By Bobby Narang –
The high school Metro Suburban Blue Division underwent radical changes since the end of last season.
Glenbard South and Walther Christian left the conference and Aurora Christian, Bishop McNamara, and St. Francis joined the league, after leaving the Chicago Catholic League. Glenbard South joined the Upstate Eight and Walther went to the Northeastern.
But, the Metro Blue road to the football championship still will go through Elmhurst. IC Catholic Prep has won 16 straight conference games, including back-to-back Class 3A State championships.
The Knights are loaded with talented returnees to make another run at conference and State championships. Khali Saunders, a Purdue recruit, is a star linebacker, and his brother, Khalil, is in competition for the quarterback spot and set to start at defensive back. Khali Saunders collected 96 tackles and two sacks last season.
Defensively, nine starters are back for a unit that limited opponents to 10 points per game.
“We’re excited for the season to start,” IC Catholic coach Bill Kreft said. “We still have some things to work on, but we have some talented players (back) and some players ready to step up.”
Aurora Central Catholic and Aurora Christian is each coming off a five-victory season. Aurora Central is coming off of a 5-4 season, which included a 4-1 record in the Metro Suburban Red. The Chargers will start the season at home against Plano Friday.
Aurora Central returns running back/defensive back Jeff Albert, along with quarterback Jimmy Eul and offensive linemen Charlie May and Sebastian Barocio on offense. Six starters are back on defense, as ACC adjusts to a new side of the conference after switching from the Red Division and will play a tougher schedule.
Aurora Christian, coached by David Beebe, will open the season at home against Chicago Urban Prep West and will have three of its first five games at home. Back in Class 1A, the Eagles have enough talent for an extended playoff run. Wide receiver/free safety Caleb Beebe headlines the offense. Linebacker Kyrin Perry and Julian Jaimes lead a talented and experienced defense.
Riverside-Brookfield lost a heap of starters from last season’s playoff team, although senior tight end/linebacker Elliot Royer is a player to watch.
“We’re young at a lot of spots, but we are excited for the season to start and see what happens,” R-B coach Brendan Curtin said about his role in the Blue.
