2024 season preview: Scouting the CCL/ESCC Green division

IC Catholic Prep

Coach: Bill Krefft

2023 record: 9-3, 2-1 (CCL/ESCC Orange co-champions)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Noble/Rowe-Clark; Sept. 6 Chicago Military Academy/Bronzeville; Sept. 13 at St. Ignatius; Sept. 20 at Nazareth; Sept. 27 Marist; Oct. 4 St. Francis; Oct. 11 at Marmion; Oct. 18 St. Viator; Oct. 25 at St. Rita.

Worth noting: The Knights continued their impressive playoff streak by reaching the Class 4A quarterfinals last season. IC Catholic has made the playoffs each year since 2015, winning four state championships and reaching at least the quarterfinals during that span. Senior linebacker/tight end and Notre Dame commit Dominik Hulak is expected to be a major factor on both sides of the ball this season. Hulak finished with 36 tackles last year, six for loss, while catching 13 passes for 212 yards. Although the Knights’ top receiver/defensive back K.J. Parker graduated, the defense returns two of its top players. Junior linebacker Foley Calcagno comes back after earning All-CCL/ESCC honors with 114 tackles, 12 for loss, along with three sacks. Senior linebacker John Goggin also returns after finishing with 53 tackles, three for loss. IC Catholic will need to replace plenty of offensive playmakers, including their quarterback, running back and top wide receivers. Senior Chance Williams will try to fill the void at wide out. The Knights proved they could compete in their first year in the CCL/ESCC. Their lone megaconference losses were a 35-34 loss to St. Francis and a 47-0 defeat to Class 8A champion Loyola. St. Laurence, also in the megaconference, ended IC Catholic’s season with a 24-20 loss in the 4A quarterfinals. Five of the Knights’ 2024 opponents made the playoffs last season.

Nazareth

Coach: Tim Racki

2023 record: 9-5, 1-2 (Class 5A state champions)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Kankakee; Sept. 6 Kenwood; Sept. 13 at Mount Carmel; Sept. 20 IC Catholic Prep, Sept. 27 Joliet Catholic; Oct. 4 at St. Rita; Oct. 11 at De La Salle; Oct. 18 Benet; Oct. 25 at St. Francis.

Worth noting: The defending Class 5A state champions will look to win their third straight state championship for the first time in program history. Nazareth will also try to play in its third straight state championship for the program’s second time (2017-2019). Senior defensive lineman and Stanford commit Gabe Kaminski comes back for his senior year in what’s been a decorated career. Kaminski finished with 132 tackles, 43 for loss, along with 19 sacks, two forced fumbles and fumble recoveries each and one interception to earn Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State and CCL/ESCC Orange Lineman of the Year honors. Senior quarterback Logan Malachuk returns as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. He threw for 3,477 yards and 33 touchdowns on top of 426 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Nazareth will have plenty of talent come back from an offense that averaged 29.1 points per game. Senior Alex Angulo and junior Eddie McClain will provide experience at the running back position while senior Jimmy Penley, and juniors Jake Cestone and Trenton Walker will be targets for Malachuk. Seniors Sam Stec and Maxwell Derring and sophomore Christian Malachuk will lead the way on the line. Senior defensive back and Indiana commit Garrett Reese leads a talented defense. Penley joins him in the secondary along with McClain. Johnny Colon, junior Lesroy Tittle will sure things up the middle and senior Nolan Daly will join Kaminski on the line. The Roadrunners will try to overcome a slow start once again. Nazareth is 4-8 in August and September the last two seasons. Despite their postseason success, the Roadrunners will try to win their first division title since 2019 when they won the Orange in the first year of the CCL/ESCC.

St. Francis

Coach: Bob McMillen

2023 record: 10-3, 2-1 (CCL/ESCC Orange co-champions)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Kenwood; Sept. 7 Lift for Life Academy (at East St. Louis); Sept. 13 at Loyola; Sept. 20 St. Rita; Sept. 27 Providence; Oct. 4 at IC Catholic Prep; Oct. 11 at Marian; Oct. 18 DePaul Prep; Oct. 25 Nazareth.

