7A Sleeper Teams

<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Hersey</strong></span> <strong>2019 Record: </strong><em>9-2</em> Hersey had a strong 2019 campaign and was given a tough draw in round two against a very talented Lake Zurich team. Their 2020 schedule is very favorable, and their game against Prospect may determine if they enter the playoffs with an unblemished record. They return some serious star power this fall in JR WR [player_tooltip player_id="20884" first="Ben" last="Clawson"], SR OL Ryan Gudaitis, SR DB Quin Carpenter, and SR OLB Max McCall. I think they'll get a much better playoff draw, and I fully expect them to make a deep playoff run this fall. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Dekalb</strong></span> <strong>2019 Record:</strong> <em>7-4</em> DeKalb's 2020 schedule won't be an easy one. They play multiple teams with Division one talent, including Evanston, Naperville North, and Naperville Central. All three teams will be much improved from 2019. However, DeKalb is no slouch and features a very talented roster itself with SR QB [player_tooltip player_id="20224" first="Trenton" last="Kyler"], SR RB [player_tooltip player_id="20250" first="Trenton" last="Mccollum"], JR WR [player_tooltip player_id="20885" first="Toriano" last="Tate"], and JR DL [player_tooltip player_id="20913" first="Christian" last="Lorenzo"]. Their schedule may be tough, but when it comes playoff time, they'll be more than prepared. To me, this team is very dangerous team and could pull off a few bigtime upsets in Class 7A. Don't sleep on the Barbs. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Wheaton-Warrenville South</strong></span> <strong>2019 Record: </strong><em>8-4</em> Wheaton Warrenville South Head Coach Ron Muhitch has done a fantastic job with the Tigers program, leading them to 3 State Titles and has had multiple NFL Draft picks. His 2020 team could sneak up on some people, much like his 2011 State Runner-Up team did. They return a solid core, led by SR QB Parker Brown, SR LB [player_tooltip player_id="20329" first="Tommy" last="Barnett"], SR OL Nick Walker, SR DL Jaylen Brown, and SR DL Micah Roberts. Their week six game at Batavia could be a playoff-like test. Two hard-nosed, tough programs going at it, and it should be a good one. The Tigers aren't a team that needs favorable playoff positioning, as they're known to make deep runs and pull off upsets early and often. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Prospect</strong></span> <strong>2019 Record: </strong><em>8-3</em> I'm very interested in Prospect's week one matchup against Niles Notre Dame. Two of the state's premier QB's, [player_tooltip player_id="20230" first="Alex" last="Moeller"] of Prospect and [player_tooltip player_id="20222" first="Anthony" last="Sayles"] of Notre Dame, will battle it out. I think that game could say a lot about their 2020 season. Prospect's 2020 team is no joke and returns, SR ATH Luke Zardzin, SR TE Tyson Splinter, and SR WR Noah Marx. Their offense will be among the state's best and should the focal point of their 2020 playoff run. Head Coach Dan DeBoeuf took Johnsburg to a state title game in 2016, don't be shocked if he does the same for Prospect this fall.