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S I M dot com. Good morning, everybody. Welcome into Friday Night
Drive, Western Subber's podcast with Jake and Josh. As always, thanks so
much for making us a part of your night or afternoon, or however you're
listening. Josh, as we're recording this, I have a cup of coffee
in my hand. I'm in the car and we're gearing up to talk some
football here on Wednesday morning. As we tape, it's how are we doing
this morning? Doing good? I mean kind of like we I talked about
a four in this podcast. I get to Tuesday, Wednesday, I kind
of feel like the batteries have been recharged a little bit from Friday Night and
I can start really looking ahead to you know, the week ahead. And
we certainly do that. But first, well we'll look from behind from last
week, you know, like you said, thanks everybody for joining us,
Thanks for everyone's support, Thanks to those who tune in last Friday, when
you know, Jake and Steve Susie were hosting Friday Night Live, and you
know, I tuned in a little bit, uh to listen to that.
I tried to tune in from Geneva with updates. Finally was able to do
it for my car after the game. But you know, just a it
was, It was a wild It was a wild week last Friday, which
I'm sure you probably know that as much as anyone because you were sort of
in command center with Friday Night Live. You know, certainly my game was
one that stood out from last week. Yeah, so let's jump into that,
I mean real quickly. You know, it's funny because when you're in
the chair, like you just got scores that are flying by, and like
you're trying to remember the team that you just talked about two minutes ago.
But yours was a game that obviously we had circled here in the Kane County
area, but Tavi Geneva, of course we talked at nauseum, you know,
one hundred and fifth meeting. This is a game that Batavia has won.
You know, consistently over the last you know, ten years or so,
and it went down to the wire a little bit. Sounds like Ryan
Bow made some key plays late. Yeah, so really, you know,
the big thing for me was it appears at Geneva. I mean, well,
there's no peers. They've made significant progress as a program in the last
few years. The question was is that how much has the gap closed with
them in Batavia? It's just been a very one side of rivalry over the
last decade or decade plus. You know, how much of the gap closed.
I think that the answer that we got from last Friday is the gap
has not closed entirely, but it's definitely closed, right. I mean,
you know, Batavia got off to a good start. You know, they
are up fourteen to three at halftime. Honestly, it felt like a game
that Batavia missed a few plays, they easily could have got it to maybe
twenty one to three, and then you're thinking, ballgame. This game's over.
In fact, I think I said to another writer, Paul Johnson,
and I said, if they score again to go up you know, twenty
one three, Yeah, it's pretty much ball game. But they didn't.
I mean credit to Geneva for keeping it the way they that as close as
it it and also admittedly Batavia missed, you know, missed a few plays.
Geneva comes out in the second half. Admittedly, I thought Geneva was
was very just kind of out of sync offensively in the first half. Specifically
Nate Simpawski and Talent Taylor, who have a tremendous connection. It just wasn't
working out for them because you know, whether not targeting him or just kind
of not quite connecting. I mean Talent Taylor, he had one catch in
the first half for five yards. He actually only had three catches for the
game. But Geneva was able to come out. They're able to score in
their second drive of the second half. Nate Stampowski just made a lot of
plays with his with his legs. You know, the kid is not a
big kid as a quarterback, but he just makes plays spreading the field,
you know, running the ball, and so they're able to score to make
it, you know, a fourteen to ten at very end the third quarter.
But then Ryan Bow, I mean we kind of mentioned off the top,
you know again, I thought he missed some throws earlier in the game
that you're thinking, wow, I can't like that. I'm surprised that he
missed that throw. But when they really needed a kid to make the big
throw or get the third and six type run, he delivered again and again
and again. And that experience in an environment like that, it's funny.
I asked him after the game. I said, you've been in so many
big games, but you haven't been in a close game against these guys.
I mean, you know how much was that different? And he knew.
He's like, you know, they know that. They're like, we know
that this is a really good Geneva team, and we knew that this is
going to be a close game. We were not surprised by it at all.
But you know, he just made He just made the throws time and
time, or the plays time and time again. Even at the very end
of the game. I mean they were up twenty one to eighteen. Geneva
just burned her last time out. They got a first down to burn it
out, and then the play after Ryan got the first down, he pretty
much could have gone in for the touchdown with about forty seconds left, he
just kind of slid and took a knee. He knew that that he knew
that the game was open. He made the smart, intelligent play, the
senior play. Just very impressive performance by him, but also by Geneva as
well. Yeah, so real quickly, kind of going back to what you're
talking about with talent. You know, I noticed that I read your story
and I was like, wow, so that that was one of the things
I wanted to address in my notebook. I'm not sure if you saw,
but I reached out to Chase Osborne and just talked to him a little bit
about that, and it sounded like they did some you know, bracket coverage
whereas him and Josh Kayley uh really kind of shadowed him all game and and
really limited that impact. And uh, you know that's really important for Batavia's
you know, defensive success. Make them run the ball and let some other
athlete beat you. Of course, we know how highly touted talent is.
