School: Al Raby
Head coach: D'Angelo Dereef
Assistant Coaches: Jordan Dornbush, Eric Harris and Warren Agnew
How they fared in 2017: 11-2 (4-1 CPL Illini Land of Lincoln Conference). Raby made the Class 4A state football playoff field. The Raiders defeated Rock Island Alleman, Richmond-Burton and Dixon before losing to Morris in the semifinal round.
2018 Regular Season Schedule:
Aug. 24 @ Niles North
Sept. 1 vs UP Englewood at Lane Stadium
Sept. 8 vs Curie at Lane Stadium
Sept. 14 @ Lane Tech
Sept. 22 @ Westinghouse
Sept. 29 @ Simeon
Oct. 6 vs Morgan Park @ Lane Stadium
Oct. 12 @ Lincoln Park
Oct. 19 vs Phillips @ Lane Stadium
[MORE: 97 Days to Kickoff - Back of the Yards]
Biggest storyline: Can the Raiders make another deep run in the state playoffs in 2018?
Names to watch this season: DB Romel Goston and WR/S Marshon Foster
Biggest holes to fill: The Raiders and head coach D'Angelo Dereef welcome back 18 returning starters from last year's semifinal team. They have a deep, talented team but more depth is always needed to make a deep run in the state playoffs.
EDGY's Early Take: Al Raby was another terrific story out of the Chicago Public League in 2017, as they made a solid run in the post-season. The Raiders of 2018 will feature a deep roster including senior DB Romel Goston (NIU commit) and WR/S Marshon Foster (Western Michigan commit). Look for the Raiders to be in the 4A state title talk once again; however, a move over to the CPL Illini Heartland conference this fall will bring a much tougher regular season slate.