What we learned in Week 1: Loyola shines on national stage; Glenbard West looks strong

Oswego’s R. Payton Furstenau (34) carries the American flag as Oswego takes the field in their home opener against Neuqua Valley during a football game at Oswego High School on Friday, Aug 26, 2022.

As I exited Marist High School on Saturday to retrieve my car, which was parked a great distance from the playing field, I had plenty of time to reflect on what I had just seen as well as the landscape of Illinois high school football during Week 1.

The consistent thought that kept creeping into my mind was this is only the beginning. Week 1 was filled with intriguing story lines, teams that clamored to make their voices heard and other fascinating subplots that I can’t wait to see how they are resolved.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest storylines of Week 1.

The bright lights of ESPN seem to suit Loyola

Marquee games against out-of-state opponents haven’t gone all that well for the Land of Lincoln in recent seasons.

There are countless examples, and while many of those games have required teams to hit the road and face those big challenges in unfamiliar surroundings, one of this year’s out-of-state matchups brought St. Xavier from Cincinnati into Illinois to play Loyola.

Although St. Xavier lost its opener to another power program in Ohio last week, there was still plenty of reason to believe that the Bombers were going to bring an elite performance to Wilmette on Sunday in front of the ESPN cameras, as part of the network’s yearly High School Showcase event.

Loyola, however, appeared completely unfazed by the pedigree of its opponent, the packed house and the bright lights of the TV cameras. The Ramblers put forth a complete destruction of their guests from Ohio, winning 44-20 in a game that was not even remotely close.

St. Xavier didn’t score any points against Loyola’s first-string defense, and from the looks of things the other eight regular-season opponents on the Ramblers’ schedule might have the same problem.

A good loss?

East St. Louis traveled to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, to play in the Ohio Bowl against St. Frances Academy out of Baltimore.

Over the course of the past few seasons, the Flyers have routinely sought out the best teams nationally that they can find. St. Frances appeared to be another doozy.

It entered the game as the No. 3-ranked team nationally and as a heavy favorite against the Flyers, who while talented, haven’t cracked any of the national polls.

In the end, the Flyers came up just short in a 20-13 loss. But they return from the birthplace of football with proof that they can matchup with anybody.

Exactly how good can these guys be?

While completing my nature hike into Marist, I overheard some Glenbard West students talking about how Hilltoppers standout running back Joey Pope wasn’t going to play in the showdown.

It gave me pause about the prospects of the Hilltoppers in the contest, and shortly after regaining my breath and downing a half gallon of water, I had confirmed that Pope wasn’t playing in the game, as he was still recovering from an appendectomy.

Julius Ellens did a spectacular job filling in for Pope, and the Hilltoppers won a thriller 33-31. Pope is expected to return this week.

But you have to wonder what this team might be capable of with Pope in the backfield and Ellens allowed to slide back into a hybrid position.

2-0.....

More times than not a score of 2-0 usually indicates a forfeit in football.

But a showdown of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, Kankakee and Nazareth, in the preseason Associated Press Class 5A poll ended with that score, and it most definitely was not a forfeit.

On the second play of the game a low snap led to Kankakee stepping out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

Then both defenses locked in and allowed absolutely nothing the rest of the way.

It wouldn’t be surprising if this was the first of two meetings between these two teams this season. Geography could lead to them being placed on the opposite sides of the postseason bracket as Kankakee went through the south portion of the 5A bracket last season before losing to Fenwick in the state final. That same Fenwick team booted Nazareth from the north side of the bracket in the quarterfinals.

The surprises

Both St. Patrick and Niles Notre Dame earned victories that could safely be classified as surprising in Week 1.

St. Patrick toppled last year’s breakout team St. Ignatius, 19-14, while Notre Dame bested Willowbrook, a team that loses regular season games at a very infrequent clip, 28-0.

The kicker? The two schools are fierce rivals, and they’ll lock horns Friday at Notre Dame.