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A, N A S, S I

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N dot com. Welcome to the
Friday Night Drive Podcast, the Imperial Valley

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Edition. I'm the cal Daily Chronicle
Sports Editor Eddie Carriffio. I am with

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as always Shaw Sports Regional Editor.
I don't think those were the right words.

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It doesn't matter how whifted again,
JT. Penalty. At least I

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got your name right, JT.
No man saw sports regional nitor. That

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was great. That was probably It
only took week ten. Yeah, we're

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good. We're doing a media regional
sports editor. Oh, it doesn't matter

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what order the words are in.
Don't you know how long have you been

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a writer? How's it going?
Man? Oh, it's going great because

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you know what playoffs? Baby?
Were talking playoffs, not practice. I'm

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combining too famous press conferences there anyway, Yep, and Iver said practice.

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We didn't talking to the game.
We're talking practice. Yeah, this week,

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well someone will be who we thought
they were. Oh nice one,

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Well you go into some Lenno Leis
ones. But we'll just move on and

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talk about the postseason. Lots of
stuff to get to. We're gonna start,

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actually, let's start last week.
Let's start with some Sycamore Morris.

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I was at that game. That
was almost as advertised. I mean,

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I don't think you would have thought
six turnovers total in the game, but

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that's very much a testament I think
to those teams defenses, especially Sycamore is

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forcing Morris into that because Morris don't
turn the ball over. Morris did three

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times. Moores ends up coming away
with a twenty two to fourteen win.

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They're the Kishwaukee River Slash Interstate eight
White Champions type that in the final Keishwaukee

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River Interstate eight White Champions. Yes, I guess they're gonna play for an

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eight title next year. We'll see
TVD put a pin in that. We'll

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get back to it. There's about
one hundred different things that could happen.

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I was I was jealous of your
cover in that game. That's a that

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was a fantastic matchup, and uh, you know if this podcast, this

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first season of this podcast had a
had a game that was the game for

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this podcast, I think that was
it, Sycamore Morris. I think it

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came up one way or another,
uh, every single week, and I'm

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glad it played out as advertised.
I think we both thought Morris would be

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a slight favorite and what had ended
up an eight point ball game. Yeah,

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and Moore's an episode. Morris jumped
out to a fifteen to nothing lead.

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It looked like it was gonna maybe
not be as thatise, but that

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Sycamore ended up getting back into it, and really they they their three turnovers

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came on three consecutive possessions in the
second half, so I mean, and

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two of them were fumbles at the
end of the long runs. One of

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them was an interception in the end
zone. So he definitely could have been

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a game of commy either way.
That that's one of those that you know,

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you play that ten different times and
two different sides alternate between more than

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Sycamore. They're going five and five. Yeah, yeah, and there uh,

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it's just a just a I guess
I hate to make your point for

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you. In our ongoing district conversations
here and there, but that game is

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everything that's right about high school football, and it also points out everything that's

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wrong about high school football because of
games like that between two great teams like

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that, and nobody wants to be
in a conference with them. So so

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you know that, like a point
like that is everything that's right about high

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school football, and then it's everything
that's wrong about high school football, all

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in all in one beautiful package.
But you know, a great football game

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and just awesome that they get to
experience that. And I know on your

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note you put iron sharpens iron,
and you know that leads us beautifully into

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the Class five A bracket, because
boy, there's a lot of iron in

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there. Thank you for stealing my
transition. It's okay. It's there to

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share because the five especially in the
five A, might as well start at

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five day with both Sycamore and Morris. And you look at the north side

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of Sycamore. I think Sycamore is
set up for a nice little run here.

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I mean, the get Evergreen Park
probably should be a win. They've

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already played them twice in the first
round of the playoffs, one handily both

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times. I know this is in
twenty nineteen or twenty twenty one, but

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you know, they still get it
done. Then they get another Chicago school

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in round two, they'll get out
of the Corelers some work in park.

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Then you know that sets him up. And then you look at the other

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quadrant. I think there's a sixteen
upset over a one. Sterling beats Peyton,

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right I you would you would think
so standing on pair, but I

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you know, I don't. The
Sterling team's kind of tough to figure this

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year. You know, they have
that loss to Princeton where they really weren't

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competitive, which kind of knocked us
all back on our heels. Princeton's a

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great program, but you know,
not a five A team by any stretch

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of the imagination. So U but
yeah, I mean, I would think

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just from the pedigree, from the
level of athletes we know they have and

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everything, uh, you would think
Sterling should do all right there. But

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I really don't know much about Chicago
Payton. I mean, if you go

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nine to zero in high school football
season, no matter who your opponents are

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or what you're playing, you know
you're doing something right. That's a very

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good point. So I could be
just a little pro Sterling here. And

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I know the loss to Princeton was
you know, unexpected. You can said

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they were printed had something to prove
too with their unexpected loss, So you

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know they were out trying to make
a statement and they most certainly did in

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that game. So I think there
are other factors that play. And then

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you look the other part of that
quadrant that would then play Sycamore in the

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semis would be or Quarters would be
well or Saint Francis. I think Sycamore

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has got a nice road back to
the semifinals if they take care of business.

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And do I think the path is
there now? Of course you look

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at the other look, go go
south from the five A brackets and see

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what Morris has and it's a little
different. Yeah, yeah it is.

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And you know it's kind of like
it's it's funny how that works out,

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you know, because Morris won,
and I know sometimes the geographical breaks happen,

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but the records kind of help figure
into those geographical breaks sometimes and and

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you know, Morris gets the win
over Sycamore, and here here's your prize.

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That south half of the Class five
A bracket is just you know,

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in terms of name recognition, is
just crazy. I mean, Morris opens

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against Tinley Park High School, which
is you know, you know, not

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a powerhouse banning stretch of the imagination. But after that one, you know,

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they get the winner of Thornton Fractional
North and Sacred Heart Griffin also in

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their part. Their quarter of the
bracket is Peoria High School and Juliet Catholic

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who have to play each other in
the first freaking round. And also down

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there you have Providence playing Morton in
the first round. So the bottom half

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of that, that five A bracket
is is just absolutely crazy. Whoever comes

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out of there, and I agree
with you. I think Sycamore is set

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up very nicely on their half.
Prairie Ridge would be a be a tough

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one. Glenn Bard South up there
too, But but I think at the

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end of the day, you know, you come out of there, whoever

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comes out of that South one is
definitely going to be, you know,

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ready to play because they're going to
have earned their way, boy, and

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one of maybe the toughest half of
a five A bracket I've seen in years.

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Yeah. Now, all that said, I think Sycamore Praier Ridge becomes

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an amazing semi final if that should
come to pass. No, yeah,

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I agree one hundred percent. And
you don't know what's going to come out

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of that other half of the bracket. I mean, you have Juliet Kathock

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as a twelve seed playing you know, Peoria High School. I mean that

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game could be now ninety five to
eighty four, or I know Porre hasn't

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a pile up points quite like they
have in recent years, but but they

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can still score it. Only a
Catholic can score it. Just it's gonna

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be uh, you know, Metamora
is down there as a six seed.

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Metamora is always a powerhouse, so
it'll be uh, it'll be just really

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that five A is just gonna be
a uh, you know, walking on

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Cole's and whoever can you know,
get out there and survive it. It

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should be just a heck of a
heck of a playoff in five A.

