Sure, I had originally planned on seeing Fenwick (2-1) at Loyola (2-1) tomorrow -- and that should be a heck of a game -- but there's just something drawing me out west instead.
Maybe it's Valenta Stadium, above, where the Roadrunners play their home games. I've only been there once (to see Nazareth lose a heart-breaker to Marist, 24-21, in 2012) but I remember it as a great place to see a game (even if a non-Valenta Stadium Club member like me can't sit in the choice seats between the 45-yard lines).
Maybe it's to watch two of the last three remaining undefeated teams in the East Suburban Catholic Conference play each other. (Benet is the third and should extend its record to 4-0 against St. Patrick this weekend. Jack Who?)
Maybe it's because I got a little taste of Nazareth and its high-powered offense last week against St. Patrick (Wow!) and want to see if Nolan Dean and company are for real. (And I suspect they are.)
Maybe it's because I've been meaning to see Marian Central, the quarterback factory, ever since current University of Minnesota backup Chris Streveler led the Hurricanes to an 11-1 season in 2012. Oh, and let's not forget this team's defense: Marian has given up only one score so far this year. Can QB Billy Bahl (how did this kid not make one of my Names of the Day?) lead Marian to an upset tomorrow?
Or maybe it's just because if the contest is as one-sided as last week I can still high-tail it out of there and catch the second half of my third Saturday Game of the Week, Lyons (2-1) at Glenbard West (3-0).
Here are the two teams' schedules so far (home team in CAPS):
MARIAN CENTRAL 32, Crystal Lake South 0
Marian Central 14, McHENRY 7
MARIAN CENTRAL 42, Marian Catholic 0
NAZARETH 42, Bloomington 7
NAZARETH 49, Riverside-Brookfield 6
Nazareth 52, ST. PATRICK 27
Even though Nazareth will probably compete in 6A in the playoffs this year, both schools have been 5A in the past. Surprisingly (to me), I can find only one previous meeting between the two teams, when today's seniors were still in grade school. But it looks like it was a doozy:
2007: MARIAN CENTRAL 34, Nazareth 27
So who wins tomorrow? I gotta take the team that's averaging over 47 points a game -- Nazareth.
Oh, and while I'm at it, Loyola should hold off Fenwick at home but -- in honor of Mike Helfgot of the Tribune -- I'm going to call for an upset in Glen Ellyn: Lyons will upend the Hilltoppers.
As always, I'll be live-tweeting @BoringOldWhtGuy for as long as my battery holds out.
See you at the games!
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