In last Friday's prep football game in the mud between host Zion-Benton & Lake Forest, there were 3 penalties called and excepted without having a single second tick off the clock.
Amazing.
Z-B kicked off and the pool of mud in the middle of the field caused the kicker to hesitate, resultilng in the kick-coverage players going offside. No time off clock.
The next kcikoff sailed into the end zone which was an automatic dead ball, but Z-B was called for a personal-foul penalty on the play which cost them 15 yards. No time off clock.
Lining up for its first-down play, Lake Forest's offense jumped offsides for a five-yard penalty. STILL no time off the clock.
3 penalties without a second being run off the clock.
Can you top that for an unusual occurance at a prep football game?
This is one to debate for awhile ... especially if Lake Forest loses one more game this fall and thereby is not eligible for the IHSA football playoffs.
In last Friday's 43-42 overtime loss to unbeaten Warren, the Blue Devils won the game when, after scoring a TD in OT to pull within 42-41, decided to run for a no-guarantee-of-success two-point conversion that they made rather than opt for the virtually automatic one-point kick that would have tied the game and forced another OT.
Earlier, Lake Forest was in the exact same situation. After scoring a TD with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter to pull within 35-34, the Scouts went for and made the one-point kick to tie the game and send the game into OT rather than attempt a no-guarantee-of-success two-point conversion that would have resulted in a 36-35 win or 35-34 loss.
Which coach was right? Warren's Dave Mohapp or Lake Forest's Chuck Spagnoli?
And remember: Warren pretty much could not stop Lake Forest's passing game and Lake Forest pretty much could not stop Warren's running game.
Prep boys basketball practice starts on Nov. 9.
That said, which area high schools figure to be missing hoops players at practice that date because the school's football team is still alive & in the second round of the IHSA playdowns?
Here's a short list: Vernon Hills & Antioch from the NSC Prairie; Lake Zurich & Stevenson from the NSC Lake: Carmel from the ESCC.
There's your Fab Five.
By the way, This will be the 21st straight year that Stevenson High coach Bill Mitz will have gotten the Patriots into the grid playoffs.
The coach most likely to better that record? Tony Monken at Vernon Hills.
Geez, you would think that after going 12-1 last year and creating a total football buzz in the community that Antioch could have done better with its football scheduling for 2009.
Alas, the Sequoits are collateral damage in the scheduling mess created by the Fox Valley Conference having a unwield 13-team league.
Forced to find two new opponents for non-conference games during Weeks 1 & 2 of the season, Antioch wound up settling for two road games -- at Streamwood & at Waukegan. Then, on Week 3, is yet another road game, this time at Warren.
All told, Antioch has just THREE homes games this fall because the North Suburban Conference crossover game against a Lakes Division team (Warren) is a home game for the Lakes Division.
Guess the Sequoits will have to make it up to their fans by hosting 2-3 playoff games.
Surely, we all can agree that Waukegan High is holding the boys basketball hammer for 2009-2010.
In The Locker Room, we like Mundelein, led by Iowa-bound Ben Brust, to be the primary challenger.
But other than the Mustangs, is Waukegan going to be a runaway train in terms of Lake County hoops or will some other school be good enough to challenge them come tourney time?
This year's state tourney is being played at the home field for the Joliet Jackhammers, a minor-league franchise in the Northern League.
Hmmmmmm.
Maybe some year down the road, the Field of Dreams that will be where the Lake County Fielders play in Zion can host the state meet.
What's needed is hotel rooms for the 8 teams (4 in Class 3A and 4A in class 4A) that play on Friday and Saturday. We probably have plenty of hotels around here to accommodate them.
Tonight, the Grayslake High Board of Education reportedly is going to consider naming a permanent varsity boys basketball coach for next season. Brian Moe, who coached the Rams last year after former coach Tim Bowen got fired, served as interim coach last winter.
Since elections reshaped the school board, it is possible that there is strong sentiment to bring back Bowen, a very successful coach in terms of wins and losses who was dumped by the former board for reasons not connected to winning and losing games.
So, who will it be: Bowen or Moe?
This does remind of the situation at Waukegan High when Al Rogers was named interim coach after Brian Colbert departed a few years back. After Rogers' season, the job was posted and likeable Al applied for the job. As did Colbert.
Neither of them, of course, was hired. Ron Ashlaw was.
But it was conceivable that Colbert COULD have been brought back, so the idea of bringing back Bowen is not beyond the realm of realism.
The irony, of course, is that Bowen served last year as assistant coach for Waukegan High's team that nearly won the IHSA Class 4A state title. Meanwhile, Moe became the first coach in Grayslake (Central) history to coach a team to victory in a sectional game.
This one has a too-close-to-call feel to it.
What do you think?
One of the things you notice right away during the spring sports season is how few of the area's top prep boys basketball players also play baseball or track or tennis or lacrosse.
One notable exception is Vernon Hills High senior Riaz Hoveydai. During the winter, he was the best players on a decent Cougar boys hoops squad.
This spring, he played No. 1 doubles for his school's tennis team and actually reached the finals of the North Suburban Conference tournament at No. 1 doubles. It was the first time a Cougar singles player or doubles team played for an NSC title in the school's nine-year history.
Are there any other all-county boys hoopsters playing successfully on the school field this spring?
This team probably should be atop the North Suburban Conference Lake Division standings. But, inexplicably, it went in the tank for two weeks in April, losing back-to-back two-game series to Lake Zurich & Stevenson, and thereby assuring also-ran status for the rest of the regular season.
That said, the team has the total package necessary to do some serious damage in the Class 4A playdowns. They can catch the ball, can play small ball, have some serious thumpers in the heart of the lineup, and have an emerging freshman pitcher who will keep the other team from scoring in bunches.
The key is to play smart ball. Don't know why the team kept brain-cramping in April, but it's playing the best ball in our area right now, and will be a real danger team in the playoffs.
The North Suburban Conference Prairie Division softball and baseball titles appear to be headed in the same direction -- north.
In softball, Antioch has total command of the league race and surely will represent the division in the NSC Championship Game.
In baseball, Lakes High's program is on fire, and has won 11 straight. While the Eagles have a danger game against powerful Deerfield today, the Eagles clearly could be a factor when the IHSA playoffs begin and they drop down to compete at the Class 3A level.
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