John Thain is a 1973 graduate of Antioch Community High School in, you guessed it, Antioch, Illinois. Thain's father, Alan, "was a doctor on the town's redbrick Main Street who has since handed his practice on to Thain's two brothers, Dennis and Robert, both general practitioners. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1977 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1979."
So what?
Well, if you follow Illinois high school football, as I do, you'll know that the Sequoits of Antioch (6-1) will be hosting their North Suburban Prairie Conference rivals, the Lakes Eagles (6-1) this Friday night.
And that's just one of the many games you may want to take in this weekend.
But before I get to the rest, you may be asking yourself right about now, "What on earth is a Sequoit"? According to Antioch's Wikipedia page:
There is no Native American tribe named "Sequoit" (pronounced see-kwoyt) or any Native American word for that matter. Though the word "sequoit" has Native American origins, the story behind the name is a complicated and confusing one. Fred Willman explained in his in-depth book examining Illinois high school nicknames, "Why Mascots Have Tales", "The word Sequoit is a form of spelling of the Iroquois Indian word Sa-da-quoit, which was the name the Iroquois Indians gave to a stream that flows through Oneida County in New York state. In the Iroquois language, Sa-da-quoit literally means 'smooth pebbles in the bed of a stream.' When white settlers moved into Oneida County, they modified the spelling and pronunciation of the stream to Sauquoit Creek."
The two schools provide for an interesting contrast: while Antioch was founded way back in 1915 -- before my parents were even born -- Lakes opened its doors only ten years ago, in 2004 -- after my kids were born.
As for the two football teams, Lakes lost its one game this season to Stevenson, 21-3, while Antioch dropped its opener to Tremper of Kenosha, WI, 14-12. Is Tremper any good? Well, the Trojans are 4-4 and ranked No. 67 in Wisconsin by MaxPreps.
What other games are on tap for this Friday? Isn't there a battle of two undefeated teams? No, not until Saturday when Addison Trail (7-0) travels to Glenbard West (7-0). In the meantime, you'll have to content yourself with one of these other contests.
Yorkville (6-1) at DeKalb (7-0).
This matchup of two Northern Illinois Big 12 East programs pits the Foxes of Yorkville, who lost to Geneseo (7-0) on the road, 13-0, and the Barbs of DeKalb who are, of course, undefeated. Yorkville boasts comedian, actor and writer Andy Richter as a 1984 graduate and
United States Congressman and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert as a former faculty member. DeKalb, meanwhile, counts among its alums supermodel Cindy Crawford. Advantage: DeKalb.
Oh, and as for that nickname, the Barbs, it comes from the claim that barbed wire was invented in DeKalb.
Elsewhere, there's Bradley-Bourbonnais (6-1) at Lincoln-Way North (6-1) in the battle for supremacy in the Southwest Suburban Red Conference, the "confusing conference." You know, the one with three teams named "Lincoln-Way" and three others that begin with "Thorn" -- Thornton, Thornwood and Thornridge. Sheesh!
While the Boilermakers lost to Lincoln-Way Central (4-3), the Phoenix fell to Lincoln-Way West (6-1).
There are also two great rivalries this Friday in the Upstate Eight Conference. In the River division, Geneva (7-0) plays at Batavia (6-1). The Bulldogs, the defending 6A champs, lost their opener to Oswego (6-1), 40-38.
And in the Valley division, Waubonsie Valley (6-1) squares off against Neuqua Valley (5-2) at North Central College in what is always a great contest. (And usually a sellout.)
Finally, there are two games in which a 5-2 team faces off against a 6-1 squad. But don't be fooled, these will be two awesome intraconference tilts:
Brother Rice (5-2) at Providence (6-1), and
Bolingbrook (5-2) at Lincoln-Way East (6-1).
And on Saturday, if you don't take in that West Suburban Gold (Addison Trail) - West Suburban Silver (Glenbard West) showdown in Glen Ellyn, there's always St. Rita (6-1) at Loyola (6-1) for the lead in the Catholic League Blue.
What a great Week Eight!
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