Nabors: Behind the scenes of possibly the last state finals weekend in Champaign

Do you ever get that weird feeling when arriving at the airport at the end of a long vacation?

That excited feeling to go home. To take a deep breath and relax.

Yet with a bit of sadness mixed in, the adventure is over. The anticipation, gone.

That’s the best way I can describe the end of the high school football season.

So here I am.

It’s the Monday morning after the 2022 state finals, and I’m sitting with a big mug of coffee, still trying to reorient myself after an incredibly fun and, honestly tiring, two days in Champaign.

What’s next?

Well, it won’t take long before we turn our attention to next year.

Which teams have the best chance to repeat? Who are the top 2023 prospects to watch? And how quickly can Steve Soucie get his first postseason projection done?

(Just kidding, Souc. Sort of.)

But we have plenty of time to get into all of that. We’ll call it roughly five months until we start tracking down summer practice schedules and seven months until the 2023 conference previews start rolling out.

For now, though, I want to take everyone behind the scenes from this past weekend.

Where will we be next Thanksgiving weekend?

The IHSA state football finals have been rotating between the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University for the majority of my time as professional journalist.

That’s almost certainly going to change with the state football finals contracts up and the IHSA currently reviewing proposals.

Somewhat selfishly – although my opinion is far from unique – I am disappointed we likely will not be headed back to Champaign next November or for the foreseeable future.

Memorial Stadium’s fantastic press box allows for plenty of room for media members, IHSA staff, officiating crews, school administrators and coaches. I wouldn’t be writing this column without the countless casual conversations I had Friday and Saturday, many of which took place high above the field as the action unfolded.

But beyond that, the setup in Champaign just works. It’s centrally located, the facilities are top notch, kids love the opportunity to play in a Big Ten Stadium, and the fan experience is great.

The only drawback is actually the stadium’s size. There’s no doubt you can feel the crowd’s energy considerably more at NIU.

Ideally, the state finals would remain at U of I, but given the IHSA’s desire to find a host site that can guarantee availability every season, it doesn’t seem likely.

The issues with returning to NIU are more obvious. The small, outdated press box simply cannot handle the amount of media, IHSA staff, and coaches that come with a state title weekend. And the fan experience, particularly before arriving at your seat, is clearly a step below Memorial Stadium.

With that being said, DeKalb still is a great place to watch a game once you’re in your seat. The smaller stadium creates a better atmosphere, and the majority of coaches and school administrators like the more northerly location, along with how the facilities are set up for such an event.

We’ll likely find out where we’re headed next November when the IHSA conducts its December board meeting.

Based on Illinois coach Bret Bielema’s open desire to retain the state championships, it’s safe to assume U of I has at least kicked the tires. Illinois State University, with its central location and newly upgraded facilities, makes a lot of sense.

Those are the two most obvious choices, at least in the short term. Could the City of Chicago make a play for the finals if the Bears do indeed leave Soldier Field for Arlington Heights in the next decade? It certainly would generate some buzz.

And, to be clear, this is all speculation on my part, but one more outside-the-box idea: Toyota Park in Bridgeview. It’s west suburban location likely would draw good crowds, it’s located close to two major interstates (55 and 294), and it has the indoor facility required for a host site.

Private vs. public

Let’s get to the elephant in the room (and on social media.) Six of the eight champions crowned in Champaign – St. Teresa, IC Catholic, Providence, Nazareth, Mount Carmel and Loyola – were private schools.

And, I’ll be honest, the questions among the football community regarding how Class 6A champion East St. Louis keeps reloading with top-end Division-I prospects are cropping up more and more.

For private schools, the default response to these programs winning a title has always been and remains, “It’s easy to win when you recruit.”

Of course, it’s significantly more complicated than that.

First, the obvious: Most of these schools must “recruit” to keep the doors open. Enrollment is down, tuition is up, and quality athletics programs are an incredible marketing tool.

But, beyond that, policing these actions is nearly impossible in 2022, whether we’re talking public or private schools. Kids are no longer isolated within their own communities. They’re playing in travel programs with athletes from other school districts. They’re interacting with each other on social media.

Even parents are reaching out to other parents to discuss which programs to send their children to.

I’m not saying we should all turn a blind eye, but let’s have a realistic conversation: Trying to police this on a case-by-case in 2022 is unrealistic. So what can we do?

I understand why many advocate for separate postseasons for public and private schools, but I think most underestimate just how dramatic an impact such a decision would have on Illinois’ high school football landscape.

My opinion: The IHSA needs to alter its bylaws to allow the organization to be more aggressive in bumping up successful private schools into larger classes. Allowing teams such as Nazareth, Providence and IC Catholic (actually a 2A school by enrollment that voluntarily played up in 3A this postseason) to play in these middle classes isn’t fair.

Let’s bump these programs up two classes and see how it goes.

Trying to stay awake

Enough with the serious stuff. Let’s end the 2022 season on something funny.

The two days at state football is one of my favorite weekends of the year, but each day wears you down.

On Friday night, five of the Friday Night Drive crew – myself, Souc, Alex Kantecki, Michal Dwojak and Josh Welge – stayed at an AirBnB just a few minutes from campus.

Alex and I arrived first, and after a few minutes of confusion we managed to find our way inside once we realized the house had separate entrances for two separate units.

Michal and Josh arrived next. Michal texted to ask if he should enter door No. 1.

I, without much thought, responded, “Yes.”

That was, very much, incorrect as Michal would soon discover from an understandably upset women as he opened her front door.

Souc soon followed and noted a woman standing outside on her porch smoking a cigarette. “Yeah, that’s probably because of us,” Michal said to our amusement.

Once inside we all discovered how incredibly warm the house was, but no one could figure out how to work the smart thermostat. Seriously, I think we all took at least one crack at it.

I did finally manage to figure it out before heading to bed just shy of 1 a.m ... only to wake up freezing two hours later because I had forgotten to shut the window I had opened earlier to stop from fainting.

But, hey, all five of us were up ready to go again by early Saturday morning.

That’s the magic of high school football: No matter how tired you find yourself, you still wake up the next day with a smile and ready to do it all over again.

Bring on 2023.