2025 IHSA Football Playoffs

Status
Not open for further replies.
#276      
Oracle21
Bloomington has the contract thru 2027. I hope after that the IHSA finals for football return to Champaign and never leave. I know that would mean Illinois having to make do with being on the road the weekend after Thanksgiving each year but I still wish that were the case. I get more enjoyment watching the HS teams play in Memorial Stadium than on ISU’s field
 
#277      
therealmiket86
Oracle21 said:
Bloomington has the contract thru 2027. I hope after that the IHSA finals for football return to Champaign and never leave. I know that would mean Illinois having to make do with being on the road the weekend after Thanksgiving each year but I still wish that were the case. I get more enjoyment watching the HS teams play in Memorial Stadium than on ISU’s field
Click to expand...

It won’t come back to Champaign because every other year we will have a home game on thanksgiving weekend
 
#281      
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
Oracle21 said:
Bloomington has the contract thru 2027. I hope after that the IHSA finals for football return to Champaign and never leave. I know that would mean Illinois having to make do with being on the road the weekend after Thanksgiving each year but I still wish that were the case. I get more enjoyment watching the HS teams play in Memorial Stadium than on ISU’s field
Click to expand...

Honestly, Hancock Stadium is the perfect size stadium for the state finals, especially with all the changes they made after the renovation. I get people wanting it in Chambana but Memorial Stadium would look far worse empty than SFC does during the basketball finals.
 
#282      
Grandpa
I got in the bone marrow donor registry to try to help. Never matched anyone. Now they say that I am too old. Hard to believe that if I was a perfect match, it wouldn't help someone, but what do I know. Kicked me off at age 62.
 
#283      
Curbelo Fanboy
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Honestly, Hancock Stadium is the perfect size stadium for the state finals, especially with all the changes they made after the renovation. I get people wanting it in Chambana but Memorial Stadium would look far worse empty than SFC does during the basketball finals.
Click to expand...
Also, for football, there are historically so few southern teams that make the finals. It makes a bit more sense to have the finals a little further north without being all the way up in the Chicago area.

There are some hoops fans that want those finals in the burbs also. That would be absurd when a team like Murphysboro or Pinckneyville make the finals & are rewarded with a 6 or 7 hour bus ride to the state finals. Bloomington for football & Champaign for hoops at least kind of split the difference.
 
#284      
Curbelo Fanboy
Pikeillinifan said:
Off topic, I know, but I have a question for those in the know: do they get a ton of kids from out of district, or do they have something in the water down there?

And if they have that many crazy athletes, why has the hoops program fallen off so much?
Click to expand...
As for hoops, ESL is supposed to be really good this year. I think Mike O Brien reported a while back that they have 6 (yes SIX) transfers coming in on the hoops side this year.

As to football, it strains credibility that a town of around 20k has that much D1 football talent & is within the scope of the rules for public schools.

My guess (and I will admit this is pure speculation on my part) is there are a whole lot of kids on their roster using an ESL address that live elsewhere in the St Louis area. Using grandma's address, vacant building address, etc. As a Chatham fan stated on facebook a few weeks back, the suspicion is a lot fewer of the ESL kids get to school via schoolbus picked up at their home vs most schools.
 
#285      
TentakilRex
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Honestly, Hancock Stadium is the perfect size stadium for the state finals, especially with all the changes they made after the renovation. I get people wanting it in Chambana but Memorial Stadium would look far worse empty than SFC does during the basketball finals.
Click to expand...
Curbelo Fanboy said:
Also, for football, there are historically so few southern teams that make the finals. It makes a bit more sense to have the finals a little further north without being all the way up in the Chicago area.

There are some hoops fans that want those finals in the burbs also. That would be absurd when a team like Murphysboro or Pinckneyville make the finals & are rewarded with a 6 or 7 hour bus ride to the state finals. Bloomington for football & Champaign for hoops at least kind of split the difference.
Click to expand...
I will make a prediction though. If/when the Bears get their domed stadium, the new Bears stadium will be the home of . the IHSA title games soon after it is opened. Many states that have a domed stadium from Texas to South Dakota have their title games in domed stadiums.
 
#286      
Curbelo Fanboy
TentakilRex said:
I will make a prediction though. If/when the Bears get their domed stadium, the new Bears stadium will be the home of . the IHSA title games soon after it is opened. Many states that have a domed stadium from Texas to South Dakota have their title games in domed stadiums.
Click to expand...
That is certainly possible. When St Louis had the Rams they hosted the Missouri finals for a number of years. Indiana does the same.

I could also see the IHSA keeping class 1A thru 4A in a more central location & moving the 5A to 8A up to that stadium. Outside of East St Louis, once you get above 4A most all the finalists are no farther south than the Springfield area. And above 6A it's all Chicago area teams.
 
#287      
gibb52
Curbelo Fanboy said:
As for hoops, ESL is supposed to be really good this year. I think Mike O Brien reported a while back that they have 6 (yes SIX) transfers coming in on the hoops side this year.

As to football, it strains credibility that a town of around 20k has that much D1 football talent & is within the scope of the rules for public schools.

My guess (and I will admit this is pure speculation on my part) is there are a whole lot of kids on their roster using an ESL address that live elsewhere in the St Louis area. Using grandma's address, vacant building address, etc. As a Chatham fan stated on facebook a few weeks back, the suspicion is a lot fewer of the ESL kids get to school via schoolbus picked up at their home vs most schools.
Click to expand...
Your suspicions are shared amongst a lot of folks. No one moves to ESL just to live there. And apparently some financial support from some pretty suspicious sources helps facilitate it. IHSA has to be aware of it and likely chooses to do nothing, which is normal for them.
 
#289      
TentakilRex
God willing I will in Bloomington tomorrow morning.

Hopefully my team will shock some folks with their speed.
 
#292      
BrownTown
gibb52 said:
Your suspicions are shared amongst a lot of folks. No one moves to ESL just to live there. And apparently some financial support from some pretty suspicious sources helps facilitate it. IHSA has to be aware of it and likely chooses to do nothing, which is normal for them.
Click to expand...
I just don't know what IHSA COULD DO anymore about this stuff.

There are "mailbox" students at every level on down to the smallest WIVC teams.

It's similar to me in the private/public disparity. If IHSA clamps down, the schools how do the schools take that? Will they organize their own league and you lose the nationally relevant programs?

I don't like any of it...I just don't see the IHSA doing anything about it. We've already lost the "Top 100" instate talent that used to don Simeon, Morgan Park, Thornton, etc jerseys by and large to these BS "career academies" funded by Sneaker companies out of state.
 
#294      
TentakilRex
BC fans in the stands

IMG_0039.jpeg
 
#300      
Ryllini
Wilmington absolutely smacking another traditional 2a program in Maroa-Forsyth. Wilmington looked the part getting off the bus @Montini last year, but got torched. They must've been on the cusp of 3a/2a.
Would've been nice to see a Byron/Wilmington matchup in 3a. Obviously, not to be.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back