CCL/ESCC notes: Loyola weighs playing time versus health during 5-0 start to season

Loyola has started the season 5-0 and played nearly perfect, but there is one thing the Ramblers haven’t done so far this season: play a full game.

The Ramblers starters haven’t played a full game yet this season because they’ve won all their games by large margins. Loyola coach John Holecek said it’s a good problem to have and one where he leans toward health instead of minutes.

“We’re not in shape, and you can see that,” Holecek said. “Defensively, until you pick yourself up off the ground after 60 snaps, you don’t get into that football shape. You might lose a little bit of that, but trying to stay healthy is more important.”

The furthest many starters have played in a game this season is early in the fourth quarter against Brother Rice. Quarterback Jake Stearney has played in 12 of 20 quarters this season.

Holecek said he’s matured over the years when it comes to deciding how late to leave players in. He wants to take his starters out so there’s no risk of injury when the game is in-hand but also needs to decide whether Loyola’s opponent could make a comeback late.

The coach draws upon his experience from a game against New Trier in 2017 where the Ramblers took a big lead and the Trevians almost came back to win.

“Is the game in-hand, do we have to worry playing our best and the team coming back?” Holecek said. “We’re up a lot and then almost blew it. We don’t want to be in that position.”

Holecek doesn’t change his approach later in the season. While he wants to make sure the Ramblers are conditioned to play a full game late in the season and in the playoffs, that doesn’t outweigh the concern of injury and getting reserves game action.

“I realized how important playing time is for the guys that are on the roster who are not out there,” Holecek said. “I definitely want to play everyone as much as possible but we do have to have the win in-hand or at least feel very comfortable with a sizable lead. The objective is to execute well on both sides of the ball and special teams and then get as many kids in as possible.”

Mount Carmel’s transformation

Mount Carmel’s Danny Novickas appreciated his team’s year-long transformation after the Caravan defeated St. Ignatius on Friday.

The senior linebacker remembered a coach saying that he didn’t like the way Mount Carmel played after losing to the Wolfpack last season and the team took it to heart, becoming one of the most-complete teams in the state this season.

“We were all out there playing for ourselves,” Novickas said. “This year, we’re playing as a team, we’re playing for our brothers. That’s the biggest change over the past year, how we’ve grown and matured.”

The Caravan are 5-0 this season and have outscored their opponents 204-27. The offense has been dynamic both in the air and on the group while the defense’s swarming style of play has adjusted to different offenses.

Novickas is happy with the progress that he’s seen and the Caravan’s playoff qualification with its fifth win, but he knows that there’s more work left to be done before the transformation is complete.

“We view it as we’re 1-0 on the week and then it resets,” Novickas said. “That 5-0 record looks good on paper, but after Saturday, when we’re done with film, it’s on to the next one. We’re 0-0.”

Measuring stick for St. Ignatius

St. Ignatius coach Matt Miller liked the test of playing Mount Carmel on the road and how it could help his team prepare for the rest of the season.

“I think this was a good measuring stick,” Miller said. “I think it’s better to play a game like this than win by 80 points by playing someone else. We still have a desire to win 6A and there are some good teams in 6A.”

Miller thought playing on the road under the lights in front of a full house helped the Wolfpack face some adversity they haven’t played in yet. St. Ignatius fumbled the opening kickoff and Mount Carmel ran out to a 21-0 lead with 2:19 left in the first quarter.

The Wolfpack round out the regular season against De La Salle, St. Viator, DePaul College Prep and Fenwick as they try to win the CCL/ESCC White title. Miller knows each team will have St. Ignatius highlighted after losing to the Wolfpack last season as the they try to win out and earn a home playoff game.

“We want to earn one more game on our home field and in order to do that, we need to get to seven wins,” Miller said. “We need all four of these.”

Justin Scott heading to All-American Bowl

St. Ignatius junior Justin Scott accepted an invitation to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl. The game will take place in San Antonio on Jan. 7.

Scott is the No. 1 ranked Class of 2024 prospect in Illinois and has earned five-star ratings from both Rivals and 247Sports. Rivals ranks Scott as the 12th-best prospect in the nation while 247Sports ranks him as the 31st-best player in the nation.

The junior holds offers from Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC and Oklahoma, among others.

Another year, another playoff run

Both Loyola and Mount Carmel qualified for the playoffs with their fifth wins of the season, adding to an impressive run for each school.

The Caravan have qualified for the playoffs each season since 1986 with the exception of 2016 and 2020, when no playoff was held because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mount Carmel has won 12 state titles during that span and played five more title games.

The Ramblers have made the playoffs each season since 2003, winning two state titles and appearing in four more title games.