Any football is better than no football.

That’s the mindset Connor Hites, Connor Wanzung and members of the St. Ignatius football team have held over the past few seasons. While the Wolfpack fell short of reaching the IHSA playoffs in those seasons, that didn’t prevent St. Ignatius from playing more games.

Those games have come via the Prep Bowl, an annual postseason tournament pitting teams in the CCL/ESCC against teams in the Chicago Public League (CPL). St. Ignatius has won the Prep Bowl championship two years in a row, beating Morgan Park 40-12 this past fall after topping Whitney Young 47-8 two seasons ago.

“Everybody on the team thought that playing football was better than not playing football,” said Hites, who’ll enter his third varsity season with the Wolfpack this coming fall. “We all definitely wanted to do it. Getting the extra games and the extra reps, getting the younger guys reps and building momentum into the coming season definitely helps.”

The Wolfpack have won a combined six Prep Bowl games in the last two years. As St. Ignatius prepares for the 2026 campaign, players like Hites and Wanzung believe the team is ready for a return to IHSA playoff football. Prior to the two-year drought, St. Ignatius had made the playoffs eight years in a row (excluding the COVID 2021 season).

“I really think we’re going to make a state championship run this year,” Wanzung said. “Our team is very athletic and we have great communication. We have a few returning starters on the defensive side and we have our quarterback coming back. Our line is pretty new, but they’re eager to learn. Our coach knows how to coach them up.”

Wanzung will be one of those athletes to watch. A starting cornerback as a sophomore, Wanzung was involved in all three phases as a junior. In addition to playing cornerback, Wanzung was the team’s top return specialist and punter. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder also filled in at quarterback for three games while starter Reid Hites was injured.

“I was lifting every day and getting faster and stronger over the offseason,” said Wanzung, who holds an offer from Western Illinois. “I got bigger, so tackling was a lot easier for me. I excelled when the quarterback threw the ball my way. I was targeted 16 times and I had 12 PBUs, so I only had four catches on me the whole year.”

Connor Hites, Reid’s older brother, played both ways at running back and safety. Hites, a 6-foot-3 safety/nickel prospect who has Division I offers from over a dozen schools, totaled 94 tackles (50 solo stops) with eight TFLs, four PBUs, one interception and a forced fumble. He was one of five St. Ignatius players to earn All-CCL/ESCC honors.

“I thought I played pretty physical and I was able to help teammates make plays,” Hites said. “I thought my zone coverage and my range got better. I got better at reading the quarterback’s eyes and when I rolled down into the box, I worked a lot on my tackling form. I worked on holding the edge and staying outside when I needed to.”

A two-time All-CCL/ESCC selection, Hites anticipates a move down to linebacker for his senior season. He’s also preparing for a much bigger role in the team’s triple-option offense, which will have his brother Reid under center for his junior year. Injured for the entire regular season, Reid Hites totaled seven touchdowns in the Prep Bowl run.

“I’m getting extra reps in with my brother,” Connor Hites said. “We’ve been going to the field and running routes, going over plays, working out, lifting and trying to get faster. When he came back, he definitely showed he can be great, so the offense will be confident in him. We’ve had a lot of time to work, so that’ll help him be more comfortable.”

Wanzung was another of St. Ignatius’ All-CCL/ESCC picks in 2025. After totaling 435 yards and five touchdowns over three games at quarterback, Wanzung will line up at wide receiver this coming fall. The junior defensive back, who had 30 tackles (16 solo stops), two interceptions and three forced fumbles, will move over to safety.

“I’m working a lot on my blocking because we’re a triple-option team first,” said Wanzung, whose older brother Jack and father John played football at Vanderbilt. “I’m trying to be a deep threat. I have a wide receiver trainer I’ve been going to and I’ve put a lot of time in over the offseason. I’ve put on a bit of weight, but I’ve kept my speed.”

Playing in the Blue Division the last two seasons, St. Ignatius has dealt with powers like Mount Carmel, a four-time defending state champion, Brother Rice, which won the Class 7A state title in 2025, and Loyola, which prior to 2025 had won three straight 8A titles.

While the Wolfpack will change divisions, moving into the Orange for 2026, those challenges will remain. The new Orange Division features Providence, a 5A state finalist in the fall, Fenwick, the 6A champion, and Carmel, a 7A playoff qualifier with multiple Power 4 prospects. However, players like Hites and Wanzung are optimistic for 2026.

“We learned that, against good teams, if you make small mistakes, they’ll add up quickly and end up losing you the game,” Hites said. “We had a lot of first-year guys and learning the physicality and the quickness those teams played with will definitely help us.”

St. Ignatius will have multiple senior competing at the collegiate level next season. Miles Gaito (Brown), Robbie Connor (Holy Cross) and Ian Burris (St. Thomas) have signed to play at the Division I level. Omar Saadan (John Carroll), Henry Rossini (WashU), Jack Gilardi (Denison) and Ryan Krantz (Denison) will continue on at the Division III level.