A look inside the 2022 football schedule for the Joliet area

Southwest Prairie East

Joliet Central

Head coach: Thomas Hart

2021 record: 0-9

The Steelmen have had a tough time getting much momentum going in recent seasons and haven’t netted a win since 2019. But the nonconference schedule to start their schedule might be a little more forgiving than the SPC crossovers the program has faced in most recent campaigns. Even so, the Steelmen still will need to make a dramatic step forward to be in the SPC East mix.

Joliet West

Head coach: Dan Tito

2021 record: 3-6

The Tigers would like to find a way back into the postseason mix, but will have to survive an absolutely brutal stretch of games to kick off the season. It includes four playoff teams in their first five scheduled games. COVID-19 issues took a bite out of Joliet West’s schedule last season and made it difficult for the team to regroup in the second half of the season.

Plainfield Central

Head coach: Robert Keane

2021 record: 8-2

Few programs made a larger turnaround in one year than the Wildcats did under then-first-year head coach Keane. For the Wildcats to sustain that level of success, they will have to maneuver what appears to be a much more difficult nonconference slate, which includes a new rivalry matchup with Lincoln-Way West to kick off the season.

Plainfield East

Head coach: Brad Kunz

2021 record: 5-5

The Bengals were able to sneak in the backdoor of the playoff field last season, but are hoping that they can hang around a little bit longer this season with a returning roster of some very promising young players. If they do manage to make the field and net a playoff win, it would be the first in program history, as they are 0-4 in their previous four appearances.

Plainfield South

Head coach: Bill Bicker

2021 record: 3-6

The Cougars had one of their tougher seasons in recent memory, but it is hard to imagine a scenario that wouldn’t have them bouncing back from that to be a factor in the Southwest Prairie East race. The key to making that happen will be surviving the four-game stretch before divisional play.

Romeoville

Head coach: Justin Trovato

2021 record: 1-8

Romeoville’s only win last season came after beating Joliet Central, and the program has netted three of its four wins over the last three contested seasons over the Steelemen. In order to take things up another notch, the Spartans could use a little momentum from the early portion of the season, but a rigorous nonconference schedule doesn’t look very accommodating to that goal.

Southwest Prairie West

Minooka

Head coach: Matt Harding

2021 record: 6-5

It was a bit of an uneven season for the Indians last year, but they regrouped nicely at the end of the year to cop an opening-round Class 8A playoff win over York before bowing out with a loss to Lincoln-Way East in Round 2. An intriguing slate starts right from the get-go with a very talented Bolingbrook team lurking in Week 1.

Plainfield North

Head coach: Anthony Imbordino

2021 record: 8-3

Plainfield North hopes to rekindle its amazing defensive effort of a year ago, who it held six of its nine regular-season opponents to nine points or fewer. The team likely will need that as this schedule is absolutely no joke, both in league play and outside of it.

CCL/ESCC

Joliet Catholic

Head coach: Jake Jaworski

2021 record: 14-0

The Hilltoppers really had to scramble to fill their nonconference dates as they didn’t get a commitment for Week 1 until very late in the process. Waterford is a solid program, having recorded winning records in Wisconsin all the way back to 2010. The renewal of the series with IC Catholic also became a must when IC Catholic’s Week 2 opponent washed out on it as well.

Providence

Head coach: Tyler Plantz

2021 record: 3-6

New head coach Tyler Plantz inherits a program that missed the playoffs last season and wants nothing more to get into that mix once again. To do so, the Celtics will have to maneuver through a schedule that doesn’t look much different than last year’s slate, which was one of the most rigorous in all of the state.

SouthWest Suburban Blue

Bolingbrook

Head coach: John Ivlow

2021 record: 7-3

The Raiders look rather formidable entering the season, particularly on offense with the added firepower from Montini transfer Joshua Robinson. But even with some potent additions, this is a rigorous schedule for Bolingbrook to have to navigate.