Mean, he's going to get his, but you know, if you're a
defense you want you want to try to make somebody else beat you. So
impressive performance on both sides of the ball. Geneva's going to be fine as
they are still playoff eligible. They still need one more win for that,
you know, to make sure they're fully in. But I'm sure they'll be
fine. Yeah, I definitely came out of this game thinking that. I
mean, Batavia. My opinion of them did not honestly change at all from
before the game to after the game. They're they're a great team. They're
going to be a force in I'm assuming seven A, but Geneva, you
know, I mean there, We'll see how they do down the road.
They still have some tests the next couple of weeks, you know, with
Wheaton North and Saint Charles North, So I want to get a little bit
more of a body of work from them before I you know, kind of
pass my judgment, like it really matters, uh, going into the playoffs.
But from what I saw, you know, last Friday against competing against
one of the elite teams in the state, certainly in seven A, they're
gonna be a tough out, you know, once the playoff starts. I
mean, they have some veteran leadership at quarterback, you know, a wider
sea with talent Taylor. You know. I like their defense. I was
a little bit worried Tommy Diamond, a really fine defensive player. He went
out late in the third quarter of that game looked like a little bit of
an elbow or arm injury, so somebody to kind of monitor going forward.
He's a very important part of their defense. But I was very impressed in
Geneva as a whole. Do you want to stay in the in the Duke
Kne Conference real quick and just briefly touch on Wheaton South and Wheaton North,
then yeah, So another big game in that conference, Wheaton North and Wheaton
Warrenville South. You know, it's a game that Wheaton North has had the
upper hand the last three years as they've emerged as one of the better teams
in the state. They won the last three meetings going in the last Friday,
but they only did so by a combined six points. So it's one
of those games where, yes, I think Wheaton North is probably a little
bit better right now, but I wasn't surprised by any result. But that
being said, the fact that Wheaton Wornville South was able to get to able
to get that win, it kind of reaffirms to me that Wheaton Warnville South,
since the return of Matt Crider from the wild, they're a different team
than they were before. I mean, they they are absolutely a different team
than they were before with him at running back, balancing luc at carbon Arrows
running back or at quarterback. They've always had a pretty good defense. They're
gonna be a team to watch. I mean, I know. We were
talking to coach Dennis Pieran from PA tav afterwards and he was kind of rat
on off the schedule we have ahead and and he was like, uh,
and then Wheat and South, I'm not sure what they did tonight And I
said, well, they actually beat Wheaton North and he's like yeah, He's
like, we we know, I mean we know that they're they're they're a
team that's that's on, that's on to com right now. So really confirmation
of that them getting to win and they needed it. I mean, they're
they're among a group of teams that are just in a dogfight, uh for
the playoffs. They're going to get another one this week playing Lake Park.
So uh. But a very impressive win for Wheaton Warnville South forced a few
turnovers. Matt Cryder had another huge game. He's that's always had, it
seems since he's returned. So a very good win for the Tigers. San
Francis icy Catholic one that you know we always have circled down our schedules and
again you know that that's another one that did not disappoint. No, so
that is a game that I feel like the last three or four years,
and you probably agree, I have no idea what to expect. I feel
like when I'm making my picks for that game, it's like I'm gonna close
my eyes and just throw at the dardboard and hope that I hit. Well,
I missed again. I feel like I've missed my pick the last three
years in that game. And that wasn't disparaging against Saint Francis. I know,
really good, but Saint Francis, I believe it's for the second week
in a row it comes from behind victory. Alessio Millvision, I'm butchering its
Alessio, let's put it that way. Leading another come from behind victory.
They get to win on a two point conversion. That's on the heels of
coming from behind to beat Joliette Catholic. You know the week before, similar
in and comform behind fashion Saint Francis. It feels like Saint Francis every week
is in a close game that's down to the wire. I mean it was
down to Grove North it scored late to beat them. It was Fenwick that
I believe scored pretty late to beat them. It was comfort behind to beat
Joyd Catholic. It was comfort behind to beat I see. I think they
came from behind to be Sterling. Every week it seems like they play a
really close game and I think it's going to continue the rest of the year.
