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Seeding change, conference realignment among stories to watch this fall

A steamy Monday officially kicked off the Illinois high school football season.

Equipment distributed, the boys took to their respective practice fields in Kane County, returning for the first time since summer camps, 7-on-7 competitions and linemen's challenges.

Never static, prep football brings intrigue and change. Here are a few topics to note as teams take up their four-month journey.

About time

As long as memory serves coaches and critics have sought "straight seeding" for the Illinois High School Association football playoffs, the one sport where the state's 538 eligible football teams must qualify for postseason play.

That happened on June 15 when the IHSA Board of Directors approved a presentation to eliminate mileage considerations between playoff foes.

In Class 1A through 6A teams will be seeded in geographic brackets 1-16. Class 7A and 8A will be seeded 1-32. The seeding process remains the same, based on team records and playoff points.

"I love it," said St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak.

"Nothing exemplifies the beauty of high school playoffs more than first having to earn a right into the playoffs, and now getting the chance to play a school completely new to your community," he said.

"The state playoffs are more than just high school teams pitted against each other. It is communities, regions and conferences going toe to toe. I love it and it's great for the state."

IHSA assistant executive director Matt Troha said the Football Advisory Committee had often discussed straight seeding but had never before mounted a formal presentation.

Scanning data since 1994 Troha said straight seeding had been used only "in certain classes when geography allowed." He said the last time it appeared was the 2001 season when classes 1A, 2A, 6A, 7A and 8A were seeded 1-32.

A lot of these rules and regulations - - such as further restriction on "live contact" in practice the IHSA also approved June 15 - simply roll off Geneva coach Rob Wicinski's back.

"Whatever they throw on the table we'll work with it," he said.

Wicinski welcomes this change, though. He recalls traveling to East St. Louis in 2007 and feeling as if "walking on air."

"I think that's part of the experience," Wicinski said. "I don't think travel should even be a factor, especially now that everyone wants to play on Saturdays."

Its enrollment wavering between 5A-6A, in either case Kaneland gains perhaps a more equitable position.

"I think I like it," said Knights coach Tom Fedderly. "Instead of having us in regions where it was us and Montini, Sycamore and Joliet Catholic all together in one half of the bracket, one quad of the bracket, they're going to seed it 1-16.

"One of the things you just hate to happen is you end up in the playoffs and have to play (conference foes) Sycamore or Rochelle. I get excited about playing somebody you haven't seen before. That's the fun of the playoffs."

The saga continues

In the recent trend West Chicago established in 2013 by leaving the DuPage Valley Conference for the Upstate Eight Conference, the 2015-16 calendar year continues to trip the turnstile.

The whopper was first announced in December 2013 when Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley and Metea Valley accepted a DVC invitation to join the DVC.

The Indian Prairie School District 204 programs follow Lake Park, which came to the DVC from the UEC in 2013. The following fall West Aurora and Glenbard East left the DVC for the Upstate Eight's Valley Division. West Aurora returned to the league it helped launch in 1963 as a UEC charter member until shifting to the DVC in 1997.

Last football season's ungainly six-team DVC caused each program to play one fellow DVC squad twice with one contest a nonconference game. The new nine-team alignment creates an eight-game conference schedule and, in most cases, an Upstate Eight crossover game.

The highlight here is Batavia hosting Naperville Central in Week 6, Oct. 2. In 2016, Upstate Eight crossovers will be with Fox Valley Conference teams.

The District 204 departure also leaves the UEC divisions unbalanced. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, Streamwood, Elgin and Larkin comprise the UEC River; West Aurora, East Aurora, Bartlett, Glenbard East, South Elgin and West Chicago - in its fourth conference or division in four years - are the Valley.

Theoretically the UEC Valley title is a little more up for grabs. Since the UEC split into divisions in 2010, Neuqua Valley has won or shared the Valley title three seasons and Waubonsie Valley twice. Bartlett won it outright in 2011 and shared the title in 2010.

"I think at this time of year everybody's going to tell you that it's wide open," said West Aurora coach Nate Eimer, whose first conference game is Sept. 11 on the road against prohibitive favorite Bartlett. That comes after the season opener against Geneva and another nonconference game against Plainfield East, a combined 17-5 last season.