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Anything else jumping out at you.
Uh, I know, the five A

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bracket that's pretty well covered Seace,
that was basically the two teams well and

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Sterling, who probably should have given
some more love to this year four and

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five getting in that's uh. I
think they're gonna make some noise. I

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think they're gonna have the chip on
their shoulder. I think they're gonna play

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the no one believes in us,
no one thinks we should be here card,

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And I think I don't think it
matters necessarily how good Peyton is is

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not a slam on them necessarily here. I just think Sterling is going to

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be incredibly motivated to come out and
get this win. So that's why that's

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why I'm thinking them. But so
so that's the five A bracket. Anything

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else jumping at you down your way
probably not five or six, you know.

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One of the things that just kind
of came to mind, so it's

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not on the notes. Going off
script, warning, one of the things

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that just jumped out of me when
you mentioned Sterlin getting in at four and

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five is, you know, uh, you know, every year about week

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seven and week eight, Uh,
our colleagues, Steve Sussie kind of puts

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out there that, boy, it
looks like a lot of four and five

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teams still have a chance this year, and every year we kind of go,

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yeah, right, you know,
you say that every year and blah

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blah. I don't say that to
his face. I'm very scared of but

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yeah, I'm just glad he doesn't
listen else. But you know, this

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year it happened. I think what
we have did we have four? I

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think it was six six four and
five six? Yeah, I mean.

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And one of the crazy things is
one of the other recurring games in this

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podcast all year was that oddwellp game
that whoever won that should get in the

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playoffs. And it almost happened,
almost gotten at four and five. They

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were like the first team on the
chopping block of those four and fives that

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didn't make it. They were in
it. It all came down to a

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Saturday afternoon game, and now there
was a whole setup. If this team

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wins and this team loses, then
LP gets that spot. But yeah,

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I think it's I think it adds
a lot of interest. You know,

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I'm not a fan of expanding the
playoffs and adding wild cards and everything that's

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been happening. I like wild cards
to an extent, but you know,

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the NFL, Major League Baseball,
to me, it's kind of getting a

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little old old man, get off
my loan on Brant coming. But you

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know, it adds excitement, It
adds interest to a lot of cities.

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But at the end of the day, kind of if it does water down

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things, I don't feel like these
four and five teams joining waters waters things

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down too much. I think it
adds a lot of interest to a lot

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of teams. That made for a
really fun playoff selection Saturday. Yeah.

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No, absolutely. Now, I
will say an expanded playoffs, I'd much

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preferred districts. But if it's gonna
be a compromise to do every team makes

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the playoffs, and if someone could
pick y're out of way to make that

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work, then I'm for that because
it's still better than the It accomplishes the

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same thing. I mean, you
lose, probably lose a week of the

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regular season, but you know,
now because an eight week regular season with

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everybody gets a playoff game, I
mean they are ugly first round games now

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that that will never change. I'm
for that. I mean, I'd much

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rather have districts, but I mean, if it's gonna be a compromise,

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and I'm for everybody gets it,
I mean every other sport does it,

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so why not why not football?
But yeah, so that that was the

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four and five teams. Yeah,
I was reading as kind of a post

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mortem on what happened, and it
seemed like even in the Week nine,

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he seemed to think that it was
going to even out and there wouldn't be

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that many four and five teams,
and there was like you know that you

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have to go to his marker board
and his back and the port, that

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know for sure. But it was
it's it's a there are a lot of

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teams that that that they thought were
playing better teams that we're gonna lose up

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winning, and you know, all
that stuff going kind of against the green

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and there were upsets when we didn't
think they were gonna be and there weren't

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when we were. So it kind
of was that, like you said,

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that that kind of shock ending that
we maybe have been prepared for for the

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last four or five years, but
hasn't actually happened until this year with six

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of the four and five teams ending
up in Yeah, I think a lot

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of teams had a chance to kind
of punch their ticket and just failed to

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do so at the end there,
and that opened up you know, that

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opens the door for other teams that
have played tougher schedules. And you know,

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I said LPSU Preu in recent years
has always kind of scheduled a pretty

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tough non conference you know schedule and
and and that almost got him in the

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playoffs at four and five this year. So so we were almost right all

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season saying the winner of that oddwellp
game was going to get in so the

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way we thought, not the way
we thought, but almost, yeah,

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so the kind they couldn't punch their
ticket into the playoffs, but a couple

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of teams kicked their tickets into the
playoffs with wooden Shoes see very nice one

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A yeah, Morrison's a five seed, Fulton's of twelve, and kind of

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reminds me of the NCAA tournament where
you know, every time you fill out

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a bracket, you always got to
pick one twelve. It's like it's like

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a law because one twelve is always
going to upset a five at least if

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I had to pick one, this
might be it. And then I don't

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know that Fulton's necessarily better than Morrison. But these two have a lot of

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history, been playing since nineteen oh
one, kind of you know, you

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mentioned when you have a name for
your rivalry that means your pretty fierce rivals.

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Wooden Shoe Bowl they played forty four
times, so kind of intermittently.

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They haven't played since that, by
the way, that seems really weird that

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it's only forty four times years on
average. Yeah, they played a lot

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recently when they both were in the
Three Rivers, but then Fulton left after

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that COVID season to join the Northwest
up state of Lina, and Morrison missed

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them. So they're going to be
heading that way too. As the Three

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Rivers starts, it's emptying out more
on conference conference is falling apart. So

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but yeah, I think that's just
a really interesting matchup. Sometimes the way

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these brackets come together, you wonder, you know, like just like I

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mentioned the NC double A, sometimes
you wonder it's like, man, did

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they put that together? So the
old coach is playing this old team or

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and I know with this it's all
math and math and maps. It's all

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math and maps. But but very
interesting that Morrison is going to be playful

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in the first round. Yeah.
I also, you know, all this

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talk about conferences everything and how people
try to avoid like Sycamore and Morris and

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whatnot. I do want to give
credit to the teams that keep going into

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the n U I CE knowing what
that conference is, knowing you know,

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your two picture, the winge of
forest ins you know, are all in

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there. And still yeah, Okay, then let's go, let's do this.

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So that's uh, that's a credit
to that conference, that region,

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in that part of the state that
they kind of bucked that trend that if

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everyone in the state had that mindset, we wouldn't have a problem. Yeah.

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Yeah, they've they've really drawn some
teams and you've kind of seen the

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Three Rivers, the Track three Verus
at Letta Conference conference kind of you know,

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like I said, starting to empty
out, kind of Saint bete Is

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has left for the Chicago Land Prairie
and football and for the Tri County and

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other sports. And now you know, we see you know, Fulton leaving

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and now Morrison is going to be
leaving. So you know, not good

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for the Three Rivers, which used
to be the Big Rivers conference and and

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uh you know kind of split into
these two and through a merger and and

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kind of you know, looks like
that's kind of starting to taper off now.

