State Championship Favorites: Class 8A

<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Loyola</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Ramblers return pretty much everyone from their 2019 squad. They finished 8-4 last season, before falling in the quarterfinals to Marist. Illinois commit [player_tooltip player_id="20288" first="Josh" last="Kreutz"] will lead a fundamentally sound football team, that is used to State Title runs. They’re always a tough team come playoff time and should be among the state’s elite again. </span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Lincoln-Way East</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Griffins are looking for their 3rd State Title in four years and very well may have that squad. They lose superstar AJ Henning, whose off to Michigan, but they return a lot of D1 talent including senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="20238" first="Jamal" last="Johnson"], defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="20335" first="Matt" last="Kordas"], offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="20289" first="Ryan" last="Stewart"], and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="20264" first="Mason" last="Pierre-Antoine"]. The key to their puzzle could be at quarterback in Ottawa transfer Brett Galletti.</span> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="387"]<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4HLjMyXkAE-ZHJ?format=jpg&amp;name=medium" alt="Image" width="387" height="471" /> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">RB [player_tooltip player_id="20238" first="Jamal" last="Johnson"]</span>[/caption]&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Brother Rice</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Rice is a very talented team that snuck up on a lot of people last season. I don’t think that’ll be the case this fall. Catholic League Offensive Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="20234" first="Willie" last="Shaw"] returns, as does athlete Jack Lausch who I think could gain some serious division one traction with a big junior year. They playoff a tough schedule, but it should play into their favor come playoff time.</span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Marist</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Marist had a good 2019 campaign, finishing with an 8-5 record and a semifinal birth. It’s not crazy to think they could build off last season and take it a step further. The Redhawks roster has a ton of FBS talent coming back, including Notre Dame offensive line commit [player_tooltip player_id="20195" first="Pat" last="Coogan"], wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="20836" first="Carnell" last="Tate"], quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="20860" first="Dontrell" last="Jackson Jr."], athlete [player_tooltip player_id="20339" first="Jovan" last="Marsh"], and offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="20898" first="Deuce" last="McGuire"]. The Redhawks have a lot of hype, and will get teams best every week. However, I think they more than up for the challenge and will be a serious threat in 8A. </span> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="569"]<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EPzRzdeX4AAwfkU?format=jpg&amp;name=large" alt="Image" width="569" height="410" /> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">OL [player_tooltip player_id="20195" first="Pat" last="Coogan"]</span>[/caption]&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Bolingbrook</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Bolingbrook’s defense is just downright nasty and should be among the best in Illinois. Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="20204" first="Tyler" last="McLaurin"], and Notre Dame commit [player_tooltip player_id="20198" first="Justin" last="Walters"] will pace the Raiders and could form the state’s top defensive duo. John Ivlow’s squad is tremendously talented and will contend in 2020. The Raider’s will rely heavily on Batavia transfer Vincenzo Meschi, who is among the state’s top sleepers at QB.</span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Homewood Flossmoor</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">I don’t think Head Coach Craig Buzea gets enough credit for what he’s done. He completely rebuilt the HF program and made it among the best programs in the state. His 2020 team should be very good and will rely heavily on one of the state’s most exciting players, running back [player_tooltip player_id="20236" first="Sean" last="Allen"]. A September 25th game at Lincoln-Way East will say a lot about where the Vikings stand. If they can get past the Griffins, people around the state are going to take notice.</span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Glenbard West</strong></span> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Glenbard West has plenty of talent returning from last year’s 10-1 team. They suffered a tough round two loss to Loyola last fall, and I think they’re out for vengeance in 2020. Running backs [player_tooltip player_id="20241" first="Samson" last="Zander"] and [player_tooltip player_id="20244" first="Jalen" last="Moore"] are going to be a serious issue for opposing teams. Syracuse commit [player_tooltip player_id="20292" first="Wes" last="Hoeh"], looks to be the next great Hitter offensive lineman and will be the leader of a very talented group of hog molly’s. West could enter the playoffs at 9-0 again, and I think they will make a deeper push in this year’s playoffs. </span>