The elite teams in the Fall season adopt a special perspective. Excellence is rewarded from high schools up though the pro ranks. Some of us call it crunch time. Is it rewards of winning more games than losing? Playoffs loom and/or are in existence.
The Chicago Bears have seven games remaining and seek to look at a few bright spots with a last-place record of 3-7 in the NFC North. following the 16-13 victory over Carolina Thursday, Nov. 9, and a one-half game lead over perpetual nemesis Green Bay. Different now is that he Detroit Lions, 7-2, lead the North, ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, Packers, and Bears. The Bears will play Detroit Sunday, Nov. 19, and again Sunday, Dec. 10.
Parity has visited the Big Ten Conference football race, except for Michigan and Ohio State, each 7-0 in conference and 10-0 overall and in the top three of the football polls. See page 10. Both Aurora University and North Central College are an undefeated 10-0 and in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Wheaton College is in the playoffs with a 9 -1 record, so the three teams are a combined 29-1 and Wheaton’s defeat was administered by North Central.
High school football excellence is reflected in Batavia High School and several other teams who have advanced in the State football playoffs. Batavia will play Mt. Carmel in a Class 7A semifinal game at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The two teams met in the State championship game last season. Mt. Carmel won, 44-20.
This season each team has taken an 11-1 record through 12 regular season and playoff games and are rated in the top five of all polls. They will meet at 4 p.m. in a semifinal game at Mt. Carmel on Chicago’s South Side. Two years ago Mt. Carmel won in a playoff game, 13-12, when Batavia scored last, went for a two-point conversion to win the game and failed to get into the end zone by just a few inches.
Other schools in The Voice circulation area in the football playoffs include Lincoln-Way East, 12-0 overall; Downers Grove North, 10-2; St. Francis, 10-2; Joliet Catholic, 9-3; Montini Catholic, 9-3.
Wheaton Academy, 11-1, reached its first State tournament final four with a 42-7 victory last weekend against visiting Sandwich.
The high school football finals will held over two days, Friday Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25, over Thanksgiving weekend, in Normal at Illinois State University. The smaller schools will play the first day, Class 1A through 4A and the larger classes, 5A through 8A Saturday, Nov. 25.
Thanksgiving week will be the start of the boys high school basketball season and tournaments at many sites around northern Illinois and reasons to take trips around the State and in the Midwest. One tournament which has grown is the Hoops 4 Healing at two sites with eight teams at Oswego and Naperville North
Girls high school basketball starts one week earlier than boys basketball.
Wrestling will be for both boys and girls.