Another conference title within reach for Bartlett

Updated: October 10, 2011 9:21PM

Conference championship races are nearing the finish line, and three area high school football teams have a decent chance of claiming at least a share of their respective league titles.

Bartlett is in the best shape as it is alone in first place in the Upstate Eight Valley going into this Friday’s showdown against Neuqua Valley. The Hawks are 5-2 overall but 4-0 in the UEC Valley, which is good enough for a one-game lead in the league standings on Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley.

A victory this week against the Wildcats will all but lock up the outright title for Bartlett, which hosts winless East Aurora in Week 9.

The Hawks are seeking their sixth conference championship in the past 12 years. They shared the UEC Valley title with Waubonsie Valley last year, but they haven’t won an outright conference crown since 2008.

“They know they’ll have their picture on the wall at school if they’re conference champs,” Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. “That’s always a motivational factor.”

In the Big Northern East, Burlington Central (5-2, 2-1) has an outside shot at claiming a share of the league title if it beats North Boone and Marengo the next two weeks.

The Rockets trail Richmond-Burton by one game in the standings, so they’ll need some help if they are going to claim their first conference championship since 2006. Burlington Central’s best chance for assistance will likely come from Harvard, which is also tied for second place and plays at Richmond-Burton this week.

In the Fox Valley Valley, Jacobs (6-1, 3-1) saw its chances of winning its first conference title since 1979 take a hit with last week’s loss against Prairie Ridge. The unbeaten Wolves are now in the driver’s seat in the championship race, and they’ll claim the outright title in their first season in the FVC Valley if they beat McHenry and Cary-Grove the next two weeks.

Should Prairie Ridge slip up along the way, the Golden Eagles would likely have to win their remaining games against Crystal Lake South and Dundee-Crown to earn a share of the championship.

Maroons trying to hang tough

Elgin is in the midst of its first six-game losing streak since 2008 after sustaining a 49-0 defeat against undefeated Batavia last week. Luckily for the Maroons (1-6), more manageable opponents remain on the schedule as they close the season against St. Charles East (1-6) and Metea Valley (3-4).

Although a second straight trip to the postseason is no longer a possibility, Elgin has plenty of motivation the next two weeks. Allowing young players like sophomore quarterback Ryan Sitter to gain valuable experience is one focus, and another will be to send out a hard-working group of seniors on a high note.

“The seniors want to finish strong, and at the same time we need to start taking a look at some younger kids too,” Elgin coach Dave Bierman said. “That’s where it is right now unfortunately.”

Green Wave humbled

St. Edward’s players undoubtedly have a bad taste in their mouths after enduring their second straight lopsided defeat in last week’s 59-14 loss against two-time defending state champion Montini.

The 45-point margin of defeat was the Green Wave’s largest since a 52-point loss against Montini in Week 8 of the 2007 season. The 59 points allowed were the most given up by St. Edward since yielding 61 against Marian Central in Week 9 of the 2006 campaign.

Despite the two straight tough losses, St. Edward (4-3) still needs only one win to become playoff eligible for the third straight year. The Wave finishes the regular season with road games at Aurora Christian (6-1) and St. Francis (5-2).

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.