In search of southern suburban blue – Shaw Local

Bremen

Record 2023: 5-5, 2-4

Trainer: Connor Downs

Noteworthy: Bremen has qualified for the playoffs for the last four straight seasons, but if it wants to make it to a fifth, it will need a new head coach at the helm with Connor Downs replacing Dan Stell, who has been there for the last 15 seasons. Downs has a solid core of returning players to call on, but will likely need to develop some more reliable depth quickly, as many of those core players are currently slated to play both games. QB Demarion Hampton will lead the offense, which has a number of players vying for playing time in the backfield, including Ronney Spruill. WR Malik Walton looks to be the biggest threat at pass receiver. On defense, two-way linemen Jaime Martinez and Chuck Olowopopo and linebackers Nehemiah Rogers and Jatwan Hogan appear to form the foundation.

Schedule: Aug. 30 in Taft; Sept. 6 at Grayslake Central; Sept. 13 Shepard; Sept. 20 at Oak Forest; Sept. 27, Hillcrest; Oct. 4, Lemont; Oct. 11 in Tinley Park; Oct. 18 TF South; Oct. 25 at TF North.

Hillcrest

Record 2023: 7:4, 4:2

Trainer: Kyran Weber

Noteworthy: Hillcrest has established itself as one of the stronger programs in this league, now making the playoffs in seven straight seasons. Ideally, they would like to return to the season streak that saw them reach at least the quarterfinals from 2017-19. This group could help them do that, as they return 14 starters, including nine on offense. Senior QB Gary Bradley should solidify that offense and look to two-way RB/DB Erimus Wright, who signed with South Dakota State. Tigea Mackey and Jordan Kennerson should give the defense a solid anchor in the trenches. The wild card could be 6-foot-6, 220-pound defensive end Max Carmickle, who brings his athletic talents from the basketball court.

Schedule: Aug. 31, Benet; Sept. 6, Montini; Sept. 13, Oak Forest; Sept. 20, Tinley Park; Sept. 27, Bremen; Oct. 4, TF South; Oct. 11, TF North; Oct. 18, Eisenhower; Oct. 24, Lemont.

lemon

Record 2023: 5-5, 5-1 (Conference Champions)

Trainer: Willie Hayes

Noteworthy: Lemont needed a dramatic win in Week 9 to both secure the conference championship and defend a nine-year streak of playoff qualifiers. Some of that uncharacteristic struggle was due to an inexperienced offensive unit, but that won’t be an issue this year with nine offensive starters returning. The biggest hole on offense is on the offensive line, but Lemont has two excellent building blocks to build around in Jake Sulzberger and Chase Indestad. There are some things to address on defense, but the linebacker corps, which already has three capable seniors in Dylan Wilms, Connor Wilms and Frank Mandarino, provides an excellent starting point. Lemont has dominated this conference for several seasons, and that trend will likely need to continue if the playoff streak is to continue, as its non-conference schedule looks particularly bleak with Libertyville and Geneva.

Schedule: Aug. 30 in Libertyville; September 6th in Geneva; Sept. 13 in Tinley Park; September 20th at TF South; September 27th at TF North; October 4th in Bremen; October 11 in Richards; Oct. 18 at Oak Forest; Oct. 24 at Hillcrest.

Oak forest

Record 2023: 2-7, 1-5

Trainer: Anthony Malopsy

Noteworthy: 2023 was a bit of a step back for the Bengals, who qualified for the playoffs in 2022. That can be explained in part by the fact that Oak Forest was forced to send many unproven players from the junior year to the college team. By the end of the season, Oak Forest had as many as 10 sophomore starters on the field. While that scenario made 2023 difficult to navigate, there is reason for optimism for 2024, with 15 returning starters now on the roster. Oak Forest looks particularly strong at the linebacker position, with Adrian Vergara, Osato Odiase and David Klenner all returning with plenty of experience. There’s a bit more to figure out offensively, but Malopsy likes the breakout potential of junior quarterback Daniel Chopp. Johnny Roberts and August Crnich should prove to be reliable pass receivers.

Schedule 2024: Aug. 30 in Marmion; Sept. 6 in Sandburg; Sept. 13 at Hillcrest; Sept. 20 in Bremen; Sept. 27 in Tinley Park; Oct. 4 at TF North; Oct. 11 at TF South; Oct. 18 in Lemont; Oct. 25 at Oak Lawn.

TF North

Record 2023: 7:3, 4:2

Trainer: Anthony Pignatiello

Noteworthy: 2023 was a breakthrough season for the Meteors, as they completely flipped the script after going 1-7 in 2022, posting a 7-3 record. This group relied heavily on a strong senior class to make such a surge, and TF North will be banking on some very important returning starters in WR/DB Trevon Conner and OL/DL Carlos Roa. Ideally, those two won’t have to do too much double duty, but their leadership skills will be called upon early and often. DeShawn Jones is another player who is also expected to contribute a lot. TF North’s biggest challenge will likely be replacing the league’s Player of the Year, graduate QB Dom Gradford, but Pignatiello believes Jamirh Jolly is ready to take the reins.

