Looking under the radar
It's a football fact that some teams get more attention than others.
At every level it's true, including in high school. Some teams just seem to draw more of the spotlight.
This week's Eyes on Five, however, looks under the radar to find a team not too many folks are talking about this season.
And, as always, we look at some other stuff.
1. The weeds:
You blink, it's Week 7, and once again Neuqua Valley is in the thick of everything.
Seems like the same story every season, only this year not many folks are talking about the Wildcats.
So we will.
After a 24-14 DuPage Valley Conference loss to Naperville Central in Week 2, Neuqua Valley rattled off four straight wins, including Friday's 31-28 victory over Naperville North. If the Wildcats beat Wheaton North this weekend and Naperville Central stumbles at all in the final three weeks, Neuqua Valley could be in line for a second straight DVC title.
And the Wildcats would do it in completely different fashion than last year.
A year ago, a main reason Neuqua Valley attracted attention was because of its star power with Isaiah Robertson, now at Notre Dame, and Owen Piche, now at the Naval Academy. It's only natural to gravitate toward the top players, and through the years the Wildcats boasted their share.
This year the Wildcats are more of a no-name group, but they're still thriving.
It's depth and quality across the board starting with quarterback Jake Eskoff and running backs Cameron Raupach and Will Chevalier. Neuqua Valley's 3-5-3 defense isn't seen much in the DVC, and it's allowed 88 points in six games - the fewest in the DVC and third fewest among DuPage County's 28 teams.
The Wildcats even have a top kicker in Stephen Ruiz. All he did last week was blast field goals of 37, 45 and 50 yards, the latter two breaking the previous program record for longest field goal.
Under the radar or not, Neuqua Valley's a team that might have postseason legs.
2. Calling all signals:
IC Catholic Prep just keeps ticking, especially behind center.
First the Knights lost fourth-year starting quarterback Luke Ricobene to a Week 2 knee injury. Then backup Khalil Saunders went down in the second half of Week 5. Then C.J. West stepped in to throw for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns in last week's win over previously unbeaten Riverside-Brookfield.
It's an incredible run of talent the Knights are enjoying, and their resiliency is second to none. It helps that West has experience at quarterback, but it's a stunning setback to lose two starting quarterbacks in a span of a few weeks.
IC Catholic Prep shows no signs of slowing down in its quest for a second straight state title.
3. Luster lacking:
Call me selfish, but two weeks ago I hoped Naperville Central and Naperville North would enter this week at 6-0 to set up an epic cross-town game.
Oh well.
Naperville North (4-2) has lost consecutive games to Glenbard North and Neuqua Valley, and last week Naperville Central (5-1) lost to Ohio's St. Edward. Now we'll have to wait at least another year for the first unbeaten showdown between the rivals since 2004.
It takes some of the luster off Friday's game, but we still have intriguing elements. It clearly starts with the quarterback matchup of the Huskies' Drake Davis and Naperville Central's Payton Thorne.
Regardless of the records I'm sure it'll be an entertaining game. It's almost always entertaining.
Hard not to think about what might have been, though.
4. Last of the unbeatens:
Naperville Central's loss to nationally ranked St. Edward means there are no more unbeaten teams in DuPage County.
No big deal, right? Wrong. It's actually a huge deal.
I did some digging and had to go all the way back to 1997 to find the last time a DuPage team didn't go 9-0 in the regular season. No team going 6-0? I have no idea the last time that happened, but it's definitely before 1989.
Why this season? What made this group of 28 teams unable to accomplish something that's been a given for decades?
It's a combination of factors, starting with the brutal nonconference schedules top teams must play because only other top teams will face them. Of the area's seven one-loss teams, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, IC Catholic Prep and Naperville Central fell in nonconference play.
Another factor is injury, which clearly played a factor in IC Catholic's loss to St. Laurence in Week 2 when quarterback Luke Ricobene went down with a season-ending knee injury. Even with Ricobene out the Knights still only lost 26-23.
Finally, the lack of unbeatens comes down to parity. As long as conferences like the DuPage Valley and the West Suburban keep beating up on each other, it'll be dicey trying to roll up an unbeaten streak.
5. Stat time:
In the last two weeks the passing combination of Hinsdale South quarterback Justin Kolzow and receiver Destin Talbert has accounted for 15 catches, 401 yards and 8 touchdowns.
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