So much to look forward to again this football season
Back again, huh?
I can't tell you how happy I am to return for another season of writing Eyes on Five. So many fans eagerly await the start of football season in DuPage County, and I'm one of them.
To start things off in 2018, here are a few specific things I'm looking forward to this season.
1. The district tug of war:
Expect to hear the word "districts" quite a bit over the next few months. And expect it to be part of the IHSA bylaw amendment process in November, leading to a statewide member vote.
I'm looking forward to watching it all shake out.
Endorsed by the IHSA football advisory committee, districts are an effort to eliminate the conference shuffling that's caused havoc throughout the state. Districts also will make it easier for schools to schedule nonconference games without risking playoff qualification.
If approved, districts would replace conferences - but only in football. There'd be eight or nine schools per district, still spread across eight classes, and they'd be aligned based on enrollment and geography. The one or two nonconference games at the start of the season wouldn't count toward playoff qualification.
Will it pass? That's where the tug of war comes in.
Every DuPage Valley Conference school will vote in favor after the five schools endured a ridiculous chore trying to create schedules this season. Naperville North has to play Naperville Central and Metea Valley twice. Naperville Central must travel to Kentucky just to fill its nine-game slate.
On the other side of the ballot is the West Suburban Conference, which boasts an amazing 32 years of continuity. The WSC and the East Suburban Catholic Conference, in fact, were the only DuPage County conferences that didn't change from last season.
It's doubtful any of the 14 schools in the WSC will mess with its stability and tradition, but that's a story we'll delve into deeper as the season progresses.
2. The DuKane Conference:
Speaking of conference shuffling, I'm looking forward to the birth of the DuKane Conference.
Four schools - Glenbard North, Lake Park, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South - left the DuPage Valley Conference to form the DKC with Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North, who left the Upstate Eight Conference.
We'll soon find out if the grass is greener for any of the eight schools.
The DKC figures to be one of the most competitive conferences in the state. Beyond defending Class 7A champion Batavia, five other teams made the playoffs last season. With that kind of parity, there are no weeks off.
Among the front-runners are Batavia, of course, St. Charles North and St. Charles East.
Which begs the question...will any of the DuPage County teams be able to break through for a playoff berth this season?
3. The Daily Herald:
Part selfish and part plug, I'm looking forward to the Daily Herald's coverage of DuPage County football.
Here's what we have in store this season...
On Tuesday we'll bring you "Line-Light", a Q&A offering much-deserved positive attention to our offensive linemen. We'll also have area conference standings and a few other items worth a look.
Wednesday's football feature is, well, this...Eyes on Five.
We'll have a football notebook for you on Thursday in addition to Dave Oberhelman's Sidelines column. He'll write about different sports and different levels, but there will be plenty of football in there.
Friday is the perfect time to run our game previews, while game coverage fills our Saturday and often our Sunday pages.
That means football coverage six days a week in the Daily Herald. Not bad.
And that's not all...
4. The extras:
Going beyond print is something I look forward to this season.
For several years Dave Oberhelman and I have shot weekly videos previewing the top games for the upcoming weekend. Those will continue this season and can be found at football.dailyherald.com - mixed right in with all of our football coverage.
Dave and I are adding something new this season, and it's a podcast. We've recorded two so far and the response has been great, thank you!
You'll find "Tailgating with Dave and Kevin" at SoundCloud with a link also at football.dailyherald.com. It'll mostly be the two of us talking about the latest news in DuPage County football - this week we made predictions for the season - but we're also gathering interviews that we'll sprinkle in along the way.
Just a little something extra for our die-hard football fans.
5. Stat time:
Last season Willowbrook won its first West Suburban Gold title. In the process the Warriors became the fifth different Gold champion in as many years.
Willowbrook, Leyden, Hinsdale South, Addison Trail and Downers Grove South each have taken turns winning the league, leaving Morton and Proviso East as the only teams not to win it. If the Warriors go back-to-back this season, they'll be the Gold's first repeat champion since Downers South in 2009 and 2010.
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