The Illinois High School Association holds a press conference every year on the Monday before the football state championship games. All 16 coaches participate, one by one, on a conference call with the television crew that is broadcasting the games.
At the end of each coach’s time, media members from across the state are given a chance to ask questions. Reporters use the conference to write previews of the state championship games.
I always listen to the whole thing, or as much as possible. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the downstate teams I don’t cover and pick up things I may have missed during the season about local teams.
The morning started off with some heartwarming moments. Maroa-Forsyth coach Josh Jostes shared how his team has a coffee and donuts practice on Thanksgiving morning when they advance to the state tournament, which happens frequently. The practice is always open to the public, and several hundred locals attend to watch and cheer on the team.
Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia’s team is going up against mighty East St. Louis in the Class 6A state championship game. Some observers believe the Flyers are even better than Mount Carmel.
“Our kids believe,” Battaglia said. “With high school kids, that is one of the biggest things. When you play a team like East St. Louis, a lot of teams lose before they get on the bus.
“We went to the wire with Mount Carmel a couple of weeks ago. That was really big for our kids. They know they can compete with anyone. I think a lot of our families were surprised. But it confirmed what our kids believed.”
Battaglia also provided a grown-up, sensible quote that may convince some parents to send their kids to Fenwick. It did set off some online trolls that thought he was conceding defeat, which is ridiculous.
“We are already state champs in my mind,” Battaglia said. “These kids are state champs. I don’t care what happens in the games. The more I coach, the more wins and losses don’t matter. It’s about giving your kids the best experience possible.”
Then, Mount Carmel Jordan Lynch’s turn came. In the first couple of years of his career, Lynch was actually boring with the media. Like many former pro athletes, he seemed wary of reporters.
That changed over the last few years. Lynch found his voice and enjoys sharing his viewpoints. It has given media and fans a much better glimpse of who he is and, I believe, has shown what players relate to and why so many great players have chosen Mount Carmel lately. Lynch is brash, honest and confident.
He addressed the ongoing and constant debate over whether private schools have an advantage over public schools in football.
“Everyone has it tough…there are pros and cons to every school,” Lynch said. At the end of the day, look at yourself in the mirror. If you didn’t win or you are just not good enough, accept that. Stop looking for excuses. It’s kind of getting exhausting.”
The comment set off a firestorm when I sent it out on X. Mount Carmel has won the most state championships in state history (16) and the last three Class 7A state titles. The Caravan faces Oswego in the Class 8A title game on Saturday.
This was Panthers’ coach Brian Cooney’s answer to the same question.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Cooney said. “I’m proud of our community…if you are gonna live inside these boundaries, we are going to love you hard but coach you hard. I’m looking forward to this opportunity on Saturday with our kids.”
This is just round one of the private/public school debate in Illinois high school football this week. Expect much more at the state finals, especially if private schools win four of the five biggest classes, which is very possible.