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?

The Rant can’t go more than 10 minutes without sweatin’ through another McHenryCountySports.com T-shirt in this hot weather, but we wanted it, and by golly we got it.

Yes, it is very hot out there, and in some ways it is an important time in the football season. Despite it bein’ summer, there are kids all over the county and state gearin’ up for the upcomin’ football season by studyin’ plays and liftin’ weights.

The Rant knows that those teams and individuals who start workin’ now will be the teams that are still playin’ late in the playoffs and the individuals who are makin’ plays all season long and makin’ a name for themselves.

For many high school athletes the summer is not a time to slow down and take it easy, but rather an opportunity to train, play club sports and sometimes even work.

Football schedules will be out Thursday and will be on McHenryCountySports later that night. MCS also will have new Summer Prep Challenges comin’ your way in about two weeks featurin’ more local athletes whippin’ up on Northwest Herald Sports Editor Eric Olson.

The Rant wants to know what all of you FVC football fans think about 7:15 p.m. game times this season?

The Rant is a little sad while writin’ this post because the prep season is officially over until fall. The Rant knows that things did not go the way The Grove’s baseball team wanted them to in the state tournament as they had to settle for fourth place. Like one of the C-G fans said, “At least our last game was played on this field.”

The Rant has to agree. Although the Trojans did not win the whole thing like they had set out to, they had a great season and have a lot to look back on and be proud of. They ended the season with two one-run losses in a row, but they also ended it with class and a lot of fans cheerin’ them on and givin’ them their appreciation for a memorable season.

While Cary-Grove took fourth place in Class 4A, Grayslake Central came back on Day 2 and beat LaSalle-Peru, 9-1, to finish in third place in Class 3A. The Rant loves the way that the Rams represented the FVC, and this team proved that if you keep playin’ hard good things happen as they showed with a great postseason run.

The Rant wants to know which baseball and softball teams you think will be playin’ at state next season?
 

It looked good early, an’ they came close late ... but in the end the Trojans lost at state.

That’s how it goes. Some nights, you give it your best shot and the other team just makes a couple more plays.

Seems to Rant that’s what happened on Friday in Joliet.

The Trojans turned three double plays, they got the benefit of an interference call that got ‘em another, and Chris Waylock and Matt Nelsen brought their sticks, goin’ a combined 6-for-8.

But the Trevians did just a little more. And the one inning where The Grove had a defensive lapse cost ‘em, and they lost, 3-2.

C-G wasn’t the only team to come away disappointed on Friday. Grayslake Central lost, 4-1, to Joliet Catholic. That probably delighted the Joliet Catholic crowd, which probably didn’t have to travel too far to make it to Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

Que sera, boys. Friday’s games are over now.

But the great thing about makin’ it to the Final Four in the state is that ya earn the chance to play again tomorrow, even if ya lose.

Saturday’s the last day of the season.

There’s nothin’ to save for another day, and Rant knows that both teams will give it their all to go out winners.

Rant’s pullin’ for ya to finish out this 2008-09 prep season on a high note.

The final weekend of prep sports is here and there could not be a better way to celebrate another great year of high school sports than to watchin’ two days of FVC baseball teams playin’ for a state title.

Yes, once again the FVC is well-represented, with Cary-Grove and Grayslake Central playin’ in the IHSA State Baseball Tournament held at Joliet’s Silver Cross Field. Grayslake Old plays Joliet Catholic at 1 p.m. on Friday, and The Grove takes on New Trier at 7 p.m.

The Rant has been braggin’ about FVC baseball to anybody who will listen. With five FVC teams makin’ the state tournament in three years, there’s lots to brag about. Can you imagine if the Trojans or the Rams could make it two straight state champs comin’ out of the little ol’ FVC? The Rant can.

Rant knows that it’ll be harder than anything these teams have done this season, but once ya get there, anything can happen. If the Trojans offense keeps hittin’ like they have been, The Rant would say their chances are real good.

Either way, Rant knows this is one weekend they and their fans will never forget. No matter where they finish, Rant has to give them their props on makin’ it to the big dance.