Team previews

Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers

2024 record: 10-4, 3-0 (Class 5A runner-up, CCL/ESCC Orange champion)

Coach: Jake Jaworski

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Lyons; Sept. 6 at Glenbard West; Sept. 12 at Fenwick; Sept. 19 at Marist; Sept. 26 Nazareth; Oct. 3 Niles Notre Dame; Oct. 10 Mount Carmel; Oct. 17 at De La Salle; Oct. 24 Providence.

Worth noting: The Hilltoppers don’t really do rebuilds, but some retooling is going to be required as the program must replace 16 starters from last year’s Class 5A runner-up squad. Offensively, Joliet Catholic will likely remain a run-heavy offense but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hilltoppers go to the air a bit more than usual with an experienced quarterback in Lucas Simulick under center. WR Jayden Armstrong gives Joliet Catholic a threat on the outside to utilize as well but the key will be how quickly the offensive line can be rebuilt. Connor Ahoyt is the lone returner from last year’s group that paved the way for plenty of offensive productivity. Defensively, things should be held down by Ian Campbell, the CCL/ESCC Orange Lineman of the Year last season and a Navy recruit, but beyond Campbell only linebacker Derrick Pomatto and defensive end Kingston Dunagan received regular repetitions last fall.

Marist RedHawks

2024 record: 9-2, 2-1

Coach: Mike Fitzgerald

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 at St. Rita; Sept. 5 Brother Rice; Sept. 12 at Montini; Sept. 19 Joliet Catholic; Sept. 26 IC Catholic; Oct. 3 at Providence; Oct. 10 St. Ignatius; Oct. 17 at Marmion; Oct. 24 at Niles Notre Dame.

Worth noting: The RedHawks lost a lot to graduation, but there’s still reason to believe that Marist will be an extremely hard team to get through. Although just four starters remain from last year’s second-round playoff qualifier, three of those provide a solid foundation for Marist’s offensive line anchored by a pair of Division I recruits in Rico Schrieber (Purdue) and Danzel Newell (New Mexico). The primary benefactor of all of that upfront strength could be bruising running back Kevin Bartolotta and senior quarterback Luke Detampel. That unit might need to set the pace for Marist early on as just one defensive starter returns from 2024: defensive back Pat Winn. There are plenty of other players that got somewhat regular playing time last season but will need some time to grow into their enhanced roles.

Niles Notre Dame Dons

2024 record: 3-6, 0-3

Coach: Dan DeFranza

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Washington; Sept. 5 at St. Charles East; Sept. 12 at St. Laurence; Sept. 19 Providence; Sept. 26 St. Rita; Oct. 3 at Joliet Catholic; Oct. 10 Brother Rice; Oct. 18 at Leo; Oct. 24 Marist.

Worth noting: The biggest change for the Dons in the offseason was making the transition from long-time head coach Mike Hennessey to Dan DeFranza. There won’t be a lack of familiarity with DeFranza, though, as he’s been in the program alongside Hennessey for 30 years and was formerly the Dons defensive coordinator before taking the helm. DeFranza will likely lean on his defensive roots and a linebacking core that returns a pair of starters in Alex Wojtulewicz and Dilloin Gallagher as well as anchor in the secondary in Ryan Cisneroz. The Dons are still not completely settled at the quarterback position, but whoever ultimately gets the nod will likely have strong offensive line protection with returners Ray Hookfin, Sean Cook and Luke Sanders. Throy Nightingale looks to have the inside track to the lion’s share of the carries out of the backfield.

Providence Celtics

2024 record: 4-5, 1-2

Coach: Tyler Plantz

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Wheaton Academy; Sept. 5 at Lincoln-Way Central; Sept. 12 at Carmel; Sept. 19 at Niles Notre Dame; Sept. 26 St. Francis; Oct. 3 Marist; Oct. 10 Loyola; Oct. 17 at Marian Catholic; Oct. 24 at Joliet Catholic.

Worth noting: Providence never quite found its groove last season, but with a lot of returning players with experience the expectations are at least a return to the playoff fray. The Celtics did lose some key seniors to graduation, but have some interesting pieces in place that should flourish with expanded roles. Both Xavier Coleman and Broden Mackert had some strong efforts out of the backfield last season and with blockers like Bryce Tencza up front there should be some room from whoever is running the football for Providence. The quarterback position is an area where the Celtics have had a hard time settling on a frontrunner for regular reps over the past few seasons and there’s still no clear cut candidate that has taken those reins as of yet. Defensively, there’s a whole host of players that are ready to take their game’s to a higher level it is just a matter of figuring out the correct mix.

Five players to watch

• Ian Campbell, DE, Joliet Catholic: A Navy recruit, Campbell had a dominant season last year and proved extremely difficult to block for opponents and had a knack for finding the football.
• Derrick Pomatto, LB, Joliet Catholic: Pomatto was extremely productive in the heart of the Hilltopper defense last year and he did all of that damage as just a sophomore.
• Rico Schrieber, OL, Marist: The Redhawks might take a little time to find their identity, but one thing they don’t have to search for is stability up front thanks to this anchor and Purdue recruit.
• Bryce Tencza, OL, Providence: Tencza has been an integral piece in the Celtics offensive line for several seasons and he’ll set the pace for that unit this year.
• Alex Wojtulewicz, LB, Niles Notre Dame: The Dons will likely look to use their defense as a foundation and this experienced linebacker will likely provide a lot of that bedrock.

Five can’t miss matchups

Week 1 - Marist at St. Rita: These two Southside rivals meet in an interesting matchup to start the season. Both teams won at least nine games last season and made the playoffs. They’ll try to carry that momentum into 2025 with a big rivalry win to start the new year.

Week 3 - Marist at Montini: The RedHawks continue their tough start to the season with a matchup against the defending Class 3A state champion Broncos. With matchups against St. Rita, Brother Rice, Montini and Joliet Catholic to begin the year, Marist will want to prove they can compete with some of the megaconference’s best.

Week 4 - Joliet Catholic at Marist: These two former ESCC rivals will start off Orange play with what could be a game that decides the division. The Hilltoppers won on a game-winning field goal last year and the RedHawks will try to get revenge at home.

Week 7 - Brother Rice at Niles Notre Dame: The Dons will have a nice test against a CCL/ESCC Blue opponent as they begin the final third of the season. Niles Notre Dame could be in a spot to pick up an important win as it tries to make the playoffs in DeFranza’s first season as head coach.

Week 9 - Providence at Joliet Catholic: The “Holy War” gets another fitting setting to end the regular season between these two rivals. Joliet Catholic eliminated Providence from the playoffs in last season’s meeting and the Celtics will try to get revenge this time around.

Steve Soucie’s predicted finish

(* - Projected playoff qualifier)

1. Marist*
2. Joliet Catholic*
3. Providence*
4. Niles Notre Dame