Now that being said, Bob McMillan, their Saint Francis coach, told
me during the summery. He said, I think Oleso is as good as
quarterback as any in the Midwest, which at the time I'm thinking, Man,
this is really a coach that he really likes his quarterback and he's really
touty him. I can't speak for quarterbacks around other states, but I do
think that Alessio is playing as good as any quarterback in the state right now,
certainly in our neck of the woods. He's he's been tremendous this year.
Yeah, I don't have the stats right in front of me, but
but I would agree with just that that general sentiment. And you know,
you talk about the comeback wins and what's the consistent piece that they have while
their quarterback, right I mean, somebody who is able to play deep and
fourth quarters, keep things under under wraps and calm and able to lead his
team. And he's been doing it time and time again. You know,
their defense is playing well of lates. And you know, again this is
a team where you know, we were kind of talking, you know,
in the summer and the start of the year. You know, let's see
what they are, you know, going into this new league, and they're
passing the tests. Yeah them, and sat them and I see both have
definitely passed the tests so far. Both really good seasons and teams to watch
during the stretch run. You know, else thorn into Page County last Friday.
You know, maybe the biggest game in the Page County last Friday was
Downers Grove North hosting York matchup of five and zero teams. You know,
York comes away with a thirty two to twenty one win, which you know,
somewhat similar to Batavia, where I felt really good about York going into
the game and I leave feeling really good about York coming out of it.
I mean, Jake Mellion had a huge game, two hundred and sixty yards
and three touchdowns. You know, York is a team that I mean,
they're really relying I think on Jake Melliam. He's had some really big games
for them so far. You know, the quarterback Sean Wenton's been great for
them. Their defense, Joe Rife, defensive lineman. He just committed to
Notre Dame a little bit over a week ago. You know, they've been
very good. So they get a win. But I will say Downers Go
North the fact that they were able to, you know, look moral victories
whatever. I mean, they lost the game, they were able to keep
the game close, and they were missing Noah Battle who he was injured in
a week prior to that. Not sure on the status. It sounds like
he's going to be back pretty soon, possibly this week. But the fact
that they were able to, they were without such an enormous part of their
team, certainly their offense, and still able to be right there at the
end really kind of tells me that Downers Go North is a team to watch,
you know, going forward. Their sophomore quarterback Owen Lanzwo, I beleive
you through for over two hundred yards and a couple touchdowns in that game,
obviously missing his you know, you know, top running back so I think
even in loss, I think Downers Will North kind of showed that, you
know, hey we're you know, look look at us, we're pretty good
too. Yeah. Absolutely, you know, I don't have much more to
add other than I just I look forward to seeing Jake Melly and statline,
you know, when we're putting the games up on social media, like what
did this kid do tonight? And time and time again, it's it's big
time numbers. Yeah, yeah, you know, just a just a huge
season, you know for that kid so far, and certainly York six and
oh you know, they played Glenbard West this week, and I don't look
past the all toppers, but York is a team that I'll be very surprised
if they don't run the table and go nine to zero in a regular season.
So yeah, great win for them, you know, Jake, I
think maybe we'll take a quick break, touch on a couple of Kendel games
and then look at to this week. If that's right, that sounds good
to me. I'll take a sip of coffee here and we'll go into We'll
go in around too, So don't go anywhere. You're listening to the Friday
night Drive Western summer's podcast, Jake, and after a quick few messages,
this is state Representative Steve Reich, and I'm happy to sponsor this year's Friday
Night Drive. There will be plenty of time for politics down the road,
but for now, let's enjoy some high school football. Whichever school you follow,
give them your support. After quick break, Josh, before we get
to some of the Kendal games, just a quick reminder, you can follow
us on Twitter at Jake Barloson at JWLG ninety six and find all of our
work Friday Night Drive at shawlocal dot com. Also check us out Friday night
from eight to eleven Friday Night Live Steve Susina. I will be breaking things
down, Josh, some big Kendal matchups and touch on that market. Yeah,
there's there's some good wins for teams for various reasons last Friday. You
know, I'm gonna start with the team that I've talked a lot about on
his podcast for good reason, Sandwich. You know, they come out,
you know, they get a their fifth win of the year, making them
playoff eligible. Significant noteworthy in that I talked about it before. They did
not have a varsity football team last year due to low numbers in the last
ARC season they did have, they finished nine and twenty twenty one. This
is their first playoff appearance, and I believe ten years, assuming something weird
doesn't happen and they don't make the playoffs or that, I very much belie
they're going to be making a playoffs. So, you know, it's just
been a great story. I mean, just I don't know what to say.
It's to me it's in the neck of the woods that I cover.