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And you know, you hate to
see conferences go, but I'm with

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you, it's great that they're going
to you know, they're joined, they're

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joining, they're playing up, you
know, they're they're gone, and they're

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saying, yeah, let's let's test
ourselves. Against those teams, so very

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good. Another another interesting one a
match up and this is a nine to

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eight, so you figure it's a
flip a coin game. You had Ottawa

242
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Marquette visiting Forrest and no strangers to
each other. This is the fourth time

243
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they played in the playoffs in recent
years. As this seems like a lot

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better than a nine eight matchup.
This seems like a you know, four

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00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:15.759
or five quarterfinals. Yeah, this
should be this should be a good,

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good game. Both of them running
a lot, so it should also be

247
00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:22.600
a quick game. But yeah,
they're they're uh they uh, you know,

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Marquette took them to overtime once in
one of those playoff meetings. Other

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than that, Forest's kind of controlled
it, including in one of forrest In's

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state championship seasons. But I think
that's a really good one in one A

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and uh, you know the other
one that's interested interesting down for my region,

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Saint Beide's a fourteen seed visiting number
three Chicago Hope Academy. It's gonna

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be a tough one for Saint Bede. Kind of if you look at the

254
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opponents who played opponents who played opponents, and you kind of go down that

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path yeah, you know, it
looks like the matchups with you know,

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Marquette played Aurora Christian and lost handily, and then Marquette beat Saint Bede by

257
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couple of touchdowns and Hope Academy only
lost by a few points to a Rowa

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Christian. I think it was twenty
seven to twenty two back in Week three.

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So you know, it looks like
a tough match up for Saint Beide,

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long bus trip, everything, But
you know, they got a quarterback,

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00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:15.920
Max Bray, who's you know,
who's a transfer you know from Aurora,

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00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:18.880
who's a heck of a heck of
a heck of a player and a

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game changer. So Saint Bede kind
of going on the road there, I

264
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think I think could be you know, I don't want to say upset alert

265
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necessarily, but I think they're gonna
give Hope Academy everything they want. That

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that is definitely a tough one for
uh, for Saint Bede, but uh,

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yeah, I know it's Chicago,
Hope is. I think they've been

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up the last couple of years,
so that should be an interesting one and

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it's certainly a strong start, a
strong challenge to start the postseason. One

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A two A, is your wheelhouse
man down there? What anything else cooking

271
00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.200
down there? That's where our better
better teams kind of said, I uh

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to A. You know, it's
great to see uh Dwight Gardner South Wilmington

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co op. But they kind of
just go by Dwight to their friends.

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You know, it's great seeing Dwight
back in the playoffs and and you know,

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first time since twenty eighteen and only
fourth time you know in the in

276
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the two thousands, kind of really
trying to build a program there and seeing

277
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them back in the playoffs and and
even a lot of their losses were very

278
00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:21.759
close ballgames. So so it's it's
really great to see Dwipe back in.

279
00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:26.640
But you know, unfortunately they get
to go to Seneca for Round one,

280
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which has just been steamrolling everyone they
played, including Dwight a couple of weeks

281
00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.359
ago. So and you know,
you look at Seneca, I mean that's

282
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a three A team year after year
after year. They haven't been in Class

283
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two A since nineteen ninety four.
So you know, for Seneca, which

284
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made the second round in three A
last year, ran into I can't remember

285
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:51.240
who they ran into in the second
round. Oh, it'll come to me.

286
00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:53.559
But anyway, uh, Seneca,
you know that that's going to be.

287
00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:57.440
You know, them going to two
A is just a big opportunity for

288
00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:03.359
them. It's a Byron. Seneca
played Byron second round last time. Yeah,

289
00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.400
so that was that was bad news, but it's gonna be. Uh.

290
00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:10.039
You know, senecon that two A
bracket is a team I don't think

291
00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:11.960
anyone wants to come across. You
know, they run that power te offense.

292
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.799
They just take the air out of
the ball and they just played just

293
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.599
punishing defense, just hard hitting,
flying all over the field. You know.

294
00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:22.640
Their whole thing is just you know, you might get five or six

295
00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.799
possessions the whole football game, you
know, unless you're giving up big plays

296
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to them. And that's kind of
the way they play, you know,

297
00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.680
if you look down the road,
I mean for them, you know,

298
00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.160
Try Valley is always tough. They
could get Try Valley in the and I

299
00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:40.400
think the quarterfinals got morea for Site
knocking around on their half of the bracket.

300
00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.680
But in that north half, I
mean Seneca in Class two A.

301
00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:48.880
I wouldn't want to be in two
way with them. Also, Yeah,

302
00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:53.119
you point out the challenges even there's
nine teams with eight or nine wins on

303
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.920
the top half of that two A
bracket, and I'm just looking at so

304
00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:00.960
that a right, you know,
records especially, and you're a little further

305
00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:04.400
south. Even if you the things
get a little spotty, you know,

306
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:10.480
in terms of level of competition,
but you still, like you said,

307
00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:12.559
you win nine games, win eight
games, that's still impressive. And there's

308
00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:15.160
a lot of eight nine one teams. They're gonna get one in the second

309
00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:22.079
round with either rock Ridge or Westville, so that I think you're right.

310
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:26.440
I think Senec is probably the favorite, but there's there there's some team,

311
00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:32.400
good looking teams with good looking records, and in that area. Yeah,

312
00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:36.279
I mean you look at you know
geez, I mean you know when Bloomington

313
00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:38.440
Central Catholic goes nine and oh when
they're a three seed, you know that

314
00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.200
that gives you that idea of the
strength of that of that bracket. When

315
00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:45.039
you have a program like that who
has an undefeated season and and you know

316
00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:52.720
still is a number three seed.
Four Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's

317
00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:56.119
really just a you know, you
could have four nine and os playing in

318
00:20:56.200 --> 00:21:00.920
the quarterfinals there. That's that's just
you know, just in that half of

319
00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.799
that two A bracket. It's just
crazy. And the other thing that stuck

320
00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:07.759
out to me in two A and
just mention it because I got to see

321
00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:11.519
the team last week because Wilmington will
be host to Mercer County. Wilmington,

322
00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:15.839
boy, they impressed the heck out
of me against Streeter. Just you know,

323
00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.000
they come out and you think,
Wilmington, what do you think running

324
00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:22.759
the ball, running the ball defense? They came out and went play action

325
00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:25.880
first play for about fifty yards against
Street here, and it just you know,

326
00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:27.880
I was on the side. I
was on the Wilmington sideline. I

327
00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:30.880
have some friends on the Streeter chain
crew, and I just kind of turned

328
00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:33.720
around in one of them and I
said, well, this isn't fair.

329
00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:37.000
You know, you get all geeked
up all week. It's we're playing Wilmington.

330
00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:40.319
We got to stop the run and
they go play action on your first

331
00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:42.039
play. But they can throw it
a little if they find themselves behind it.

332
00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:45.359
And sometimes with these you know,
wing teams, sometimes that's kind of

333
00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:48.319
you know, their bugaboo is they
if they get behind in the playoffs playing

334
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:52.640
a good team, you know they're
in a really tough spot. Wilmington can

335
00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:56.079
throw it. They got a great
defense, and they can obviously run it,

336
00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:57.799
you know, no doubt about that. Wilmington, you know, a

337
00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:06.759
five seed because of that first week
loss to uh Wilmington played Seneca aforementioned Seneca.

338
00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:10.000
But but but so they are five
seeds instead of one. Boy,

339
00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.200
they're they're gonna be a tough team. And you could see them and and

340
00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.480
Seneca meeting up in the quarterfinals too. It wouldn't surprise me a bit.

