Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Four more teams...

...I'll be watching this year -- if only out of the corner of my eye -- will be Andrew, St. Francis, Lyons and Downers Grove North.

Let's take them one at a time, shall we?

Andrew will be led by senior Jarvion Franklin (above), a 6'1", 220-pound running back with interest from such schools as Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern. The Thunderbolts, who went 6-4 last year, play one of the most confusing schedules of any team in the state. After opening against Bremen and Sandburg, Andrew plays three Lincoln-Way teams in a row and then three schools whose names all begin with "Thorn." Consult the schedule carefully; you won't want to show up at the wrong place!

Without further ado, here's Andrew's 2013 schedule (with last year's records in parentheses):

Aug. 30 Bremen (5-5)

Sept. 6 @ Sandburg (7-3)
Will Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald visit his alma mater for a peek at Franklin?

Sept. 13 @ Lincoln-Way North (6-4)
Watch out for Illinois-bound Julian Hylton.

Sept. 20 Lincoln-Way Central (4-5)

Sept. 27 @ Lincoln-Way West (8-4)
The Warriors knocked off previously undefeated Kaneland, 31-15, in the second round of the playoffs in 2012 before losing a heartbreaker to Joliet Catholic, 21-20. Andrew shut out West, 17-0, in Week Four last year. But if the Warriors didn't graduate too many starters this could be a heck of a game!

Oct. 4 Thornton (8-3)
Andrew also shut out the best of the "Thorns" last year, 27-0. But the Wildcats are returning Jowahn Brown at quarterback, running back D'Anthony Cross, Jauan Wesley at wide receiver and cornerback Tifonte Hunt. Maybe I should be writing about Thornton!

Oct. 11 @ Thornwood (3-6)

Oct. 18 Thornridge (0-9)

Oct. 25 Bradley-Bourbonnais (6-4)
The Boilermakers will bring Colin Holderman, a 6'5", 205-pound junior at quarterback; Andrew Poremba, a 6'5", 265-pound offensive tackle and wide receiver L. J. Harris.

Which games will I attend? Maybe none; corner of my eye, remember? But if Franklin starts lighting up the scoreboard I may have to check out either Lincoln-Way West, Thornton or Bradley-Bourbonnais. And, if not, well, there's always the playoffs.

Next: St. Francis.

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