It's one of the best stories. The fact that the program has been able
to come back, you know, the way that they have well, I
mean it really matters from a community standpoint, right, like it's something that
everybody can latch onto, like it doesn't matter, like what's going on in
people's lives, like people, well you're in the checkout line at the grocery
store. Hey, you see what the kids are doing on Friday night.
It matters. It's bigger than football sometimes too, Yeah, no doubt about
that. And tip of the cap to those kids and Chris Cassie, their
head coach. He is a guy that's this. He is relentless positive.
I mean, even when things are down, he just keeps his nose to
the grindstone, and he's very much invested in that program. I mean is
I know, I believe his wife is ahead of the boosters. I mean,
it's just just really doing a good, good things there. So,
you know, great work by the program at Sandwich down the road. Very
big win for plan O last week they snapped a three game losing streak,
shut out Johnsburg nineteen nothing, so you know, big win for them,
shut out win, Ryder lost, and junior defense to tackled, a really
big game for them. And then in the Southwest Prairie Conference, I'm gonna
start with with Yorkville. They're a team that it's funny, you know,
you think about three or four games and I kind of got an I kind
of got a read on a team about what they're going to be about.
And then Yorkville goes and beats Minookah last week. Who's minook has been really
good in that conference, and then you start to think, wow, maybe
they're a little bit better than I thought they were in getting that win.
So a very big win for them. Again, we say all the time,
it's a game that they needed, you know, to keep themselves in
position to possibly grab a playoff appearance and they're now three and three. They
got Oswego this week. That'll be a tough game, but that was a
very big win for Yorkville and then Oswego. You know, they suffered their
first loss in Week five against Plainfield North. They came back in a huge
fashion. They really took it to a previously unbeaten West Aurora team. They
ran for god almost three hundred yards, which is big because they only ran
for forty yards or so against Plainfield North. So a really kind of a
bounce back win for them. And again, I know Steven Kyle talked about
on their podcast Arduring the week that Southwest Pray West is just it is just
why I mean, Steve mentioned it, and I agree. I'm not sure
who the best team in that league is and I'm not sure who the worst
team in that league is. It's just a week to week type thing of
well this team does that, oh, this team does that. I really
don't know what to expect, but the bottom line is that makes it a
lot of fun, no doubt. Absolutely. Uh look ahead into the schedule,
is we go into week seven, do you want to stay in the
Ducaine? Where do you want to go. Yeah, I mean big win
or a big game in the Cayne Conference this week is probably you know,
Geneva Wheaton North out the Wheaton South Lake Park game is pretty big for playoff
implications. But Geneva, whaton North, two teams that are coming off you
know, close losses, I would say probably feeling a little bit different about
things coming off those losses, whereas Geneva maybe feels maybe a little bit puff
out the chest. We're feeling a little bit better about ourselves. I hate
to say that in the loss, but they should. If they're not feeling
that way, they should. And on the other side, Wheaton North,
you know, they're probably feeling a little bit kind of ornery after losing that
game to Wheat and South, so kind of instant to see how that one
turns out. Yeah, I mean this is a big one. I mean
they're what they're three and three. You know, we're we're starting to run
out of games here, right like, So if you're if you're just looking
at it from that standpoint like you kind of need this one or or if
you don't don't get this one, you certainly need the next two. So
yeah, I mean we I would not have expected Wheton North to be a
team at the begind of the year that I'm like, Wow, they're really
kind of fighting for the playoff lives. But that's sort of the reality of
the Ducaine Conference, and especially when you schedule a fairly difficult non conference schedule
that we North did with with you know, playing Lockport. But yeah,
I mean that it's a big one for them, you know, note about
no doubt about that. And yeah, I mean I I kind of get
a better read on Geneva than Wheat and North because I've seen them, but
uh, you know, kind of instant to see you know, Geneva can
continue to get it going if they can get Talent tailor a little bit more
involved. I have to believe that that is a big emphasis in practice this
week, that we need to get talent back on track. Is just kind
of a quiet game for him, and he's way better player than that,
so h and like for me on that is like sometimes like you just don't
have like the best game, you know, but that's okay, Like,
I mean, that's that's part of that's part of just sports and and improving.