341
00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:22.079
But that would involve them getting past
try Valley, right, So yeah,

342
00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:27.200
they would have try Valley the first
round. Yeah, well as everyone else

343
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.960
we're talking about. That's why that
bracket is, like I said, at

344
00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:34.200
least record wise, one of the
toughest. So yeah, and and and

345
00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.599
and the thing is is, you
know, like I mentioned when we were

346
00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:40.759
talking about five A, that you
know a lot of those are name teams,

347
00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:44.160
you know, but you know,
maybe not having their greatest seasons in

348
00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:48.480
recent history, such as you know
a Julia Catholic or or you know Sacred

349
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.559
Heart Griffin. You know, there's
still very good football teams, but maybe

350
00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:55.480
not at the peak of their powers
this season. That is not the case

351
00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:57.000
in two A from what I've seen
here. I mean, you know,

352
00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:03.039
you talk about Try Valley. You
talk about Wilmington, Seneca, Morella,

353
00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:07.519
Forsyth. Uh, you know,
these aren't teams that are kind of well

354
00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.519
yeah, but this year are they? These teams are are all very good

355
00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:15.680
and very good this year. So
I think you're gonna see some amazing games

356
00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:21.400
in Class two A. I think
we're gonna pause here for a second,

357
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:26.519
pay some bills. We'll come back
three or four E rackets. And although

358
00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:30.759
we talked big schools, Caitlin,
I definitely want to get into some Caitlan

359
00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.039
talk because it looks like some stuff
I've said all here might actually be right.

360
00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:38.599
So well, we'll take a break
here and we'll get into all that.

361
00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:45.000
On the other side. This is
State Representative Steve Reich, and I'm

362
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:48.839
happy to sponsor this year's Friday Night
Drive. There will be plenty of time

363
00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:52.400
for politics down the road, but
for now, let's enjoy some high school

364
00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:59.960
football. Whichever school you follow,
give them your support. We're gonna jump

365
00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:03.880
right into the three A bracket now
that we're back. You know, not

366
00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:07.880
a lot of three A teams that
we've covered, but obviously once we have

367
00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:11.160
the familiarity with and man, I
was looking at that three A bracket.

368
00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:17.680
The Princeton's actually in the top part
of it there, and there are we

369
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:22.039
were talking about some good teams having
good years. Man, Okay, you

370
00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:25.519
got Byron is a one seed.
They're nine at a Princeton a two seed,

371
00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:29.960
eight and one. You also look
at it in there, you've got

372
00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:33.519
Stillman Valley working five and four is
a thirteen seed. They've kind of gotten

373
00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:37.680
strong late in the year, but
you know, man Man alive. And

374
00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:42.599
then on the other half you got
Montini lurking as a sixth seed. What

375
00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:47.440
was the other thing I was interested
in on that one on the north side

376
00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:52.839
there, and I'm scanning my notes
frantically, and I mentioned Princeton. J

377
00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:56.279
T. What do you think of
this three a bracket? It's you know

378
00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:00.000
what if we say every bracket's loaded, I guess we're just saying high school

379
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:02.240
football is fun. But uh,
you know, one of the teams that

380
00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.079
stood out to every team you mentioned
is one that jumped out at me.

381
00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:07.680
And and I'll add another one to
that list. Look in the top half

382
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:14.039
at number nine potone, you know
there's six and three Poton's three losses are

383
00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:17.359
all the playoff teams, and one
of them is Sandwich, a four A

384
00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:19.799
playoff team very early in the season
when I don't think Potone had quite hit

385
00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:23.680
their group. The other two are
the Wilmington and Cole City. You know,

386
00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:29.079
Poton's won four in a row,
and other than they're closeman Over Street

387
00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:33.599
or none of them are close.
They open with Chicago Crane, you know,

388
00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:37.440
and then and then then they get
Byron second round almost certainly if they

389
00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:41.279
win. But but uh, you
know, I wouldn't count p Atone out,

390
00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:44.319
uh you know in terms of you
know, not only just getting that

391
00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:47.759
second round, but maybe kind of
trying to making things interesting and throwing a

392
00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:49.839
monkey wrench and kind of how everyone
thinks it's gonna play out because uh,

393
00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:53.000
you know, I got to see
a Paton this year and they're there are

394
00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:57.440
a solid football team, they really
are. But yeah, I think three

395
00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:00.160
A is is just another one where
you kind of look at the bracket you

396
00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:04.000
go through. You know, you
have Princeton opening with a PBL Paxton,

397
00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:07.720
Buckley, Loda. You know,
a nice little path for Princeton there.

398
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:11.480
You know, North Boone and Monmouth
Roseville would be kind of who they get

399
00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:15.160
in the second round, so a
nice little path until kind of you get

400
00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:18.799
down to you know, you get
in that third round, you have you

401
00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:22.240
know, Montini sitting there at six
and three, and uh, you know

402
00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:26.039
Eureka, even Eureka plays Mantini that
first game, five and four. Eureka

403
00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:30.079
is a very good, you know, middle size school program. I don't

404
00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:34.440
know much about North Londale, they
went eight and one. I know Prairie

405
00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:41.359
Central's got a strong program. Always
have great athletes in Fairbury, disproportionate number

406
00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:44.599
of D one athletes coming out of
a little town, but probably best known

407
00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:51.480
for its races and it's and it's
awesome grocery store. I was leaving Peck

408
00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:53.559
out. I knew I was scrambling
to find the team in that top part

409
00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:59.599
that I had left out, so
that that was the one I was leaving

410
00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:03.680
out of it on the top part
there. Yeah. So so three just

411
00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.880
another one where if you if you
find yourself in the uh you know,

412
00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:08.799
in the quarterfinals, getting to the
semi finals, you know you earned it.

413
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:15.680
Yeah that's good for three A right, although I really think you know

414
00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:22.839
that Byron Princeton or Byron Dupek is
almost guaranteed to be a quarter and it's

415
00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.440
probably gonna go to Byron but that
still should be an excellent game. I

416
00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:29.480
mean, Dupek has tested, you
know, having played the win, having

417
00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:32.519
played Forrest, and I think they
dropped both of those. That's why they've

418
00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:36.599
been playing Byron as early as they
would be that that that could really be

419
00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:41.000
a game down the line, and
then one of them facing Princeton or Montini

420
00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:45.559
in a semi Yeah. And you
know, I think the North, whoever

421
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.440
comes out of the North, I
think is is set up very well.

422
00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:52.640
I mean, no offense like the
Kwoyne or Greenville or whatever. But I

423
00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:59.480
think you know, you you get
through that dauntlet Byron, Princeton, Montini,

424
00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:02.799
du bet whoever comes out of it, they're gonna be really good.

425
00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:06.440
Yeah. No, I agree,
one hundred percent. And you know kind

426
00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:08.480
of well, we talk about two
A and three A and look at all

427
00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:11.519
these nine and o's and eight and
ones. Well you got to make up

428
00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:15.960
for that somewhere, and that trans
ust us to Class four A, where

429
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.880
there's only one nine and O team
that ended up in Class four A this

430
00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:25.519
year. That's Rochester. You know, everyone else has at least one loss.

431
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.480
Brackets full of five and fours and
six and threes, and you know

432
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:33.400
it's just kind of the way the
system works. But still in that bracket,

433
00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.680
you end up with a seven and
two against seven and two first round

434
00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:40.599
matchup with you know, Coal City
and normal U High that I think will

435
00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:44.519
be a really good game. It's
at coal City. I like coal City's

436
00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:47.799
chances in that one, but you
know, you High usually pretty good.

