Here's a 20/20 look at the upcoming football season.
1 Who are the Fab Five Chicago-area prospects?
Talk about putting it on the line. Glenbard West's Notre Dame-bound Chris Watt leads a pack of top prospects on the offensive line, while Morgan Park's Craig Drummond is the best of the defensive linemen. The two faced each other in a second-round playoff game last fall in Glen Ellyn, which Morgan Park rallied to win.
Rounding out the top five are linemen Pat Ward of Providence and Mike Schofield of Sandburg (a Michigan recruit), and quarterback Jon Budmayr of Marian Central, who is headed to Wisconsin.
2 Who are the Fab Five prospects Downstate?
It's hard to argue with the East St. Louis trio of receivers Kraig Appleton and Terry Hawthorne and safety Tommie Hopkins. All three are expected to sign with Illinois. Hawthorne and Hopkins committed early, and Appleton, regarded as the best prospect of the three, is somewhere between a silent verbal and announcing at the U.S. Army game in January.
Others are Northern Illinois quarterback recruit A.J. Hill of Du Quoin and 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle Jimmie Holtschlag of Quincy Notre Dame.
3 What figures to be the most hotly contested class in the state playoffs?
Class 8A is loaded. Look for a war of top quarterbacks in the state's biggest class. Mount Carmel has an experienced leader in Jordan Lynch, who's surrounded by talent. Maine South quarterback Charlie Goro, who is headed to Vanderbilt, would like to put a third state title in the books. And there's 2007 state runner-up Glenbard North, with 6-6, 233-pound Evan Watkins, which beat Mount Carmel in last year's semifinals after the Caravan beat Maine South. Watkins was spectacular through the playoffs and a defensive hero in the semis.
4 Who are the top area contenders for a state title?
Mount Carmel, which could be in 8A or 7A. Others that figure to be in 8A are Maine South, Glenbard North, Homewood-Flossmoor and Downers Grove South.
St. Rita is also on the bubble between 8A and 7A. Look for Carmel and Wheaton Warrenville South to contend.
Don't count out reigning champ Joliet Catholic in 6A. The Hilltoppers have more history and state titles (13) than anyone and a coach who knows how to get it done in Dan Sharp. Geneva may make a run, as well as rebuilding Richards, Lemont or Oak Forest.
In 5A, Morris was the 2007 runner-up and Marian Central was in the semifinals. With Budmayr, don't be surprised if the Hurricanes end their season in Champaign.
In 4A, Driscoll should contend for its eighth state title in a row.
5 Who's on the preseason All-Area offense?
There are plenty of talented quarterbacks, but after he earned All-Area honors last fall, Maine South's Goro gets the preseason nod.
The rest of the offense: running backs Mike Trumpy (Wheaton North) and Bobby Pettis (Argo); receivers Shaun Pratl (Richards) and Josh Schaffer (Neuqua Valley); tight end Jack Baucus (Carmel); and linemen Ward, Schofield, Jake Baratz (Naperville North), Sean Cascarano (Glenbrook South) and Christian Lombard (Fremd).
6 Who's on the preseason All-Area defense?
North Chicago lineman Anthony Wells blew people away at May's QBI showcase at Maine South with his speed and aggressiveness.
The rest of the defense: linemen Drummond, Lendell Buckner (Leo) and Mike Buchanan (H-F); linebackers Darius Moffett (Hubbard), Kyle Zelinsky (Bartlett) and Jason Braschler (Crete-Monee); and defensive backs Dimitrius Carr (Mount Carmel), Corey Cooper (Proviso East), Ezra Thompson (Lincoln-Way East) and Joey Orlando (Maine South).
7 Who are the area's top kickers/punters?
The Big Ten already has grabbed Waubonsie Valley's Mitch Ewald (Indiana) and Brother Rice's Dan Oreske (Minnesota). Others include Lincoln-Way East's Brett Thomaston, Niles North's Kosta Minchev and T.F. North's Rafael Alvarado.
8 Who are the area's Fab Five juniors?
The top-three-rated prospects are Lombard, Johnsburg receiver C.J. Fiedorowicz and Loyola defensive lineman Chance Carter. Two others to watch are Hinsdale Central quarterback John Whitelaw and speedy Proviso East defensive back/receiver Cooper, who is committed to Illinois.