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Prosser; Sept. 6 at Noble/Hansberry; Sept. 13 at TF South; Sept. 20 at Evergreen Park; Sept. 27 at Lemont; Oct. 4 at Oak Forest; Oct. 11 at Hillcrest; Oct. 18 at Tinley Park; Oct. 25 at Bremen.

TF South

Record 2023: 3:6, 3:3

Trainer: Robert Padjen

Noteworthy: The Red Wolves are coming off a back-to-back 3-6 season, and they seem to be doing better this year, with a group of players that feature plenty of seniors looking to lead the way. Much of the offensive load is expected to be carried by standout running back Christian Streeter, while twins Christian and Tristan Headen will also play important roles for the Red Wolves. Other players from the senior class to keep an eye on include Jamari Crawford, Comarrion Cooper, Kevin Rincon, Damarion King and Nick Ford. TF South isn’t just hoping for the seniors, as junior Zyon Boateng is highly rated in the linebacker class of 2026, and sophomores WR Amari Dukes and massive OL Tylen Stephensen (6-7, 310) will likely still be heard from as well.

Schedule 2024: Aug. 30, Hammond Central; Sept. 6, Lane Tech; Sept. 13 TF North; Sept. 20 Lemont; Sept. 27, Reavis; Oct. 4 at Hillcrest; Oct. 11 at Oak Forest; Oct. 18 in Bremen; Oct. 25. Tinley Park.

Tinley Park

Record 2023: 5-5, 2-4

Trainer: Chris Vitt

Noteworthy: Tinley Park was another program that really made big strides in 2023. After a 9-0 preseason loss, Tinley Park quickly proved that history would not repeat itself. Luckily for the Titans, there is a healthy group of returners that will hopefully keep things moving in the right direction. Athletic QB Keoni George will be asked to lead the offensive unit through some initial struggles, as most of the returners are on the defensive side, such as DL Johnathon Collier, DB Jordan Spey, DB James Ellis and LB Cabren White.

Schedule: Aug. 30, Thornridge; Sept. 6, Romeoville; Sept. 13 in Lemont; Sept. 20 at Hillcrest; Sept. 27, Oak Forest; Oct. 4 Argo; Oct. 11, Bremen; Oct. 18 TF North; Oct. 25 at TF South.

FIVE PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

• Osato Odiase, LB, Oak Forest: Oak Forest had to rely on a lot of lower-level players last season, and Odiase began to show signs of breakout potential toward the end of last season.
• Ronney Spruill, RB, Bremen: Bremen’s offensive unit had its moments last season, but the Braves are definitely looking for a little more consistency this time around. If that happens, Spruill’s contributions will likely play a big role.
• Christian Streeter, RB, TF South: TF South is hoping to rebound after two less-than-stellar seasons, and there’s no denying that a strong season from Streeter is a key part of the plan to return them to former prominence.
• Jake Sulzberger, OL/DL, Lemont: Lemont has a long history of producing top-notch offensive linemen who help their offense score big, and Sulzberger could easily earn his place in that lineup of elite players.
• Emirus Wright, RB, Hillcrest: Wright is poised to have a great season as a key player in Hillcrest’s offense. Wright, who is under contract to South Dakota State, has the ability to turn a game around at any time.

FIVE YOU CANNOT MISS

Week 2 – Hillcrest at Montini: Hillcrest looks to be a potentially dangerous team and will have an early chance to prove their mettle in this non-conference clash.

Week 3 – TF North at TF South: These two district rivals are bitter rivals, but before last season the rivalry was largely TF South’s doing, with TF North having a breakthrough season last season with seven regular season wins, including one against South. Was that a coincidence or a trend?

Week 5 – Oak Forest in Tinley Park: Both programs will likely need to win this game if they want to qualify for the playoffs.

Week 8 – TF Nord in Bremen: Bremen’s win over TF North last season was one of the few blemishes on the Meteors’ conference card, and if that conference’s chaos from last year continues into this year, this could be a crucial game in a playoff qualifying contest for both.

Week 9 – Lemont at Hillcrest: This is by far the biggest rivalry to develop in this conference over the past decade, as it has been extremely rare that one of these two programs did not hold the conference crown at the end of the year. Fittingly, this is the culmination of the regular season.

STEVE SOUCIES PREDICTED END

(* – Expected playoff qualifier)

1. Hilltop*
2. Lemon*
3. TF North*
4. Bremen
5. TF South
6. Tinley Park
7. Oak forest