437
00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:52.440
You also have another eight nine on
the northern half is Sandwich the field goods.

438
00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:56.200
I think between Josh Welgi and myself, I think we've written Sandwich the

439
00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:00.960
feel good story of the twenty twenty
three football season about seventy four times between

440
00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:04.680
two of us, four times.
So yeah, I keep trying to find

441
00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:07.720
different ways of word it. But
you talk about a program that went,

442
00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.480
you know, oh to nine a
couple of years ago, forfeited of most

443
00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:15.440
of its games, that that shortened
spring COVID season, didn't even play vartsity

444
00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:18.319
football last year due to low numbers
in the program, and here they are

445
00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.279
six and three, not just in
the playoffs, but hosting a playoff game.

446
00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:26.640
So that's, uh, that's outstanding, and uh, you know kind

447
00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:30.319
of kind of that four a bracket
maybe doesn't have the powerhouses that were used

448
00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:33.880
to seeing. I mean you do
have a first round Icy Catholic Geneseo showdown.

449
00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:37.599
That should be really something. Dixon
Plano in the first round is an

450
00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:41.799
interesting one. But you know,
you don't see a lot of a lot

451
00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:45.759
of those powerhouse teams in four A, at least in terms of what they

452
00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:48.799
did this season, as you as
we have in the other brackets we've talked

453
00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:52.079
about. Yeah, no, but
there's still a lot of blue bloods and

454
00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:56.319
a lot of like I'm looking at
that uh kind of in the north that

455
00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:03.119
that the quadrant with the the two
and the three, I mean Boiling Catholic

456
00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:07.559
Phillips is a is a first round
matchup there. I see Catholic gets the

457
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:11.799
winner of that one or Geneseeho gets
the winner of that one. Like you

458
00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:15.079
mentioned the Dixon Plano game, I
mean, obviously that's probably when prediction.

459
00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:18.359
We've talked about Dixon a ton and
then you know they're probably set up to

460
00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:23.559
play. I would assume Saint Lawrence
knocks off Vocation Chicago Vocational, but Dixon

461
00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:26.559
St. Lawrence is going to be
a hell of a game. Like that

462
00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:32.160
quadrant is really just sticking out to
me. I also think Sandwich is set

463
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:33.960
up for a run man, I
mean, again, not knowing much about

464
00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:38.359
the Chicago schools, just historically that
you know, they tend to falter in

465
00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:44.480
the playoffs. Chicago Diet eight one
diet. I'm not even sure how to

466
00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:47.039
pronounce that. That's how you know. I know, I was just going

467
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:52.599
to say the team Science is playing. Yeah, quality research. Job on

468
00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:59.559
my faults. But yeah, no, Hey, this is a corn corn

469
00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:03.359
Field Old podcast. Okay, we're
sorry, that's what we are. But

470
00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:07.119
yeah, I know, I think
Sandwiches is set up pretty nice for for

471
00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:14.119
a little run to start. Could
be I see kind of Richmond Burton lurking

472
00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:17.759
in there, which yeah, well
that would Yeah, I didn't say three

473
00:31:17.799 --> 00:31:22.799
winnable games the second round game.
Yeah, but I but I I do

474
00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:26.839
think I agree with you. I
like Sandwich's chances in this first one.

475
00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:30.599
Kind of Ridgewood's a member of that
Chicago Land Prairie that we talked about with

476
00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:33.720
kind of Seneate and everyone, and
they're kind of the one team that's not

477
00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:37.359
from you know, the Illinois Valley
that kind of won their way through the

478
00:31:37.400 --> 00:31:40.640
playoffs. They did play some of
the teams from down here like Marquette,

479
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:42.920
Saint Bete and and then you know
tough. I think they you know,

480
00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:48.279
got gotta win over Saint Bede to
play Dwight tough, played Marquette tough,

481
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:52.039
nobody played Seneca tough, you know, since week one Wilmington. But you

482
00:31:52.119 --> 00:31:57.160
know that you kind of think Ridgewood, you know, might be ah might

483
00:31:57.240 --> 00:32:00.960
be a result of kind of you
know, they play in a conference where

484
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:02.839
you know, they played a schedule
of small schools, with the exception of

485
00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:07.799
their two openers against public league schools
and uh, you know, and then

486
00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:10.319
and then their one conference game.
Other than that, they played all schools

487
00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:14.279
that are significantly smaller than them.
So on this four A bracket, you

488
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:17.480
know, Sandwich Sandwiches played tougher competition, you know, which is part of

489
00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:22.880
the reason why Sandwich is at home
in this first round game over Ridgewood.

490
00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:25.319
And and I I like Sandwiches.
I like the Indians' chances of getting to

491
00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:30.119
that second round against the Chicago school
and you know that maybe that very much

492
00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:34.920
can propel you to the quarterfinals.
Yeah, so that's gonna be an interesting

493
00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:36.839
one to keep an eye on.
But of course, then you know,

494
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:40.559
in that quarterfinal, that other little
half of the half of the half of

495
00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:45.480
the bracket is, uh, you
got Wheaton, Wheaton Academy, Saint Fider

496
00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:51.720
and uh Richmond Burke. So that's
something. The good news is you only

497
00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:53.079
got to play one of them because
they played each other first round. You

498
00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:58.480
know, that's so so the good
news is you don't have to worry about

499
00:32:58.519 --> 00:33:00.200
going through both of them to get
somewhere. But yeah, boys, just

500
00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:06.680
so many And I guess maybe I
I always kind of have mixed feelings about

501
00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:10.440
playoffs first round because so many of
the games are such mismatches, and you

502
00:33:10.519 --> 00:33:14.440
know, you see your you know, your nine and O teams playing the

503
00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:16.519
five and four teams, and and
you know it's a running clock right at

504
00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:20.240
the start of the second half,
and and you know, I've covered so

505
00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:22.960
many of those games in Week ten
over the years, but boy, this

506
00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:27.119
year it just really feels to me
that you know, and and you know,

507
00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:30.240
just a feeling, but so many
interesting first round games that I think

508
00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:34.400
really will be good games at the
lower you know, you're used to that

509
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:36.480
in Class you know, seven,
A, Class eight A. Yeah,

510
00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:37.759
you know, all these teams are
good if they make the playoffs, and

511
00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:40.839
you know you're going to get a
lot of great first round games. But

512
00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:45.640
I feel that these lower classes there
are a lot of very interesting first round

513
00:33:45.720 --> 00:33:47.440
matchups, and I think we're going
to see some really good games more than

514
00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:52.640
I'm used to seeing. Yeah,
I definitely think there's some good games working

515
00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:55.680
there. I still think you'll see
close it'll become close to the average and

516
00:33:55.759 --> 00:34:00.960
blowouts, and I disagree with you
a little bit there. But anyway,

517
00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.799
because again it's like the four and
five four in five teen thing. Every

518
00:34:04.880 --> 00:34:07.000
year you think it's you know,
although this year the four and five thing

519
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:12.199
did happen, so maybe the close
first round games of the lower classes increases

520
00:34:12.280 --> 00:34:17.039
as well. So you think that'd
be counterintuitive, but who knows. If

521
00:34:17.079 --> 00:34:21.000
we've learned anything from doing this for
ten weeks, it's that you know,

522
00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:27.559
anything can happen. I'm very bad
at guessing it. So one thing though,

523
00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:31.440
I think it's so close to coming
to fruition. I'm I'm actually pumped

524
00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:37.039
at something you know I spouted is
is coming true. And that's going all

525
00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:38.239
the way up to six eight.
I can spend a ton of time there.

