April 29, 2024
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For St. Bede, move to Chicagoland Prairie giveth, taketh away rivalries

Joining new conference has radically altered St. Bede’s schedule

By J.T. Pedelty
St. Bede quarterback Max Bray throws a pass as center Mateo Pullara blocks during a 7-on-7 meet against Ottawa on Monday, July 17, 2023 at Ottawa High School.

St. Bede quarterback Max Bray throws a pass as center Mateo Pullara blocks during a 7-on-7 meet against Ottawa on Monday, July 17, 2023 at Ottawa High School. (Scott Anderson)

When St. Bede Academy chose late last year to leave the Three Rivers Athletic Conference to form the Chicagoland Prairie Football League and join the Tri-County for sports other than football, the Bedans knew they would be leaving behind some time-tested, fierce rivalries.

But St. Bede also knew it would be building on and creating new ones.

Along with mostly unfamiliar schools Westmont, Ridgewood, Elmwood Park and Walther Christian, the eight-team Chicagoland Prairie also features some nearby and quite familiar schools, namely Seneca, Dwight and one that seems destined to once again become St. Bede’s fiercest rival, neighboring Catholic school and fellow former Big Rivers Conference member Marquette Academy.

“Marquette, for sure, 100%,” St. Bede running back Seth Ferrari said when asked what new opponent he’s most looking forward to facing. “We’ve had this rivalry with Marquette for the past few years, had good squads in all sorts of sports. Now taking it out to the field, it’ll be a fun one.”

[ The new Chicagoland Prairie Football League: Who’s in it, where did they come from and what to expect ]

St. Bede’s two season-starting nonconference games this season are filled by downstate power Tuscola at Illinois Wesleyan University in Week 1 and Mercer County in Week 2. Noticeably absent this season and at least through the 2025 season (with Tri-Valley and Eureka filling those Weeks 1 and 2 slots for at least the next two seasons) are traditional rivals such as Princeton, Hall and Mendota, all off the schedule.

This fall, it won’t be until Week 7 that the Bruins play an opponent from closer than 80 miles away. SBA’s 98-mile trek to Walther Christian and 84-mile drive to Westmont are the Bruins’ only 2023 opponents located less than 100 miles away until a rivalry-filled final third of the regular season.

“We don’t know the teams as well anymore,” Bruins senior WR/LB Evan Entrican said. “But I feel like it’s kind of the same as last year as we prepare going into the week. We just prepare against the team we’re going to play with the film we’re going to watch.

“Marquette left our conference [11] years ago, and Tuscola, who we play at Wesleyan in Week 1, should be fun ones.”

“We’ve just got to figure out [these new teams’] game plan and run with it, but our mindset’s the same,” Ferrari said. “We’re going to go out every Friday and Saturday and try to beat everybody.”

Over those final three games, St. Bede, Marquette, Dwight and Seneca all will finish the regular season playing each other. For the Bruins, that means a Week 7 visit from Dwight, a Week 8 road trip to Marquette’s Gould Stadium and a Week 9 visit to non-defending Vermilion Valley Football Alliance North Division champion Seneca.

“We believe that this move is the best thing for all of our other sports. That is the crux behind the why,” St. Bede football coach Jim Eustice said. “We were competing just fine in the TRAC, football-wise. Coming into this conference with the schools that are in it, it’s not necessarily going to be all that easier for us.

“It’s going to be great to be able to schedule Weeks 1 and 2, have them open. ... and then [the schedule] is nice right now, because us, Marquette, Seneca and Dwight are all playing each other Weeks 7, 8 and 9. It’s going to be exciting for the area and the communities to have those games down the stretch.”