Lincoln-Way East

Head coach: Rob Zvonar

2021 record: 9-3

The Griffins bowed out earlier than they’d like in their defense of the Class 8A state title from the 2019 season, falling to Loyola in the quarterfinals. But they reached that stage with a relatively young core that looks to be well positioned to make an impression. This schedule will provide ample challenges along the way.

Lockport

Head coach: George Czart

2021 record: 13-1

The Class 8A state champions performed exactly as one would expect a senior-laden talented bunch would be expected to, stifling almost every opponent on defense while showing significant firepower on offense. Although almost every core member of that group is now gone, it’s silly to dismiss the possibility that the Porters can’t still be a major player on the 8A scene.

SouthWest Suburban Red

Lincoln-Way Central

Head coach: Jeremy Cordell

2021 record: 2-7

The Knights are trying to get back on the path to playoff qualification, but this schedule doesn’t do them many favors in trying to get there. Nonconference games against St. Charles East and Lake Park almost become must win games for Lincoln-Way Central as the depth of the SouthWest Suburban Conference is almost unfair.

Lincoln-Way West

Head coach: Luke Lokanc

2021 record: 5-5

The Warriors are hoping this year’s schedule doesn’t lead to the hole they dug for themselves last year. Lincoln-Way West played three very strong teams to start the schedule and dropped decisions to all three. Then after a loss to Lockport in Week 6, the Warriors needed to run the table just to earn a spot in the postseason. This schedule looks like it could be rather demanding as well.

South Suburban

Lemont

Head coach: Bret Kooi

2021 record: 11-1

Lemont rambled its way through its league schedule and always is a dominant force in the league’s hierarchy. It’s hard to believe it won’t be a major force again this year, which leads to more intrigue likely being provided by its nonconference slate to kick off the campaign.

Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight White

Morris

Head coach: Alan Thorson

2021 record: 10-1

On paper, the Morris schedule looks like it could be a gauntlet. The team managed to run the table last season, though, but when the dust cleared it had vanquished six teams that qualified for the playoffs and another that fell just one win short of making that number seven. The first half of the schedule should give Morris a great chance to see how it stands.

Illinois Central Eight

Coal City

Head coach: Francis Loughran

2021 record: 6-4

The Coalers had some injuries hit at the wrong time last season, but before that the consistent program was what they always are, a factor in the Illinois Central Eight race that is capable of competing with everyone in the league. It’s unlikely that pattern changes this season, but some early nonconference matchups provide some stern tests.

Peotone

Head coach: Apostolos Tsiamas

2021 record: 5-5

Peotone rebuilt its nonconference schedule and that became a little bit of a scramble when Sandwich recently announced that it wouldn’t be playing varsity football this season. The Indians were Peotone’s Week 2 opponent, causing them to scramble for a foe at a late date. They found one from across the border in Indiana.

Reed-Custer

Head coach: Gavin Johnston

2021 record: 10-2

It was a breakthrough season for the Comets, who not only advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history, but also almost knocked out eventual Class 3A state champion Byron in the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if the program can keep the momentum going.

Wilmington

Head coach: Jeff Reents

2021 record: 14-0

The Wildcats had some serious trouble filling their schedule, securing a Week 2 game only a few weeks ago. Even that came with an oddity as they will play Lisle twice because of an unexpected vacancy on their slate. The first meeting of the two schools will count as the conference game.

Vermilion Valley North

Dwight

Head coach: Luke Standiford

2021 record: 1-8

Dwight’s season was a bumpy one in 2021, as the team lost two games to COVID-19 forfeits, while recording its lone win via a forfeit from a program (Watseka) that ended its season short. At least scheduling isn’t a concern due to the VVC alignment that has teams playing five divisional games to close the season, preceded by four crossover games against the South division squads.

Seneca

Head coach: Terry Maxwell

2021 record: 4-5

Seneca is a football-only member of the Vermilion Valley, and while the travel situation isn’t perfect for the Fighting Irish, the fact the league makes for easy scheduling certainly eases that pain. Seneca will try to avoid the 0-3 start of a year ago as it was playing very solid football down the stretch in just missing the postseason.