526
00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:44.480
But camelin Devin, they are literally
in a foreign field, so they

527
00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:47.639
get they get some shout outs on
here. They're in the six a bracket.

528
00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:52.760
They open with Riverside Brookfield. We've
been talking about them all year.

529
00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:58.079
They have three losses this year.
The three teams they lost to are twenty

530
00:34:58.159 --> 00:35:00.960
five and two. And by the
way, that two both of those teams

531
00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:08.599
are undefeated Morris beating Sycamore, Kankakee
beating Washington. So Kaitlin's lost to More

532
00:35:08.679 --> 00:35:15.320
Sycamore and More Sycamore and Washington,
and they were leading in the fourth quarter

533
00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:17.920
in all three of those games.
So I've been saying that this is this

534
00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:22.280
is a good team taking care of
business in the other games. I know

535
00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:28.679
for LP kept it a little interesting
last week. Scored first if I'm not

536
00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:32.599
mistaken against Kaitlyn, but Kaitlyn then
I think answered with an eighty yard touchdown

537
00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:37.760
pass with a return Troy or Carlson, who's back from an injury to I

538
00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:39.079
want to say that one went to
Eric Johnson. It might have been Donald

539
00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:44.000
to Blasio, though don't remember hundred
percent it was Kevin Colomb was at that

540
00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:49.760
game? Correct, LP? Caitlin
last week? I think yes, yes,

541
00:35:50.320 --> 00:35:54.079
yes, but no, reading his
excellent coverage on Friday Night Drive dot

542
00:35:54.159 --> 00:36:00.840
Com, pretty sure that it was
Eric Johnson. Troy's back. So this

543
00:36:00.039 --> 00:36:06.119
this team I've been saying is gonna
make some noise. They're gonna shock someone

544
00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:08.840
in the first round, And from
talking to SEUs to getting a sense,

545
00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:14.320
I don't think I went over Riverfield, Riverside, Brookfield. It qualifies as

546
00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:19.639
like a shock. You know,
you know it's I know the Seeds say

547
00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:24.440
it's an upset, but it seems
like one that not like a major surprise.

548
00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:28.280
Not that there's one hundred percent chance
I wouldn't go bett in the house

549
00:36:28.360 --> 00:36:31.559
on anything in the postseason, let
alone this one. But and then you

550
00:36:31.639 --> 00:36:36.480
look at it in the second round. This is an eight and nine matchup

551
00:36:36.519 --> 00:36:40.119
in the second round either Crystal Lake
Central or Lake zero eight and one Lake

552
00:36:40.320 --> 00:36:46.159
Zurich number one seed Zerich, I
really hit that. You heard Zerk laid

553
00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:52.119
it lay in wait. I think
that's where Kaitlin proves me right. By

554
00:36:52.159 --> 00:36:55.360
the way, I don't think like
Zerch necessarily beats Crystal Lake Central. Crystal

555
00:36:55.440 --> 00:36:59.760
Lake Central comes out of a tough
conference, they play something, they pay

556
00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:04.559
very demanding schedule, So I don't
think that's a gimme by by any chance.

557
00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.519
He could end up at running Flock
and I could look really, really

558
00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:10.880
dumb, But I not that I'm
guaranteed and upset. But don't sleep on

559
00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:15.079
that one as a one sixteen.
Don't go to bed on that one necessarily.

560
00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:17.679
Yeah, and six A is another
one we just talked about for a

561
00:37:17.760 --> 00:37:21.800
B and like this, there's only
one undefeated team on the entire six A

562
00:37:21.960 --> 00:37:25.199
bracket that's Kanka Key and they're on
the south half of the bracket. So

563
00:37:25.679 --> 00:37:29.199
you know, things could line up
nice for Caitland to be one of those

564
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:32.480
six and three teams that kind of
everyone's writing it's a big surprise when they're

565
00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:36.079
you know, playing in the state
semi finals. But you know, yeah,

566
00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:38.480
I would not be surprised a bit. You know, you talk about

567
00:37:38.519 --> 00:37:44.280
the teams they've lost to and the
way they've played against those teams. You

568
00:37:44.360 --> 00:37:45.960
know, we've we've we've said it
all year. You know, Caitland is

569
00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:51.400
a team that is you know that
that is not only better than their record.

570
00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:52.800
You know, you I guess at
this point you are what your record

571
00:37:52.880 --> 00:37:55.519
is. But the teams they have
lost to and how they lost to them

572
00:37:57.000 --> 00:38:00.960
tells me that Caitland's a team nobody
you know, on this Class six A

573
00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:05.679
bracket once run into you know,
the later the better. Yeah, that's

574
00:38:05.719 --> 00:38:08.159
why, you know, and you
look at the other half, where if

575
00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:12.159
it did get to the quarters,
I mean, I mean Belvede or Norris

576
00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:15.440
Lurking as the four seed will who
Caitlan is beat this year. Wakanda finished

577
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:20.280
at seven and two. Caitlin's one
of those losses. Wikonda got the five

578
00:38:20.400 --> 00:38:24.800
seed because obviously the better record how
it works. So I mean it's it's

579
00:38:24.880 --> 00:38:30.400
looking, man, Caitlan can can
do some things if they just you know,

580
00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:34.079
do what they've been doing all year. Take care of business, get

581
00:38:34.119 --> 00:38:37.760
that offense going. The defense,
I mean, it hasn't been usually talking

582
00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:40.760
about some many lockdown defenses this time
of year. Their defense is good,

583
00:38:42.679 --> 00:38:47.159
but you know it's not like on
that Morris Sycamore Boom level. The flip

584
00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:52.920
side of that is, they scored
what thirty something points against Morris, They

585
00:38:52.960 --> 00:38:57.800
scored twenty one against Sycamore, so
they could put up a good amount of

586
00:38:57.880 --> 00:39:04.599
points against those I just call like
top level defenses. So I'm I'm pumped

587
00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:07.199
to see what this Caitlan team can
do. I think they're they're in store

588
00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:10.960
for for some very good things and
to possibly surprise a lot of people that

589
00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:17.000
haven't been paying attention to uh enough
Bill more listening to this podcast. Yeah,

590
00:39:17.079 --> 00:39:20.400
and you know that first game,
you know, depending on how Caitlan's

591
00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:22.840
defense forms, and you know,
Richmond Burton is perfectly happy to get in

592
00:39:22.840 --> 00:39:27.239
a shootout with you. It's it
seems from their scorer. So so you

593
00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:30.239
know that one could be a really
fun first round matchup. And I think

594
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:32.440
Kaitland does have the fireworks too,
you know, hold the more than hold

595
00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:37.159
their own in that and and kind
of move on. Yeah wrong, RB

596
00:39:37.400 --> 00:39:42.199
river I want to I can't even
I want to say Riverfield brooks Side,

597
00:39:42.280 --> 00:39:45.440
but it's Oh I said Richmond Burton
didn't. I am sorry, I met.

