the last seven seasons.
Meanwhile, the rest of the league is stunningly winless. That includes Lake Zurich, a quarterfinalist last season, Libertyville and Stevenson. All of them have state titles in their past.
It’ll be interesting to watch the two unbeatens navigate the NSC slate as the season progresses and the other teams get their bearings.
DuKane Conference
Has this emerged as the area’s top conference?
Four unbeatens and all eight boast at least one win. Considering Geneva lost to Oswego, Batavia to Rochester and Wheaton Warrenville South to Lyons Twp., the strength of the league might actually be underrated.
What makes the DuKane so great this season isn’t Batavia’s shot at a state title or the possibility of Geneva and St. Charles North making a run. It’s the strong start by all the other programs.
The DKC is ocean deep.
Northern Lake County
If you’re looking for a conference to disrupt playoff brackets in Class 5A and 6A, this is it.
Usual suspects Antioch and Wauconda sit at 2-0, which is no surprise. But Round Lake and Grayslake North, each 1-8 last year, are also unbeaten.
Playoff expansion should be a boon to this league specifically. No one went winless in nonconference play, which sets up a wild ride over the next seven games.
West Suburban Silver
The end of the traditional Week 2 crossover with the Gold Division likely cost the Silver a few wins last week, but upping the level of competition won’t matter because of the expanded playoffs.
Even though York lost to Nazareth, Glenbard West to St. Rita and Oak Park to Fenwick, the Silver’s status as a premier conference in Illinois remains intact.
It’ll sort itself out pretty quickly as we discover just how good everyone is this season. The Trojans and Red Devils kick things off with Friday’s game in Hinsdale.
kschmit@dailyherald.com