Football fireworks ahead, too

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The Rant loves a good barbecue with all the fixins and there is nothin’ better than firin’ up the grill and celebratin’ this great country of ours over the Fourth of July weekend.

As The Rant gets ready for the big summer holiday, he can’t help but think about football. The Rant searched for the Fall’s football schedules online and found most of them and the IHSA is supposed to publish all schedules on July 2 if they don’t move the date back again.

Anywho, here are some of the things that stuck out to The Rant when lookin’ over the upcomin’ games. (Click here to view local football schedules.) Hang in their, Rant fans. There’s a lot to say here:

In Week 1, Crystal Lake Central goes to The Grove in what should be a interestin’ game. If The Tigers are lookin’ to gauge how good they are, this will be a good indicator right from the start. These could be two of the best local running teams in 2009. Can the Tigers defense hang with the Trojans?

Those same two teams have big games in Week 2, with the Tigers takin’ on rival Prairie Ridge and the Trojans travelin’ to Marian Central. The Hurricanes are not the team they were two or three years ago, but they’re always tough on their home field and have solid coachin’. The Wolves will want the early season momentum from beatin’ the Tigers.

Crystal Lake South will play the Trojans again in Week 8 in what has been the biggest local football game of the regular season for four or five years now. This one is always worth the price of admission. Could this be the season that the Gators are actually favored to win this rivalry game behind junior QB Drew Ormseth?

Huntley had a big season last year and will need to adjust to playin’ in the FVC Valley Division this Fall. The Red Raiders make the move up and might find things a little rough playin’ some of the bigger schools. After a relatively easy start to the 2009 season they will face McHenry, Cary-Grove and CL South in Weeks 5, 6 and 7. That’s what Rant calls a meat grinder.

While Huntley moves up to the Valley, Woodstock will move down to the Fox Division where they oughta be very competitive. The Fox will have seven teams with Woodstock North comin’ into the division this fall. The game in Week 7 will be a historic one, with Woodstock North traveling down the road to play many of their friends at Woodstock in the gridiron Battle for the Square.

McHenry has many big games, but none bigger than Week 9 when they face CL South. The Rant still thinks the Warriors might have something to prove to the Gators. Only time will tell if the game means anything or not.

Every game Johnsburg plays will be a big one this season, with yet another head coach at the helm and the biggest name in the county in WR C.J. Fiedorowicz, who will end up being the most recruited player ever to come out of our neck of the woods. How will coach Barry Creviston use Fiedorowicz?

In the BNC, Richmond-Burton should be the favorite to win it all, and they get to play at ISU’s Hancock Stadium in Week 2 against Civic Memorial. They have a real grudge match against Harvard in Week 7 that should mean a lot.

Harvard always puts a solid team on the field and they will face off against rival Hampshire in Week 6. These two teams don’t always score a lot against each other, but the hittin’ and defense is fun to watch.

The Rant wanted to respond to the post from ITS ME, who wrote “"what’s wrong with the later start? Nobody ever see Friday night lights? The games should start at 8, walking onto the field when its dark under the lights with the crowd rawring is amazing.”

The Rant and just about every other prep football fan has seen or read Friday Night Lights, but this ain’t Texas and we’re not makin’ a movie. Sure the lights are neat and all, but playin’ earlier games does not change what happens on the field, so there is nothin’ wrong with startin’ earlier. Besides, now that the games are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. they might actually start by 7:45 p.m.

The Rant wants to know what are your favorite games or rivalries headin’ into the 2009 season?