Worth noting: The Spartans will try to get over the hump after reaching the semifinals the last two seasons. St. Francis has qualified for the playoffs each year since 2018 and has reached the quarterfinals three times during that span. The Spartans will need to replace quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who was named the 2023 Kane County Football Player of the Year and Orange Player of the Year and currently plays for Michigan State. Senior Brady Palmer enters fall camp as the No. 1 but will be tested by junior Jalen Carter. St. Francis returns some offensive skill players. Senior running back TyVonn Ransom comes back after rushing for 1,360 yards and 10 touchdowns while senior wide receiver Ian Willis had 941 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns and junior Zach Washington finished with 777 yards and 11 touchdowns. Junior Dario Milivojevic will also provide experience as a wideout. Junior tight end and defensive end Gavin Mueller will return to football after not playing since eighth grade. He’s already earned college interest from schools like Florida, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Illinois. St. Francis will need to replace some of their top defensive talent. Senior safety Seth Valeri and sophomores Issac Saldana and James McGrath will shore up the secondary, senior linebackers Liam Kolinski and Ryan Palmeri are set to secure the middle while senior Will Alt and juniors Brady Hill, Cooper Paukstis and Jaylen Torres will have a presence off the line. Seven of the eight Illinois teams St. Francis will play this year qualified for the playoffs last year. The Spartans will play two defending champions, Loyola and Nazareth.

St. Rita

Coach: Martin Hopkins

2023 record: 8-5, 0-3

Schedule: Aug. 30 Sandburg; Sept. 6 Mount Carmel; Sept. 13 at Brother Rice; Sept. 20 at St. Francis; Sept. 27 Niles Notre Dame; Oct. 4 Nazareth; Oct. 11 at Leo; Oct. 18 St. Patrick; Oct. 25 IC Catholic Prep.

Worth noting: St. Rita is hoping to build momentum in Hopkins’ second season at the helm. After losing in the first round of Class 7A playoffs to eventual state champion Mount Carmel, the Mustangs went on to win the Prep Bowl against Kenwood. Plenty of underclassmen earned practice and game experience during St. Rita’s run in the Prep Bowl. Senior running back Nick Herman will step into the lead rushing role after splitting time with DJ Stewart last season. Herman rushed for 715 yards and five touchdowns on 119 carries last year. Senior linebacker Justin Buckner will try to lead the defense after earning All-CCL/ESCC honors last season. He finished with 110 tackles last year, five for a loss, with three sacks, three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Senior linebacker James Kingsbury, who had 88 tackles in 10 games last year, brings back plenty of varsity experience, senior J.P. Danaher will cause disruptions from the line and juniors Langston Smith and James Franklin return in the secondary. Senior Tommy Perry and junior Steven Armbruster will compete to replace Jett Hilding as the team’s starting quarterback. St. Rita returns to the Green after competing in the Blue last season. The Mustangs won two outright Green titles and one shared title since the megaconference formed in 2019. Although St. Rita will be the road team in its Week 7 matchup against Leo, the Mustangs will get to play at home since the Lions play their home games at St. Rita.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Gabe Kaminski, Nazareth, sr., DE – A versatile athlete who’s shown his ability to play different positions at an elite level on both sides of the ball
TyVonn Ransom, St. Francis, sr., RB – One of the top rushers in the megaconference, Ransom will be a big leader on and off the field
Dominik Hulak, IC Catholic, sr., LB – An elite athlete who should make his presence known on either side
Nick Herman, St. Rita, sr., RB – Brings back plenty of experience and will be leaned on in the backfield
Logan Malachuk, Nazareth, sr., QB – After making winning plays since starting as a freshman, Malachuk will have one last run at another state title

FIVE CAN’T MISS GAMES

Week 3: Nazareth at Mount Carmel – One of the top CCL/ESCC crossover matchups this season, this matchup will be the first between defending state champions in the state. The defending Class 5A champion Roadrunners will face a tough test traveling to the Class 7A defending champion Caravan.
Week 4: St. Rita at St. Francis – There will be plenty at stake in the opening Green matchup for both of these teams. Each will try to set the tone early in the division race with plenty of new faces in their lineups. The Mustangs will also look for revenge after dropping last season’s 31-28 game late.
Week 5: Joliet Catholic at Nazareth – A rematch of last season’s Class 5A state championship game, this should make for a fun CCL/ESCC crossover matchup that each team will want to win in their journey back into the playoffs. Both teams will look a little different compared to the last time they played, but there should be plenty of juice between these two state powerhouses.
Week 6: St. Francis at IC Catholic Prep – A critical matchup in the CCL/ESCC Green race, both teams will need to win this one if they want to win a division title at the end of the season. They’ll try to build off last season’s thriller that the Spartans won 35-34.
Week 9: IC Catholic Prep at St. Rita – These unfamiliar rivals will likely play for a lot during the final week of the season. Not only could a Green title be on the line, but both teams might need to pick up a critical fifth win in order to make the playoffs or improve their seeding.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH

(* - Projected playoff qualifier)

Nazareth*
St. Francis*
IC Catholic*
St. Rita*