"We'll find out where we're at pretty early," said Eimer, the 2001 West Aurora graduate who last season directed the 4-5 Blackhawks' biggest win in years, 27-24 in double-overtime at Waubonsie Valley.

Given the uneven makeup of both the Upstate Eight and the DuPage Valley conferences this saga will likely continue. Stay tuned.

Back to DeKalb

The eight IHSA championship football games return to Northern Illinois University's Huskie Stadium on Nov. 27-28. It continues the alternate-year schedule with the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium, which the IHSA Board approved on June 11, 2012.

This arrangement's debut, required by a change in Illinois' Big Ten schedule and running through 2021, coincided with the high point of Batavia's football program. Playing at a championship site other than Memorial Stadium for the first time since 1999 when title games moved to Illinois from Illinois State, on Nov. 30, 2013, the Bulldogs won their first state title, 34-14 over Richards in Class 6A.

"I just think it's neat that they're moving it around," said Batavia coach Dennis Piron, who was retired former head coach Mike Gaspari's defensive coordinator when the Bulldogs lost 30-20 to Normal Community in the 2006 6A championship at Memorial Stadium.

Piron said he didn't have a preference between sites, but stressed that Northern Illinois and the city of DeKalb "did a great job" in hosting the 2013 series. It drew more than 30,000 people including a sizable Batavia contingent.

"It was very well organized and well run, and we felt well taken care of," Piron said. "And obviously the short travel was just awesome."

Travel concerns didn't seem to faze more than 100 athletic directors who favored NIU's bid. Huskie Stadium became the fourth host site after Illinois State, University of Illinois and Northwestern, which hosted title games in the top two classes from 1981-84, an IHSA document noted. In the 2012 announcement IHSA executive director Marty Hickman stated schools from as far away as Galva and Peoria-Notre Dame voted for DeKalb.

"I think it was universally dubbed a success," said IHSA assistant executive director Troha.

Of course, teams would play in Timbuktu if it meant a shot at a state title.

"It's a normal field and it's a vision that we all need to have," said St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak. This summer he took his team to NIU to illustrate this vision is not "some far-off fantasy ..."

"NIU is a top-notch program," Pomazak said, "and I look forward to the journey of trying to get there."

Back into the fray

This is not how John Belskis drew it up.

When in 2013 Belskis became Aurora Central Catholic's defensive coordinator after retiring from Downers Grove South - in 24 seasons as head coach he netted a 201-62 record, 22 playoff appearances, the 2001 Class 8A championship and 2010 induction into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame - he explicitly told Chargers coach Brian Casey, "I'm not coming here to take your job."

Still possessing sound mind and body Belskis' plan merely was to teach physical education and assist in football and baseball where the oldest of his three children, Johnny, was an incoming freshman. It was a huge win for ACC athletics.

This May, Casey and ACC athletic director Sean Bieterman walked into the athletic office and told Belskis that after five seasons as head football coach Casey was taking a position as alumni relations director at his alma mater, Montini.

"I was as surprised as anyone," said Belskis, 58.

Obviously the most qualified candidate, on May 28 Belskis took over. He inherited four incoming seniors - two of whom, linebacker Ben Ariano and offensive tackle Micah Miller, are returning starters - and the prospect of a seven-man coaching staff program-wide as opposed to the nine varsity coaches alone at Downers South.

Is Belskis having fun yet?

"I haven't had time to have fun, honestly," said the Aurora resident, who will now coach the offense. "It's been such a struggle to get the things that I think we have to have in the program."

Such as purchase the football program's first blocking sled and, to potentially remedy a dearth of extra points, a place-kicker's net.

"At some point I'll sit down and relax," he said.

Just not now.

"It's been a whirlwind," he said, "but I think we're doing things that in the long run will improve the program."

Top recruits

West Aurora's Drake Spears entered the summer as Illinois' top-ranked senior recruit by Rivals.com's "Edgy" Tim O'Halloran. Spears, who will be a four-year starter, comes in No. 24 among the Class of 2016.

A 6-foot-1, 200-pound running back and linebacker who is listed as a safety by Rivals, Spears is a solid Illinois commit. Earning an Illini scholarship offer as a sophomore he chose from 10 offers according to Rivals, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois among them.

Neither has an offer but West Aurora coach Nate Eimer is high on the Cross twins, juniors DaVion and DaQuan, who impressed during 7-on-7s and led the Blackhawks in rushing and tackles as a sophomore.

