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 Time to look back at the high school football season in 2008.
Let’s start with the Prep Bowl. The game is now 75 years old and much different with the state playoffs that began in 1974.
The Loyola Ramblers (11-3) won the Prep Bowl for the ninth time, beating Public League champ Lane Tech (11-3) 17-0 at Soldier Field. The Ramblers posted their sixth shutout to win the game for the second time in five years.
The game is obviously not a matchup between the best teams in the Public and Catholic League anymore. I would keep the game, but tweak the format in one of two ways: Either make the game a real bowl game by inviting the top two participants, or don’t allow teams to participate in the city and state playoffs at the same time. Loyola and Lane lost in the state series but were allowed to compete for the Prep Bowl, which really isn’t fair to the other teams in the state. I’ve always felt a team must decide whether they should go into the state or city playoffs.
Now to the state football finals. Congratulations to the eight state champions. The weekend in Champaign ended with Wheaton St. Francis, Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin, East St. Louis, and Maine South winning state titles.
In Class 8A, the Maine South Hawks capped a perfect season by beating the Hinsdale Central Devils (11-3) 41-21, as quarterback Charlie Goro rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown. The senior, who will take his talents to Vanderbilt, also threw his 38th touchdown pass of the season.
The Hawks had a good defense, allowing only 12 points per contest. The key to this game, besides the fumble return by Joey Orlando, was the fact that Maine South stopped the Devils from scoring twice after they advanced inside the red zone late in the second quarter.
Fans, coaches, and media will follow Hinsdale Central quarterback John Whitelaw in 2009 as he tries to lead his squad to its first state football title in school history. In Class 7A, East St. Louis shutdown Geneva star Michael Ratay in a 33-14 win. The Flyers won their sixth state title by overcoming 19 penalties.
Ratay was the state’s other big star this year, along with Goro at Maine South. Ratay rushed for 45 touchdowns before being limited to only 94 yards in the title tilt against East St. Louis.
Joliet Catholic didn’t make it to Champaign to win a 14th championship. St. Francis recovered from a 3-6 season to win Class 5A while Griffin dashed Lemont in the Class 6A.
People like to talk about the Catholic League Blue and the DuPage Valley in football. How about Suburban Catholic, featuring Driscoll, Montini, Immaculate Conception (who won Class 2A), and St. Francis? It may be the best small school conference in the state. The only change I would make in prep football would be to go back to six classes.
As for changes in basketball, I would have only two state champions. This year’s season has started, so look for Young, Bolingbrook, and Fenwick to contend for the state title in girls’ hoops, while boys’ contenders are Young, Seton, Zion Benton, and De La Salle.
On a final note, thirty years ago I watched Sullivan upset Lane Tech in the Public League Football championship at Soldier Field. I also saw a young man named Isiah Thomas playing for St. Joseph.
Watch for more prep sports in January with a look at hoops.
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