New-look UEC is wide open

In theory the aftermath of Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley joining the DuPage Valley Conference leaves the race for the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division football race wide open.

At least publicly this theory resonates with Bartlett coach Tom Meaney.

“The league will be very competitive,” the veteran coach said. “There will be a lot of teams that definitely have a chance of winning the conference.”

Here's another theory.

“I expect it to be a very solid conference, but I would be shocked if you talked to anyone in our conference who told you Bartlett wasn't the favorite,” said West Aurora coach Nate Eimer. “They're loaded.”

Long recognized as perhaps the most physical squad in the conference, the Hawks return a program-record 50 seniors off their 73-man roster. Bartlett's four returning all-UEC Valley players are tops in the division, one more than South Elgin's trio of back Shawn Griffin and receivers Andrew Kamienski and Derek Kumerow.

Like Griffin a track star in the spring, Bartlett tailback Nolan Bernat ran for 844 yards behind the likes of senior Kyle Sanft, a 285-pound two-way tackle and Western Illinois commit credited with 71 pancake blocks. Jason Hasenberg, 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, is a tight end right in Meaney's ground-game wheelhouse.

Defensively, Bartlett is strong at each level, returning 5-interception defensive back Cameron Mays and linebackers Mike Bucaro and Dan Andreucetti.

Bartlett also has pedigree. Since the program arrived in 1998 it has shared or won outright six conference titles, most recently in 2011.

“I just think they're the real deal,” said Batavia coach Dennis Piron, looking across from the River.

South Elgin also has its fans. Under former Storm receiver Patrik Pistorio the team went 5-4 last season but was unable to reach the playoffs due to the playoff point tiebreaker. In the Valley South Elgin's 358 points trailed only Waubonsie Valley, which played two more games. However, South Elgin's 293 points allowed ranked third from the bottom.

“South Elgin should be getting much more attention, I think,” said Piron, who will face the Storm in Week 2.

West Aurora and Glenbard East are an intriguing duo that have grabbed new life since shifting from the DuPage Valley Conference starting last season. Both have aspirations to seek playoff droughts that extend to 1994 for West Aurora and 1999 for Glenbard East, the Rams' sole advancement.

“From my evaluation at this time of the year,” West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said earlier this preseason, “we're pretty good.”

He has his reasons, including Illinois commit Drake Spears at running back and linebacker, supreme athletes DaQuan and DaVion Cross, third-year starting quarterback Jonathan Doyle and four of five returning linebacker spots.

West Chicago coach Ted Monken is impressed by the Blackhawks.

“Nate's done a great job over there of getting kids to buy into the program,” Monken said. “I don't count them out of anything.”

He added that Glenbard East is “knocking on the door.”

The Rams also are heavy on athleticism, returning six skill positions including quarterback Philip Abruzino and 4.4 sprinter Karon Keyes. The Rams also have a chip on their shoulder after five straight losses scuttled a 3-1 start. Typical was a 42-36 loss to South Elgin, lost in the last minute. Glenbard East's seniors went 7-2 on the sophomore level in the DuPage Valley.

“There's going to be some fireworks,” Glenbard East coach John Walters said of his Week 6 game against the Storm.

No team will look past a team coached by Monken; even East Aurora coach Kurt Becker, though winless in 2014, drew praise for increasing the Tomcats' numbers and pride.

“Our programs are very similar, trying to find their way through,” said Monken, whose 3-6 record last season in the UEC River was the Wildcats' best mark since 2005.

St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak said West Chicago's transition back to the Valley makes for an “interesting dynamic.”

“I'm real excited to see the level of football in the Upstate Eight Conference this year,” Pomazak said. “I think it's going to compare with some of the top conferences in the state of Illinois.”

Some think St. Charles North will compare with or even exceed that of four-time defending UEC River champion Batavia.

The North Stars, whose last conference title came in 2004 before the divisional split, return seven offensive starters and six defensive starters. The big perk is an offensive line that returns four of five starting positions, and got better with the addition of 6-foot-6, 270-pound Westminster Christian transfer Isaac Hawn, an Illinois State recruit.

That line, averaging 268 pounds with Nick Koenig going 310, will block for returning back Eric Lins and junior quarterback Zach Mettetal, who led last year's North Stars sophs to their conference championship.

Still, Pomazak agrees that until someone beats Batavia — it hasn't happened in 26 straight conference games — the early nod goes to the Bulldogs.

Theirs is another case where offensive and defensive lines must jell, but Batavia has traditionally used depth up front to rotate in plenty of bodies, including returning offensive linemen Ross Berggren, 6-3 and 295; and Zach Sims, 6-2, 280. The Bulldogs return no starting defensive linemen but do have hitters such as linebacker Colin Thurston and athletic Zack Majka plus all-conference cornerback Brett Bowman, who intercepted 7 passes in 2014.

Offensively, Batavia quarterback Kyle Niemiec and tailback Zach Garrett will be at least among the best at their positions in the league, as will receiver Canaan Coffey, who caught 59 passes for 732 yards, 9 touchdowns. All three were all-conference performers as juniors.

Asked if he thought the River title was up in the air, Batavia coach Dennis Piron said: “I would say a little bit, but I'll be honest with you, I feel awfully good about our football team. I think we're very good. We're very skilled in our secondary and our receivers and running backs, there's a lot returning there. And our offensive line, we're huge.”

Geneva coach Rob Wicinski believes both Batavia and St. Charles North will be “a handful.” His Vikings should be an exciting lot as well.

Geneva, which won the 2010 River title before Batavia began its string, doesn't return great experience but the players it returns are great.

Wicinski has 1,000-yard tailback Justin Taormina, 310-pound college recruit offensive tackle Loudon Vollbrecht, defensive tackle Stephen Kemp and Sean Chambers, a Princeton-bound defensive back who this season will also play quarterback. Each was a 2014 all-conference honoree.

St. Charles East looks to get a big season from running back Cam Canales after injury ruined his junior year. The passing combination of Zach Mitchell to all-conference returner Nick Candre is promising.

“We all have our same goals of a conference championship,” Saints coach Bryce Farquhar said. “We want the kids to believe in that. If you don't believe you're never going to accomplish it.”

Larkin returns all-River receiver A.J. Hunter, a track sprinter. Streamwood, under new coach Don Guindon, returns a track team — speedsters Tae Reetz and Brian Adkins at receiver, all-state high jumper Jelyn Hill at defensive back. Plus, a pair of 2014 all-conference returners, defensive lineman Chance McCray and linebacker Jake Painter.