Geneva senior offensive tackle Loudon Vollbrecht, 6-8 and around 300 pounds, is Rivals' 28th-ranked senior by Rivals. He has offers from Illinois and Bowling Green as well as several mid-major basketball offers.

One of Vollbrecht's teammates, senior linebacker-defensive back Sean Chambers, committed to Princeton this summer; speedy Vikings back Justin Taormina is entertaining an offer from Valparaiso. All-Area senior defensive tackle Stephen Kemp should latch on somewhere - perhaps linebacker - should he continue to destroy double-teams.

A trio of kickers is drawing attention. St. Charles East senior Nick Candre was one of if not Kane County's most effective punter in 2014. Marmion junior Connor Hoeft, who reached the 2014 NFL Punt, Pass and Kick national finals, is a Kohl's 4-star kicking prospect; St. Charles East junior Adam Durocher is ranked No. 71 nationally in his class by Chris Sailer Kicking and interests Wisconsin.

Marmion quarterback Johnny Tate, a prototype 6-4, 210, camped at Northwestern and Northern Illinois, and Cadets coach Dan Thorpe said junior two-way lineman Wes Kramer is getting Division I looks. "He is a beast of a player," Thorpe said of the 6-2, 255-pound Kramer.

St. Charles North has several in beast mode. Senior linemen Jack Glavin and Nick Koenig and junior Sam Ambrogio are getting DI looks, the latter two listed no less than 292 pounds on the North Stars' preliminary roster. Coach Rob Pomazak said junior two-way tackle Isaac Hawn, 6-6 and 270, already has an Illinois State offer.

Also heavy on the line are a pair of Kaneland returning starters, 260-pound Andrew Kray and 6-3, 280 Tristan Kinder, who camped at Illinois State.

Batavia coach Dennis Piron said senior receiver Canaan Coffey and senior quarterback Kyle Niemiec are drawing interest, but had no current offers. The Bulldogs' pound also includes prospects such as lineman Zach Sims and linebacker Colin Thurston.

Hike

Too bad you can't clone yourself to watch more than one of these games each week. All are Friday unless noted.

Week 1, Aug. 28-29: Aurora Central Catholic at St. Edward, Batavia at Oswego, Schaumburg at St. Charles North, St. Charles East at South Elgin (Saturday), West Aurora at Geneva.

Week 2, Sept. 4-5: Geneva at Richards, Jacobs at St. Charles East, Lisle at Aurora Central Catholic, Marshall at Aurora Christian, St. Charles North at Bartlett (Saturday).

Week 3, Sept. 11-12: Rich Central at Kaneland, St. Francis at Marmion, West Aurora at Bartlett.

Week 4, Sept. 18-19: Geneva at St. Charles North, Providence at Marmion, St. Charles East at Batavia, Yorkville at Kaneland.

Week 5, Sept. 25-26: Aurora Central Catholic at IC Catholic, Aurora Christian at Bishop McNamara, Batavia at St. Charles North, East Aurora at West Aurora, Kaneland at DeKalb.

Week 6, Oct. 2-3: Aurora Christian at St. Rita, Marmion versus Fenwick at Concordia University (Saturday), Naperville Central at Batavia, St. Charles East at Geneva, Sycamore at Kaneland.

Week 7, Oct. 9-10: Aurora Central Catholic at Glenbard South, Kaneland at Morris, West Aurora at South Elgin (Saturday).

Week 8, Oct. 16-17: Aurora Christian at Marmion, Batavia at Geneva, Riverside-Brookfield at Aurora Central Catholic, St. Charles North at St. Charles East.

Week 9, Oct. 23-24: Kaneland at Rochelle, Montini at Marmion, West Aurora at Metea Valley.

Follow Dave on Twitter @doberhelman1

  Head coach Rob Pomazak leads his team during the first day of football practice at St. Charles North High School Monday. Rain forced the North Stars to practice indoors in the gym. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Batavia head coach Dennis Piron leads his players during the first day of football practice at Batavia High School Monday. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Senior quarterback Kyle Niemiec throws a pass during the first day of football practice at Batavia High School Monday. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Senior wide receiver Canaan Coffey hauls in a catch during the first day of football practice at Batavia High School Monday. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Senior running back Zach Garrett protects the ball during the first day of football practice at Batavia High School Monday. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
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