598
00:39:47.400 --> 00:39:51.880
I've got RB on well, and
then I'll go to Row and Ronald

599
00:39:51.960 --> 00:39:54.679
Benson. Let's not forget them.
Well they don't play football, but there

600
00:39:54.760 --> 00:40:02.000
do seem to be an inordinate amount
of RBS. Wow. So like a

601
00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:08.960
sponsor somehow roast beef sale. Yeah, So that pretty much covers up here

602
00:40:09.079 --> 00:40:15.639
for me. We we touched on
everything down there. I think we I

603
00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:16.800
think we covered it pretty well.
Who you got? Uh? Who you

604
00:40:16.880 --> 00:40:22.079
got? Week ten? Here,
Eddie, I am doing the Sycamore game

605
00:40:22.119 --> 00:40:27.199
against Evergreen Park up in Sycamore.
That's Friday at seven, and then I

606
00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:30.400
might be doing an eight man game
Saturday. We're still trying to see how

607
00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:37.280
some things shake out. That is
a game that would amboy Hiawatha, would

608
00:40:37.360 --> 00:40:42.320
touch on about five different markets for
us, but uh uh uh not like

609
00:40:43.800 --> 00:40:47.800
not like Sycamore or Ottawa or the
cal Or, but but still touches out

610
00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:51.880
a lot of So we got to
figure out that. So there's some sausage

611
00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:54.440
making for you as now this is
turning into a staff meeting. Yeah,

612
00:40:54.519 --> 00:40:57.760
that the plan. The plan for
now is I'll be at an eight man

613
00:40:57.840 --> 00:41:00.679
game day. We spent all this
time on the other the brackets. Then

614
00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:02.760
we're both both talking about possibly doing
eight man games. Yeah, yeah,

615
00:41:04.079 --> 00:41:07.559
I'm planning to be in Flannagan Friday
night. They got South Beloit, which

616
00:41:07.960 --> 00:41:12.320
Flannagan beat during the regular season a
few weeks ago, but the last time

617
00:41:12.320 --> 00:41:15.000
they played South Beloit and eight man
playoffs, they also beat them in the

618
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:17.599
regular season, and South Beloit came
to Woodland and about five miles from my

619
00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:22.639
house and just totally dominated them.
So open open for a good game.

620
00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:25.599
There was there is there a football
field five miles from your house or that

621
00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:30.079
just like did they randomly meeted at
Pigley Wigley? Yes, yes, they

622
00:41:30.199 --> 00:41:35.280
met at four Corners restaurant, and
no at Woodland. Woodland High School is

623
00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:37.119
about five miles south from my house. So oh, now I'm telling people

624
00:41:37.119 --> 00:41:42.519
where I live, but they also
have. But interestingly enough, you talk

625
00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:45.400
about Amboy kitting a lot of things. I believe if I remember the eight

626
00:41:45.480 --> 00:41:50.119
man bracket correctly off the top of
my head, I believe if Amboy wins

627
00:41:50.159 --> 00:41:52.079
and finding in Cornell Woodland win,
I believe they meet up in the second

628
00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:57.239
round of those eight man playoffs,
and FCW is really the only team that's

629
00:41:57.280 --> 00:42:00.960
given undefeated Saint Thomas More a good
game. I think that was back in

630
00:42:00.039 --> 00:42:05.719
week two, maybe week three,
So so I'm interested. I think Amboys

631
00:42:05.760 --> 00:42:07.719
would have to be your favorite in
that. But I think that could be

632
00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:12.880
a really good ball game and probably
uh up that way. So yeah,

633
00:42:12.920 --> 00:42:15.920
I was gonna say we should do
some analysis and so Amboys winning it all,

634
00:42:16.360 --> 00:42:21.239
but you think they might run into
a little hiccup with FC Dubs.

635
00:42:22.239 --> 00:42:23.320
I think they'd give them a good
game. But yeah, I think Amboys

636
00:42:23.400 --> 00:42:27.480
definitely definitely your favorite in that one. The way they've performed and gone.

637
00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:30.400
But FCW very very good, uh, very good team. They've built something

638
00:42:30.519 --> 00:42:35.760
really solid this year, just you
know, big line and they got that

639
00:42:35.880 --> 00:42:37.840
old that old school lightning and thunder
kind of you know, they have it.

640
00:42:37.880 --> 00:42:40.320
They have a huge kid who runs
the ball between the tackles, and

641
00:42:40.360 --> 00:42:44.239
a fast kid who runs the ball
outside the tackles, and a big,

642
00:42:44.440 --> 00:42:46.679
you know, big fullback who runs
in front of both of them. So

643
00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:50.360
I think I think they'll be you
know, I think that they can hang

644
00:42:50.400 --> 00:42:52.400
with that anybody. But yeah,
I look forward to seeing that in round

645
00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:55.079
two. But you know, amboy, I think you know, it's tough

646
00:42:55.079 --> 00:43:00.519
seeing anyone in that bracket stopping them. Yeah, say Thomas Moore technically the

647
00:43:00.559 --> 00:43:07.920
one seed and boy is at two. That FCW game should give a little

648
00:43:07.960 --> 00:43:12.519
insight because then you have at least
common opponents to go off of at that

649
00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:15.159
point when that lines up. So
uh no, Aman, braggets should be

650
00:43:15.599 --> 00:43:21.719
interesting. Of course, you mentioned
about forty percent of the offensive players when

651
00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:28.159
you were talking about scub Yeah,
exactly thirty point five to be precise.

652
00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:30.960
Yeah, eight man is always fun
because you know, I have people ask

653
00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:32.639
me all the time, oh,
I haven't seen one of those eight man

654
00:43:32.719 --> 00:43:36.280
games, how are they? You
know, it's been pretty prevalent for about

655
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:37.360
five years now, and I still
have people ask me, you know,

656
00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:42.920
oh, and I always tell them
at first your shock that how open the

657
00:43:42.960 --> 00:43:45.159
field is. And every once in
a while you'll have a big play break

658
00:43:45.159 --> 00:43:46.960
where you're like, where's the safety
and it's like, oh, yeah,

659
00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:52.320
there is, you know. And
but for the most part, ninety eight

660
00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:53.880
percent of the game, you totally
forget you're watching eight man. It just

661
00:43:53.920 --> 00:43:59.119
feels like you're watching football. So
yeah, definitely definitely not getting down on

662
00:43:59.199 --> 00:44:00.400
eight man. You won't see that. For me. I think it's great

663
00:44:00.760 --> 00:44:06.559
that it keeps teams playing competitive football, and I enjoy covering it. Yeah,

664
00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:09.519
No, I wish I could get
out more often to see Hiawatha play.

