Is this the year of the close game?

After a wild Week 1 that saw several marquee games come down to the wire, 36 more games this week were decided by a touchdown or less.

And for the 159 teams that managed to get through the chaos of those first two weeks it feels like getting that kind of leg up could mean more than ever.

That’s because it feels like that group not only includes a healthy group of teams you don’t usually find there, there’s also a large group of teams, particularly a notable group at 0-2, that seems very unlikely to stay in that group for much longer.

As such, the close games aren’t likely going anywhere anytime soon.

Clusters of 2-0’s

One of the more interesting things about the group of remaining undefeated teams is how they are clustering in the same areas coming out of the nonconference seasons.

All four of the members of the CCL/ESCC White (St. Laurence, Montini, Carmel and Fenwick) have jumped out to a 2-0 start.

Conferences like the West Suburban Silver, Cahokia/Mississippi, Fox Valley, CPL North, Interstate Eight, Kishwaukee, Mid-Illini, Little Illini, Mid-Suburban West, Northwest Upstate Illini, Three Rivers Rock and West Suburban Silver all have four teams that are still undefeated.

This isn’t really out of the ordinary as the list of 2-0 teams is just one fewer than it was at this stage last year. It is, however, different because of the construction of the teams in the group.

The list of teams has a number of upstarts such as Elgin, Oregon, Niles Notre Dame, Leo, New Trier, Bishop McNamara, Lake Park, McHenry, Ottawa, Woodstock, Metea Valley, Zion-Benton and Romeoville. Some of these teams are finding themselves in this conversation for the first time, others appear to be returning to the discussion after a long time of being non-factors.

And those surprise teams are definitely the ones to watch over the next few weeks. Will they still be in the group? Are they just benefiting from fortunate early-season schedules? Or are they teams that we need to make room for in the postseason conversations?

Because for every team that crashes the party, we have to start considering whose place they might be taking. And there’s already a very large group of teams staring at an uphill climb to reach the postseason. That group includes a whole host of teams that unfortunately find themselves winless through two games.

The list includes CCL/ESCC stalwarts Marist and Joliet Catholic and last year’s Class 4A state champions DePaul Prep. Also finding themselves behind the early eight ball are teams such as Cary-Grove, Wheaton Academy, LeRoy, downstate Mt. Carmel, Hersey, Kankakee, Edwardsville, Crete-Monee and Princeton.

For some of these schools, the situation isn’t as dire as the schedule softens a bit over the course of the next few weeks, but for others that simply isn’t the case.

And while the window does remain open for the possibility of four-win teams reaching the playoffs, it isn’t a guarantee. So that list of teams has to go at minimum 5-2 over their remaining games to ensure what for most of them is their regular place in the postseason.

Week 2 woes

For the second consecutive year, one of the games at the East St. Louis Jamboree event was postponed when an out-of-state opponent declined to make the trip after agreeing to play.

Earlier this week, Gadsden County from Havana, Florida informed the host school that they wouldn’t be making the trip north.

The Florida High School Athletic Association had previously announced sanctions against the program, which included the suspension of eight players. Those players were later reinstated to the program, but the program’s head coach abruptly left the program for a collegiate job.

With all that instability, Gadsen elected to forfeit the game to the Flyers.

Last season the same situation affected Lincoln-Way East when its Week 2 opponent, Speciality Fit Academy, also declined to travel to the jamboree, forcing the Griffins to take a forfeit win.

Oddly enough, there may have been a solution to this problem had Gadsden County informed East St. Louis that they weren’t coming sooner as there was another marquee team in Illinois looking for a game in Week 2, Loyola.

Loyola was unable to schedule an opponent all offseason for its Week 2 vacancy. And since they never had an opponent booked, it does not qualify for a forfeit victory and will simply go with a non-contest for the week and only play eight regular-season games this season.