So I was doing a quick fly by here and just any other quick
games that caught my eye, not so much in the Dukene. I mean,
I think those are the two big ones, so we can just jump
over to what you think in suburban life. Yeah. So, you know,
an interesting game on Elmhurst Friday. Loyola is playing Icy Catholic, a
matchup of you know, defending state champions. You know, Loyola obviously a
significantly bigger enrollment school than I see, but I see as shown already that
they can compete with the big boys. I mean they you know, they
beat Maris a couple of weeks ago. You know, May's being a much
bigger school. So yeah, kind of curious to see if I see can
hang in there against the team that I mean, I'm sure that Loyola has
way fewer players going two ways than than Ice Catholic, So yeah, that'll
be a good kind of measuring stick to see how they do in the Catholic
week. Another one, Yeah, I mean, I don't have too much
more to add on that, but I do like what you brought up about
the whole two way thing because I think you'll start maybe to see it,
you know, third quarter, fourth quarter, you know, especially if Loyola
is just able to run the rock and control the clock. That's you know,
that's kind of what I'd be looking for. Yeah, definitely as you
look later in the game and also later in the season two. I mean,
you know, I think every team, maybe they don't start off quite
as healthy at the end of the year as they did at the beginning of
the year. It's to nature of the game. So yeah, you know,
we'll see how you know, they'll they're able to handle that. You
know. Another kind of interesting game that I'm watching in the West Suburban Silver,
down A Grove North is going to Lions Township, two teams that I
said at the beginning of the year, I thought that they were probably the
most likely teams to to kind of nudge and challenge the Yorks of the world
and you know, Glenbard West for supremacy in the West Suburban Silver. Kind
of still feel that way, you know, curious to see how Downers grow
North is able to bounce back from from losing York. And on the other
hand, you know, Alliance's head some games, they're they're kind of close
to being undefeated. I feel like they've led at halftime of both games,
and you know, I think they're a really good team, but I think
that a win Friday would do a little bit more in my confidence level for
them. If they're able to get that win over Downers North. Yeah,
I mean, my my only context to add was I just saw them in
one game against Glenbard West, and you know, I just go back to
that game of just finishing drives, penal these you know mistakes where frankly,
that was a game that they should have won. So, you know,
assuming that they can get those corrected over the you know, the course of
the next you know, number of weeks, we'll see. Yeah. I
mean, we're gonna find out a lot about Lions Township the next two weeks
because they go Downers Go North and York back to back. So you know,
we're going to get a pretty good indication about you know, where they're
at, not only in their conference, but just you know quality in general.
Going to the playoffs. You know, Friday night game that I'm going
to be at, I'm going to be at Oswego Yorkville playing Oswego, you
know, kind of neighborhood. I don't know how big arrivals there. They've
only been in the same conference for a couple of years, but certainly two
kind of blue collar teams that like to run the football, they like to
play good defense, and you know, Yorkville is definitely in the upper hand
the last couple of years. They won a game a couple of week years
ago to get to the playoffs. They shut them out last year. You
know. Right now, Oswego they still have a chance to win at least
to share the conference title, but they better win this game if they want
to do that. So I'm really curious just to see Yorkville, just to
see what they're all about. I haven't had a chance to see him yet.
Oswego. They're a team that they continue to be really defined by their
defense and the success that they're able to have. And they were able to
run a football again, you know, last Fridays. So that's gonna be
another game, you know that conference. I mentioned a few minutes to go
on this podcast, I don't know what to expect every week going to the
game. And I will say, as a sports writer, when you don't
know what to expect going into the game, on the one hand, it's
like, wow, I don't really have that angle going into Friday. So
that makes my job a little bit more different. But on the other hand,
I love it. I mean, you love it when you go into
a game and you don't know what to expect, you don't have preordained storylines,
And that is the way it is for me Friday going into that game.
Yeah, I mean just to I, you know, to pull the
curtain back a little bit, like sometimes like I don't even know what my
lead is until I'm like talking to the coaches and they they say something that
sparks it right like, And that's what makes this fun is is that it's
not it's not as easy as here's the cookie cutter lead that I had going
in. It's anything can happen, and that's what makes us fun. It's
a sports where it's just so much more enjoyable when you go to a game
not knowing what to expect. When I mean there's a lot of games again
we're pulling back to curtain where you go to a game and you have a
pretty idea about what's going to be the outcome of the game. This is
this is one of the games Friday where I'm not sure. I mean,
I think I swego is there's certainly the better team on Paper end with their
record, but New York Fellow has shown that they can compete with teams and
yeah, well we'll see. Should be a good game, a lot of
good games Friday. Absolutely, So with that, I think we'll wrap things
up again. Just another remind to tune into Friday Night Live with us as
we're gonna have our writers joining all throughout the night. And of course these
do see the star of the show. He does great as always, so
for Josh Walgi. Any of the quick closing thoughts here, No, it
should be a great week all right for Josh Walgy. I'm Jake Barlaston.
Thanks so much for making us part of your afternoon and we'll see you next
week. Schweiker Gannison Kuzak Rundio proudly sponsors for Friday Night Drive. I'm Mike
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