FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

79jaybird · May 17, 2006, 09:09:56 AM

I played at Prospect from 1994-1998 and we were the worst team in the MSL! The conference was Schaumburg/Hoffmann/Conant/Rolling Meadows/Elk Grove/Prospect. The other side was Palatine/Fremd/Buffalo Grove/Barrington/Hersey/Wheeling
Schaumburg had Kittner and were perennially good, along with BG/Fremd/Palatine.
Our record was something like 1-8, 0-9, 1-8, and 2-7. I remember Senior Year we had 2 wins and felt like it was a big deal.
Once Pearlman took over as HC and they brought in Petricca, the program turned the corner. My Soph year at Elmhurst, Prospect made the playoffs for the first time in long time, lost in OT to Bloomington. The following year they won back to back State Championships. Moral of the story is that sometimes a coaching change can spawn a rejuvenation.
7A Prospect, Hoffmann, Hersey, Buffalo Grove,Wheeling, Elk Grove,
8A Barrington, Fremd, Palatine?, Schaumburg, Conant?
Most of this is due to enrollments, but the MSL is still one of the strongest non-Catholic Conferences in the IHSA.

79jaybird · May 17, 2006, 09:13:01 AM

Matblake, so you're a Mustang Alumnus? Do you happen to know a Mr. Jim Ackley whom I believe operates the scoreboard and/or scorekeeps for basketball games? Mr. Ackley taught at the elementary school my Mother teaches at, and accompanies me to football games.
Lots of things factor into the success of a high school team. Personally, I think it's the kids feeding into the high school. How these kids are brought up (little leagues), is the main factor. Then you need a successful coach that is a good motivator.

CardinalAlum · May 17, 2006, 09:41:24 AM

Quote from: 79jaybird on May 17, 2006, 09:09:56 AM
Most of this is due to enrollments, but the MSL is still one of the strongest non-Catholic Conferences in the IHSA.

Jaybird,

I would say the MSL is a good conference, but I would put the Central Suburban, DuPage Valley, Sica West and West Suburban ahead of the MSL as far as football goes. Some of those MSL schools were once great programs(Palatine, Hersey, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Conant), but they haven't been all that strong lately.

matblake · May 17, 2006, 09:48:21 AM

jaybird, I am a Mustang alumnus. The name of Ackley sounds familiar, and there was a girl in my class named Joy Ackley, but that just might be coincidence. I haven't lived in Mundelein since 97 so I am a bit out of touch. However, via the school website, it appears that the head coach Whitson has the program in the right direction.

79jaybird · May 17, 2006, 12:13:34 PM

Matblake,

Does Mundelein have problems competing with Carmel, as Prospect/Hersey/BG have problems competing with St. Viator?
I don't know a Joy Ackley, but Jim Ackley has been a family friend for many years.
CardinalAlum, I agree those conferences are stacked. Funny you mention the DVC because that I think IS the strongest conf. in the IHSA. I was only pointing out that the MSL is a strong conference. My Father went to Evanston and he still proclaims the ETHS/New Trier Rivalry as the best in IL.

matblake · May 17, 2006, 02:00:20 PM

jaybird,
Mundelein does not compete against Carmel in football with the exception of the freshman B level. In other sports its about 50/50, I think. Carmel is in the East Suburban Catholic http://www.eastsuburbancc.com/ and Mundelein is in the North Suburban.

irish21 · May 17, 2006, 07:19:36 PM

Quote from: CardinalAlum on May 17, 2006, 09:41:24 AM
Quote from: 79jaybird on May 17, 2006, 09:09:56 AM
Most of this is due to enrollments, but the MSL is still one of the strongest non-Catholic Conferences in the IHSA.

Jaybird,

I would say the MSL is a good conference, but I would put the Central Suburban, DuPage Valley, Sica West and West Suburban ahead of the MSL as far as football goes. Some of those MSL schools were once great programs(Palatine, Hersey, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Conant), but they haven't been all that strong lately.

Cardalum...I have to disagreee with you on one of your selections, my friend! Who has been consistently strong in the Central Suburban besides New Trier in the past 10 years and how many state champions have they produced in the past 10 years? I believe the MSL has three 7A titles with Prospect while Schaumburg and Barrington both made it to the 8A championship game since 1998.

Who from the CSL has "been there, done that" recently? I definitely agree with the DVC, SICA West and West Suburban choices.

And I'm a former Catholic Leaguer from Fenwick

CardinalAlum · May 17, 2006, 08:50:01 PM

Quote from: irish21 on May 17, 2006, 07:19:36 PM

Cardalum...I have to disagreee with you on one of your selections, my friend! Who has been consistently strong in the Central Suburban besides New Trier in the past 10 years and how many state champions have they produced in the past 10 years? I believe the MSL has three 7A titles with Prospect while Schaumburg and Barrington both made it to the 8A championship game since 1998.

