Some consider the Prep Bowl just a relic from a time when Public League and Catholic League teams ruled the high-school football world and filled Soldier Field for their annual showdown.
Now it’s overshadowed by the IHSA playoffs and under the radar.
But for Reid Hites, the Prep Bowl means everything.
If it wasn’t for this game, he wouldn’t have played football this year.
Hites spent the summer preparing to be St. Ignatius’ starting quarterback as a sophomore. Then he fractured his left elbow in a Week 0 scrimmage, had surgery and thought his season was over.
But the Wolfpack opted into the Prep Bowl playoffs and Hites made his season debut off the bench two weeks ago against Leo. He got his first start in a win over Notre Dame last week and on Saturday, he threw a touchdown pass to Ryan Russell in the Wolfpack’s 40-12 Prep Bowl win over Morgan Park at Hanson Stadium.
Senior running back Robbie Conner ran 23 times for 90 yards and three TDs for St. Ignatius (5-7), which repeated as Prep Bowl champ. Charlie Klass added 56 yards and two scores on seven carries. Hites was 2-of-2 passing for 55 yards and ran for 16 yards.
“The doctor said I wasn’t going to be able to come back,” he said. “But I did really good in rehab, so I was able to make it back.”
Watching St. Ignatius go 2-7 in the regular season wasn’t easy. But he remained engaged.
“I got reps with the [number] ones all summer,” Hites said. “… So obviously I was really down [after getting hurt]. But the thing that kept me going was seeing how I can help the team. And that kind of fired me up.”
Seeing Hites back running the Wolfpack’s option offense again fired up Conner.
“When he went down in that scrimmage, I didn’t know what to think,” Conner said. “I mean, he’s my brother. I’ve been with him since grade school so I know him really well. When he went down it was really sad for me. And when I found out he was coming back, I got really excited to be able to play a few more games with him.
“And I’m excited to see what he could do the next few years down the line.”
So is St. Ignatius coach Matt Miller, who was glad to get Hites even a little playing time this season.
“We knew he was a good player and we would have taken our growing pains throughout the year,” Miller said. “And we missed that opportunity for him to grow. And so getting this two-and-a-half games that he got … is going to be huge for the program. We do bring back a lot of guys and so we’re excited about what’s coming.”
Morgan Park (9-5) was within 13-12 at halftime and trailed 19-12 after three quarters before St. Ignatius broke the game open.
Sophomore quarterback Ronald Smith Jr. was 16-of-26 passing for 165 yards with two interceptions. He threw TD passes of 28 yards to Travezz Jones and 19 yards to Reggie Gray Jr. Gray, whose dad Reggie Sr. played for Morgan Park in the 2001 Prep Bowl, also had 14 carries for 59 yards.
“We were there at halftime,” Mustangs coach Chris James said. “I feel like we left some plays on the field. Our inexperience showed in the second half.
“I’m proud of the group this year. We lost three games to teams that played in the state semifinals [Downers Grove North, Nazareth, St, Francis]. I’m excited about the future for us.”