665
00:44:09.960 --> 00:44:14.599
So I'm kind of hoping Saturday lines
up. Even though it's a trip

666
00:44:14.679 --> 00:44:16.119
down the Amboy, which I think
it's only about forty five minutes from,

667
00:44:16.199 --> 00:44:20.199
I don't think it's actually like that
bad. It's been longer ago in than

668
00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:24.079
Aperville, So no, it definitely, like you said, like, there

669
00:44:24.159 --> 00:44:28.079
are times when you know you're watching
it and you just forget it's an eight

670
00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:31.960
man game and anything and I'm just
repeating your talking points here, but anything

671
00:44:32.079 --> 00:44:38.000
that keeps these small schools playing.
Honestly, I kind of thought, and

672
00:44:38.079 --> 00:44:44.519
it hasn't happened. I thought maybe
if that once i HSA starts sponsoring it,

673
00:44:44.599 --> 00:44:46.599
this will happen. But I'm surprised
like schools that don't have football,

674
00:44:46.599 --> 00:44:51.639
I haven't tried picking it up.
I've talked to a couple like Indian Creek

675
00:44:51.679 --> 00:44:54.679
and Big Rock. I know one
of the concerns is it would pretty much

676
00:44:54.760 --> 00:45:00.519
end their soccer teams, so because
you don't have enough kids draw from to

677
00:45:00.639 --> 00:45:04.679
do both soccer and obviously even eight
man football at the same time. But

678
00:45:04.719 --> 00:45:09.199
I'm still kind of surprised they haven't. You haven't seen more schools actually pick

679
00:45:09.280 --> 00:45:14.320
up football because eight man almost exclusively
now with scenes that had football, and

680
00:45:14.400 --> 00:45:17.199
they just don't have the numbers to
continue at eleven man. So yeah,

681
00:45:17.239 --> 00:45:21.159
you've seen a couple of teams that
had that were part of co ops that

682
00:45:21.280 --> 00:45:23.440
have decided to build their own I
think Danville Schlarman was one of those that

683
00:45:23.599 --> 00:45:27.519
you know, had been co oping
for years and went ahead and made their

684
00:45:27.519 --> 00:45:30.039
own team, although I think they
had a tough time finishing the season this

685
00:45:30.159 --> 00:45:32.400
year. If I remember right,
if I'm thinking of the right, I

686
00:45:32.440 --> 00:45:37.760
believe they don't have RB. Yeah, their initials aren't RB, so I

687
00:45:37.800 --> 00:45:43.880
think I can keep them straight Ranville
Larman, But yeah, I don't.

688
00:45:44.159 --> 00:45:45.559
I think, uh, you know, I think we've seen some of that,

689
00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:49.679
but more of that than teams just
saying hey, let's start football.

690
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:52.679
I remember a few years ago,
I believe Somonok member of the Little Ten

691
00:45:52.719 --> 00:45:58.719
Conference. Everything with Indian Creek and
Kirkland Hiawatha, Somonoc had there was a

692
00:45:58.920 --> 00:46:01.599
big ground swell that was just a
group of dads who had some talented kids

693
00:46:01.599 --> 00:46:06.159
who'd come up through youth football and
they were trying to get a Samanok football

694
00:46:06.199 --> 00:46:08.480
program off the ground. And I
believe the main point of resistance they met,

695
00:46:08.519 --> 00:46:12.199
in addition to some financial things,
although I think a lot of those

696
00:46:12.840 --> 00:46:15.960
boosters and whatever were saying they'd take
care of that, was what's this going

697
00:46:15.039 --> 00:46:17.480
to do to our other programs?
You know? And then you know,

698
00:46:17.639 --> 00:46:22.840
we have we have an established program
here and and you know what would having

699
00:46:22.880 --> 00:46:27.920
football draw away from it? So
you know it's it's it's a copyit issue.

700
00:46:28.079 --> 00:46:30.400
You'd love to see it where all
these schools have the opportunity for kids

701
00:46:30.480 --> 00:46:34.159
to play whatever sport they want,
and you know, but that's just not

702
00:46:34.280 --> 00:46:37.679
realistic. When I was in high
school at Streeter High School, you know,

703
00:46:37.760 --> 00:46:42.199
we had one kid who wanted to
swim and he just went to meet

704
00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:45.519
independently qualified for state. He was
a great swimmer. His name was Brett

705
00:46:45.559 --> 00:46:50.199
Stone, a story I'll tell another
day, maybe if we'd bring this podcast

706
00:46:50.239 --> 00:46:53.280
back next year. But he's actually
the reason you see find defibrillators in gyms

707
00:46:53.320 --> 00:46:58.960
and airplanes and everything everywhere. But
he was a great swimmer at Streeter High

708
00:46:58.960 --> 00:47:02.039
School. Also taught me how to
play the try Time's in band. Good

709
00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:07.199
dude, But you know, Streeter
High School didn't have the thing for a

710
00:47:07.239 --> 00:47:09.119
swim team. They found a way
to go out there without co oping and

711
00:47:09.199 --> 00:47:12.519
kind of get them out there.
That doesn't work so much in football,

712
00:47:12.599 --> 00:47:14.960
you can't have. Hey, we
have five kids who really want to play

713
00:47:14.960 --> 00:47:17.280
football and they're good at it.
Let's get a team. But like you

714
00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:21.320
said, eight man maybe offers that
opportunity because now all of a sudden,

715
00:47:21.320 --> 00:47:23.199
maybe if you have twenty kids,
Yeah, we could maybe try and get

716
00:47:23.239 --> 00:47:27.079
through an eight man schedule with twenty
kids. And that's just not an option

717
00:47:27.199 --> 00:47:29.920
at the eleven man game. So
I hope you're right. I hope when

718
00:47:29.960 --> 00:47:31.840
it becomes an ISHSA sport, which
you know, we were so sure it

719
00:47:31.920 --> 00:47:35.519
was trending in that direction. And
I believe there's one or two fewer eight

720
00:47:35.599 --> 00:47:37.559
man teams this year than there have
been years past, Like it sounded twenty

721
00:47:37.639 --> 00:47:40.679
eight this year, So that's kind
of interesting. But I think if it

722
00:47:40.760 --> 00:47:45.159
does get that ISSA sponsorship, I
think we will see some a lot more

723
00:47:45.199 --> 00:47:50.199
schools exploring that possibility. Yeah,
because there are some things you can do

724
00:47:50.320 --> 00:47:53.280
to try to encourage that if you
were so inclined to one of those things,

725
00:47:53.360 --> 00:47:57.679
moving boys soccer season, although that
creates about a million other problems to

726
00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:00.719
solve half a problem that's not even
really a problem. So yeah, but

727
00:48:01.760 --> 00:48:07.199
at every rate, I think that
puts bow on things. Yeah. So

728
00:48:09.239 --> 00:48:13.840
so you're at FCW is the point
you've got some eight man action on Friday?

729
00:48:15.119 --> 00:48:17.360
Yeah, indeed, just looking forward
for a great playoff run. I'm

730
00:48:17.400 --> 00:48:21.679
not sure if we'll be back next
week. I think we're kind of thinking

731
00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:23.960
maybe we wouldn't be, but maybe
see how our teams do around here and

732
00:48:24.599 --> 00:48:28.039
talk around there. That's why I
paused there. I was gonna leave it

733
00:48:28.159 --> 00:48:32.320
open, leave it there, man. So so if you see one next

734
00:48:32.360 --> 00:48:37.000
week, it means we have some
interesting things to say about our our Cornfield

735
00:48:37.039 --> 00:48:42.679
football teams. On that note,
he was JT penalty. I'm Eddie Carrifio.

736
00:48:43.280 --> 00:48:49.079
Thank you for listening. Take care, Schwiker, Gannison, Krizek Rundio

737
00:48:49.199 --> 00:48:52.000
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738
00:48:52.039 --> 00:48:54.679
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