After three weeks of IHSA football in the books, several teams have turned around their fate from a year ago and have gotten off to impressive 3-0 starts. Which programs could have staying power the rest of the regular season?
St. Joseph
Biggest win to date: Last Friday's 41-19 win at East Moline United.
Biggest game left on the schedule: This Saturday at Lake Forest Academy (1-2). When your program has never made the IHSA state playoff field, your biggest game is the next game.
Biggest question facing the Chargers: What about their overall strength of schedule? So far, it hasn't been good (opponents are 0-9 combined), meaning the Chargers will most likely need six wins to secure a state playoff spot. Head coach Rich Petroski has the Chargers playing well and is easily one of Chicagoland best stories so far.
Fenwick
The Friars biggest win to date? Last Friday's dominating 38-6 win over defending CCL Green and 6A state champion Montini Catholic.
Biggest game left on the schedule? Week 9 hosting De La Salle. It could have major CCL Green and state playoff implications.
Biggest question facing the Friars? Can they survive the remaining regular season schedule and stay healthy? The Friars have the likes of Loyola, Marmion Academy (3-0) and De La Salle (3-0) still left to play.
De La Salle
The Meteors biggest win to date: A 26-16 win over Niles North (0-3) the opening week of the season.
Biggest game left on the schedule: Week 7 at Mount Carmel. The Caravan always get the Meteors blood boiling. Plus, this kicks off three straight tough games for De La Salle.
Biggest question facing the Meteors: Are the Meteors battle tested yet? De La Salle is in dire need to win a few tough tests as their opponent’s combined records are 0-9.
Marmion Academy
The Cadets biggest win to date: Last week’s 21-0 win over St. Francis
Biggest game left on the schedule: Week 5 at Montini Catholic. The Cadets could face off against a “need-to-win-or-else” Broncos team.
Biggest question facing the Cadets: Once again, how is their strength of schedule? We should begin to get a better feel this Friday when Marmion travels to Bishop McNamara (0-3), a team that is much tougher than its record indicates.
Naperville North
The Huskies biggest win to date: Last Friday, beating Wheaton North 33-7.
Biggest game left on the schedule: This Friday at Lake Park (2-1). The Lancers could be a huge test for the Huskies and they can't afford to look past anyone in the DuPage Valley.
Biggest question facing the Huskies? Can Naperville North stay healthy and how will they fare, particularly, over the next four weeks?
Woodstock North
The Thunder's biggest win to date: Last Friday beating Harvard 41-0.
Biggest game left on the schedule: This Friday at Marengo (3-0). Marengo will undoubtedly be North's biggest test to date.
Biggest question facing the Thunder: How well can Woodstock North match up with some of the heavyweights still left on the schedule (Marengo/Johnsburg/Woodstock/River Falls)?
[RELATED: Edgy's Top 25 Power Rankings for Week 4]
Aurora Central Catholic
The Thunder's biggest win to date: Week 1, beating Aurora Christian 22-9.
Biggest game left on the schedule: This Friday at Riverside-Brookfield (3-0). This Metro Suburban crossover will be a big test for the Chargers.
Biggest question facing the Chargers: Can Aurora Central Catholic continue to pound the remaining teams on the schedule with their strong running game? Having a Hall of Fame head coach like John Belskis on board is a huge advantage down the road.
Hoffman Estates
The Hawks biggest win to date: Week 2-- a 28-14 win over Buffalo Grove
Biggest game left on the schedule: Week 6 at Conant. The Hawks will need to find a conference win and Conant (0-3) has been struggling.
Biggest question facing the Hawks: Can they survive the second half of the regular season schedule? The Mid-Suburban West is absolutely loaded this fall and just getting to five wins is an accomplishment for anyone in that conference.
Shepard
The Astros biggest win to date: Last Friday’s 24-7 win over Evergreen Park.
Biggest game left on the schedule: This Friday at Richards (1-3). You could argue that Reavis in Week 7 might be a bigger game, but Shepard really wants this one over the Bulldogs.
Biggest question facing the Astros: Can Shepard play well against the bigger names still left (Richards/TF South/Reavis) and show some playoff potential?
Morris
The Redskins biggest win to date: Last week’s 20-3 win over 5A state-ranked Washington (2-1).
Biggest game left on the schedule: Either at DeKalb (2-1) in Week 6 or at Kaneland (2-1) in Week 7.
Biggest question facing the Redskins: Can Morris continue to play consistently good football week in and week out? Turnovers and inconsistent play has hurt Morris over the past few seasons.
Lockport
The Porters biggest win to date: Last Friday 16-14 win over Lincoln-Way Central (2-1).
Biggest game left on the schedule: Week 7 hosting Lincoln-Way West. The Porters will see where they stand against the Warriors, not to mention against teams outside of the Southwest Suburban's Big Three (H-F/Bolingbrook/LW East).
Biggest question facing the Porters: Can Lockport continue to win the close games? The Porters struggled all last season in close games. This year they are 3-0 in tight games.
St. Charles East
The Saints biggest win to date: Last Friday 30-0 win over Geneva (1-2).
Biggest game left on the schedule: This week at St. Charles North (3-0). Nothing announces your arrival better than upsetting your rival on their home field.
Biggest question facing the Saints: Can they hang in and play tough over the next three weeks? They’re at St. Charles North (3-0), then host Batavia (3-0) and Bartlett (2-1).
Edgy Tim is here to talk about Week 4 of the High School Football season!Have a question about your favorite program or a big game this week? Ask and he'll answer it on-air!
Опубліковано NBC Sports Chicago Середа, 14 вересня 2016 р.