When I met up with my buddy...

...Scherps at the Cary-Grove - Crystal Lake South game recently, he asked me, "Don't you ever go to any games in your area?"

Good question, Scherps. Good question.

There are five schools within a 15 mile radius of my house that are ranked in the top 50 in the state, according to MaxPreps: Loyola, Maine South, Stevenson, Palatine and Lake Forest.

* Loyola, currently ranked No.11 by MaxPreps, plays exactly two other teams in the top 50 in Wilmette, Providence (19) and Brother Rice (43). (Both of which I plan on attending.)

* Maine South (10) plays none in Park Ridge -- zero. That's right; what's more, after opening up at Warren (71) and  Wheaton Warrenville South (37), the Hawks don't play another team ranked in the top 100! What's up with that?

* Stevenson (24) hosts Lyons (45) and Lake Forest (36) in Lincolnshire.

* Palatine (21) plays one team ranked in the top 50 at home, Montini (7). (And I would have seen that game had I not been busy.)

* Finally, Lake Forest (36) hosts only one team in the top 50, Lake Zurich (23).

So let's see: that's a grand total of six games in nine weeks. (Actually, it's only five since the Stevenson - Lyons game was on the same night as the Palatine - Montini contest.) Out of a possible 18 games in a nine-week regular season, I could watch only five within 15 miles of my house. And I would never see the likes of Bolingbrook, Glenbard West, Lincoln-Way East, Wheaton North or Marist, just to name a few.

So that's why I travel so much. A couple of years ago I told myself I wouldn't see any more crummy games. Last year I decided that I would only see the best.

On to Glenbard West at Hinsdale Central!