Coming from the Southwest Suburbs take a trip north on I-55 and then south on 294. After a few twists and turns you will arrive at 1744 West Pryor in Chicago. Nestled at the intersection of 111th Street and Vincennes sits Morgan Park High School. The institution that started back in 1916 with 283 students has grown to more than 2 thousand now. Morgan Park boasts a vast ethnic makeup, a challenging curriculum, and of course they also play a little football from time to time.

When you think of high school football in Illinois, you normally don’t even consider the Morgan Park Mustangs. The names that do come to mind are Mount Carmel, Wheaton Warrenville South and a host of others. Now fast forward to the present. Take a look at any Illinois High School Football Rankings.

There is a team that sticks out week after week. Who are these guys beating opponents almost with ease every weekend? Is that a Chicago Public League team? Man, are they really that friggin’ fast? Why haven’t I heard of these guys before?

Well, ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce the Mustangs of Morgan Park High school. They are the number 2 seed in 7A (crazy for a public league team). The only team that sits ahead of them in their bracket is this weekend’s opponent. For those of you who didn’t know that is the number 1 seeded Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers. The Mustangs only loss this year came at the hands of Richards High School and that was by a slim margin. Since then, beating this team is something most can only dream of. The Mustangs are no slouch of a program. Last year they finished 2nd in their conference. In addition to that, they made it all the way to the Chicago Public League championship game. They ended up losing that game to Hubbard. Since then, they have been on a mission. They would like to finish that mission in Champaign.

Watch this team play and you see 1 thing that all great teams posses. Teamwork. There seems to be this overwhelming belief on this squad that they are destined for more than just the Public League Championship. More than just the “city” bragging rights. These guys want it all. They want the whole meal. They want the I.H.S.A 7A Championship. They want to be the 1st team in Chicago Public League history to win an IHSA title. Who better to test their mettle than the current champs WW South? To be the best, you have to beat the best. And believe me when I tell you, right now, WWS is the best. They have been blowing the doors off of opponents all season. They had a couple of scares against Naperville North and St. Rita this past weekend, however. So by no means are they “unbeatable”. However, they are the closest thing to it. They haven’t lost in over 30 games. I.H.S.A. playoff rules say that no team shall be on the road 2 games in a row. This is a favorable rule for Morgan Park because that means Wheaton Warrenville has to come to them this weekend. This should be the best game of the week. City vs. Suburbs. The powers that be have this game for WWS (-4.5). For the masses that means Wheaton Warrenville South is favored by 4.5 points. However, if there is one thing that history tells us…. It is that just because you’re the favorite…. doesn’t guarantee a victory.

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