Singing the Blue's praises

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:04PM

With all due respect to the DuPage Valley, West Suburban Silver and East Suburban Catholic, there's not much doubt which is the best football conference in the state this year.

Though there still are a couple weekends left in the season, we've seen enough to call the Catholic League Blue the winner in this horse race.

The league's three tri-champs all are still alive in the IHSA playoffs, with Loyola (11-1) and Mount Carmel (10-2) in Class 8A and St.Rita (11-1) in 7A. With Brother Rice and Fenwick meeting in tonight's Catholic League final at Toyota Park, five of the Blue's six teams are still playing in the next-to-last week of the season.

The top three teams have exactly one loss outside of the conference, and that was back in Week 1 when Mount Carmel fell 47-41 to Simeon. Rice's only non-league loss was to Waubonsie Valley in the IHSA playoffs, while Fenwick lost only to Notre Dame in Week 1 and to state semifinalist Prairie Ridge in a 6A opener.

So why is the Blue so dominant? Tradition is one reason. Mount Carmel has won 10 state titles in 30 years and has 19 trips to the state semifinals in 25 seasons. St. Rita is in the semis for the fourth time in a decade, and Loyola has earned back-to-back semifinal berths.

Playing that kind of competition week in and week out has a lot to do with staying alive in November. Every year we see a few schools that cruise through a less-than-challenging regular-season schedule only to stumble in the playoffs.

But there are no soft touches in the Catholic Blue, so when the weather turns cold and the days grow short, its teams are better suited than most for the postseason grind.

‘‘It provides a playoff-type atmosphere during the regular season,'' St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. ‘‘That atmosphere gives our guys an understanding of what it's like.''

Then when the playoffs come, Kuska said, his players get it: ‘‘Now you notch the intensity up a little more ... that's something you can't duplicate in practice.''

Not that other leagues don't have devoted fan bases, but anyone who has been to a St. Rita-Mount Carmel game knows just how amped the atmosphere can be.

‘‘Not a knock on other conferences - I don't want to give other conferences bulletin-board material,'' Kuska said. ‘‘People are paying a lot of money to go to these schools. They've got a lot invested. We've got to make sure [the teams are] putting forth the best effort.''

That's what is happening, with the Blue teams taking out top teams from other conferences. As St. Rita and Mount Carmel and Loyola prepare for those playoff tests, it probably doesn't hurt that they see a little bit of everything in the league schedule.

Just take a look at what Blue defensive coordinators have to prepare for: St. Rita's power running game sparked by Jahwon Akui and Travis Starks, Mount Carmel's classic option attack led by quarterback Chris Sujka and back Michael Banks and Loyola's air show keyed by QB Malcolm Weaver and speedy receiver E.J. Webb.

‘‘Playing Mount Carmel prepared us to play Carmel of Mundelein,'' Kuska said. ‘‘There is a good mixture [of styles] in our conference on offense and defense.''

For all that variety, there is a singlemindedness as well in the Catholic Blue. The coaches understand the season is a process and realize there may be detours along the way to the ultimate destination.

‘‘That's always been part of our thing,'' Mount Carmel coach Frank Lenti said. ‘‘We don't want to be in midseason form in the first week of the season. ... Look at us this year - after we lost the opener, a lot of people said Mount Carmel would be lucky to be 5-4.''

St. Rita lost to Loyola in Week 9, but has bounced back with three straight wins.

‘‘We don't have a goal of being undefeated,'' Kuska said. ‘‘Our goal is to win the conference, get into the playoffs, to compete for the state championship.''

So far, so good for the Mustangs and their Catholic Blue mates.

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