9 Who's on the preseason All-Public League offense?
Vocational has produced some of the biggest names to come out of the city. Quarterback Sam Williams is an heir to former Cavalier Juice Williams, a three-year starter for Illinois. The others are backs Dominique Bell (Morgan Park) and Christopher Session (Robeson); receivers Clyde Pointer (Harper) and Trenton Patterson (Brooks); tight end Jonathan Henderson (Harper); and linemen Zack Moore (Simeon), Anthony Jantke (Lane), Catrell Brownlee (Young), Joe Plump (Hubbard) and Jamal Sangster (Robeson).
10 Who's on the preseason All-Public League defense?
Opponents probably think they've been facing Hubbard linebacker Darius Moffett for longer than four years. The Greyhounds' standout is finally a senior and primed for a big year.
The rest of the unit includes linemen Drummond, John Price (Dunbar), Jamal Keaton (King) and Andre Alvarez (Lane); linebackers Marrell Gibson (Lane) and Tyrell Webster (Simeon); and backs Anthony McKinley (Curie), Vincent Bobiet (King), Marcus Hurt (Dunbar) and Mike Miller (Fenger).
11 What are the best events on the opening weekend?
The Aug. 30 tripleheader at Soldier Field includes Mount Carmel vs. Curie at 10 a.m., Fenwick vs. Lane at 1 p.m. and Brother Rice vs. Morgan Park at 4. Because the event matches teams from the Public and Catholic leagues, Joliet Catholic and Carmel were without opponents, so the East Suburban Catholic favorites will play a nonconference opener Friday. St. Rita and East St. Louis play Ohio opponents Aug. 31 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
12 What is the best Web site devoted to high school football?
Edgytim.com is in its 13th year and keeps getting better. Tim O'Halloran, who runs the site and does most of the work, is a T.F. North grad. Part of the Rivals network, the site is now part of Yahoo! and covers the state with news, rankings and some of the most widely read message boards. What started as a hobby has become a profession.
13 What's the best published resource guide on recruiting?
Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report is a 286-page evaluation of more than 1,000 high school prospects from all 50 states.
14 Who are five players you haven't heard of but will?
Cooper, who committed to Illinois coach Ron Zook, is a superb athlete. Others are Orlando; Aurora Central quarterback Mike Adams, who threw for more than 1,900 yards last fall; Thornton fullback Greg Fuller, also headed to Illinois, and Wheaton North junior quarterback Taylor Graham, the son of former star Kent Graham.
15 What's new for the 99th New Trier vs. Evanston game on Oct. 3?
The North Shore rivals both have coaches who never have experienced the rivalry. Evanston hired Mike Burzawa, who was 41-1 with three state titles at Driscoll. New Trier hired Matt Irvin from St. Louis to replace Dan Mortier, who retired. The Wildkits lead the series 53-40-5 but have just one win since 1997.
16 Can Driscoll's mind-boggling run of state titles continue?
Why not? Brandon New takes over as coach of the seven-time reigning champs. The Highlanders have Steve Schwabe to replace his graduated brother David at quarterback, as well as one of the top receivers in the area in Austin Baker. Driscoll steps up in class in Week 2 when it hosts 2007 5A runner-up Morris.
17 Catholic League Blue or the DVC?
The five teams in the Catholic Blue have all won state titles, with Mount Carmel owning 10 and Providence nine of the league's 23. The DuPage Valley has won 12, five by WW South (formerly Wheaton Central) and three by Wheaton North. Five of the eight DVC teams have won; Glenbard North has three second-place finishes. Last year the DVC sent three teams to Champaign -- Naperville North, Glenbard North and WW South. Earlier, Mount Carmel lost to Glenbard North in the semis and St. Rita fell to WW South in the second round.
18 What area senior has been the biggest surprise to college recruiters?
Naperville North lineman Jake Baratz missed much of last season with injuries, but, according to O'Halloran, ''had a great summer, camped well and got himself in great shape.'' And he earned a scholarship to Arizona.
19 What are 10 of the best regular-season games?
Brother Rice vs. Morgan Park Aug. 30 at Soldier Field; WW South at Joliet Catholic, Sept 5; Richards at Oak Forest, Sept. 12; Mount Carmel at St. Rita, Sept. 19; Glenbard North at Naperville North, Sept. 26; Evanston at New Trier, Oct. 3; Bolingbrook at Lincoln-Way East, Oct. 10; Mount Carmel at Homewood-Flossmoor, Oct. 17; and Glenbard West at Hinsdale Central and Batavia at Geneva, Oct. 24.
20 Ten teams that just missed the Super 25?
Richards, Leo, Lake Zurich, Morris, Cary-Grove, Bartlett, Driscoll, Hillcrest, Loyola and Oak Forest.
stucker@suntimes.com
Contributing: Clyde Travis, Taylor Bell
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