Who from the CSL has "been there, done that" recently? I definitely agree with the DVC, SICA West and West Suburban choices.

And I'm a former Catholic Leaguer from Fenwick

Quote

Irish,

I'm surprised at you. Did you happen to forget a team out of the Central Suburban from Park Ridge? Maine South has been as dominant a program as there has been in the last 5 years or so and counting.

State Champions-1995, 2000. State Runner-up 2003, 2004, 2005.

irish21 · May 17, 2006, 09:33:53 PM

Alum...Damn! Good call!!!! I need to keep taking my St. John's Wort for better memory!!!!

But...the DVC and West Suburban have them both beat - hands down! WWS and the Naperville's are tough every year along with the Downers!

Before I retire from stat keeping, Fremd will get to the 8A championship game

I have too much foul weather gear to go to waste

Mike Donatucci deserves it

79jaybird · May 18, 2006, 09:27:10 AM

MatBlake-- I was very clear on my statement, when I referred to "competing against Carmel" I meant competing for kids and future athletes, not actually competing in games. I'm sorry for the confusion.
For example, St. Viator attracts kids from Mt. Prospect/Arlington Hts./and the surrounding communities that otherwise would go to Prospect/Hersey/BG/etc.
Maine South is definitely one of the elite football schools.
The brings up one of my thougths with regards to recruiting. During the Gary Roach era at Elmhurst, they focused a large amount of effort recruiting kids from Florida! I could never understand why they would focus their recruiting in Florida when you have a multitude of talent in the Chicago Metro Area. Barry Brennan (current Athletic Recruiter) is doing a great job attracting area kids like Demma, Brogan, Evans, etc. all Glenbard North (local) players.

79jaybird · May 18, 2006, 09:30:40 AM

Irish21, good to see/hear from you. I hope you are doing well.
I may have mentioned this to you before, however when my Cousin was a Junior at Fremd, the Vikings had Tim Eaton at QB and Mario Dorsey was I believe either starting or playing second string (not sure). All I remember from that team is a huge D-line that ripped us apart. We lost bad something like 35-7 and our 7 points came against Fremd's 3rd string.
That team (probably between 1996-1998) I am surprised they didn't go further than they did. That was a great team for the green/gold

matblake · May 18, 2006, 09:49:30 AM

jaybird, sorry I misunderstood. Carmel is the largest Catholic school in the area (to my recollection anyway) and draws kids from most of the towns that make up the North Suburban Conference such as Libertyville, Mundelein, Lincolnshire/Hawthorn Woods (Stevenson), Gurnee (Warren), Wauconda, so I guess that you can say they compete with all those towns. I don't know how it is anymore, but when I was growing up, there wasn't much recruiting. You knew in Jr. High if you were going to go to Carmel or if you were going to MHS.

79jaybird · May 18, 2006, 10:22:54 AM

Matblake- "you knew in Jr High if you were going to Carmel or if you were going to MHS"
That is right on. Those folks who's Daddy's had $$$ went to St. Viator and the majority of the middle class went to the public school. So you knew 2-3 years prior to hs where you were going.

matblake · May 18, 2006, 10:42:21 AM

Not so much that way in Mundelein. There was a large Catholic population there back in those days, who knows it might be different now, but that made more of a difference than the $ factor.

irish21 · May 18, 2006, 06:41:11 PM

Quote from: 79jaybird on May 18, 2006, 09:30:40 AM
Irish21, good to see/hear from you. I hope you are doing well.
I may have mentioned this to you before, however when my Cousin was a Junior at Fremd, the Vikings had Tim Eaton at QB and Mario Dorsey was I believe either starting or playing second string (not sure). All I remember from that team is a huge D-line that ripped us apart. We lost bad something like 35-7 and our 7 points came against Fremd's 3rd string.
That team (probably between 1996-1998) I am surprised they didn't go further than they did. That was a great team for the green/gold

JB...1996 still stands as the gold standard for Fremd football. That team reached the Elite 8 before losing to Stevenson. No other team in Fremd history has ever won two playoff games in a season. Teams have had more wins but none have ever gone as far in the playoffs.

If your cousin was there when Timmy was the QB, Mario would have been the backup to Joey Chambers. If your cousin was there when Mario was the starter, that would have been the 96 team and they picked up their two playoff wins over York and Addison Trail. They were led by a sophomore qb who took over in the first quarter of the first playoff game against York. His name escapes me at the moment