Strong season for Zion teams at all levels
By Bryan Bonato Special to The News-SUn October 25, 2011 9:58PM
Zion-Benton’s Vic Solomon (2) tries to get past Antioch’s Mardochee Kamanga during the second half of Sunday’s Heavyweight Division game. | Brian O’Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media
CHICAGOLAND YOUTH FB LEAGUE
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION FINAL STANDINGS Team W-L Regal Division
Antioch 7-2
Mundelein 5-4
Wauconda 5-4
McHenry 5-4
Waukegan 2-7
Elgin 0-9
Ultimate Division
Zion-Benton 9-0
Round Lake 6-3
North Chicago 6-3
Vernon Hills 4-5
Prospect Heights 2-7
Grant 2-7
Plainfield U. 1-8
Elite Division
Lake in the Hills 7-2
Lake Zurich 7-2
Kenosha 5-4
Prairie Ridge 3-6
Buffalo Grove 3-6
Lake Villa 1-8
Grayslake 1-8
Premier Division
Cary 9-0
Plainfield P. 8-1
Barrington 7-2
Huntley 5-4
Wauconda 3-6
Libertyville 2-7
Crystal Lake 2-7
Playoffs
Top four teams in each division make playoffs and there are three rounds of play, producing two champions. Last year, Buffalo Grove & Waukegan were champs with 12-0 records.
Article Extras
Updated: November 27, 2011 12:41PM
First, the disclaimer.
There does not appear to be any connection between the success of a community’s eighth-grade (Heavyweight Division) football team one year and success at the high-school varsity level four years later.
Very simply, on eighth-grade teams, speed kills.
A running back/quarterback with speed can get to the outside at will and run away from defenders.
But at the high-school varsity level, opponents have linebackers every bit as fast as the QB/RB, so plays that work for years suddenly get stuffed for no gain.
That said, this still has been a fun and successful season for the Zion-Benton Junior Zee-Bees program.
That’s especially true at the top, where the Heavyweight Division (eighth-graders) just completed a 9-0 regular season with a 41-20 win over highly-regarded Antioch (now 7-2).
In fact, all seven of the Jr. Bees teams made the playoffs (finishing in the top half of the standings).
“The program has had a really good year,” said Mike Castillo, vice-president of business operations for the Jr. Bees.
“We’re building consistency, and we’d like to keep strengthening the program by adding more teams (193 kids played this year in various age/weight divisions) next year.”
He noted the program has invested in the New Revolution helmets to help prevent concussions.”
“The coaching situation has been stable,” Castillo added. “We actually picked up a few coaches this year, with parents who wanted to get involved.”
Castillo estimated that 99 percent of the Jr. Zee-Bees will wind up attending Zion-Benton High School.
Which could mean that long-suffering ZBTHS football fans might soon get to watch playoff football.
Or maybe not (See disclaimer).
Still, a link is being strengthened yearly between the Jr. Bees and the Zee-Bees.
Josh Lewis, president of the Jr. Bees, said he’d like to see his program become a true feeder program for the high school, which would mean working closer with the coaching staff.
“I think we’re getting to that point,” Lewis said. “Coach (Bob) Strickland (Zion-Benton High School’s varsity coach) has been pretty good with us. He’s been out here to watch the kids play.”
And, as Lewis noted, the high school is very helpful to the Jr. Bees.
“The high school lets us use this field free of charge,” he said, referring to a field at a school that old-timers will recall used to be the ZBTHS.
“We maintain it the best we can, and make sure nobody trashes it. They’re very gracious.
“They allow us to play at the high school once a year (on a Saturday night), which is great for the older kids because they get to play with the lights on. It’s a great experience for those guys.”
The Junior Bees also have been busy Bees this fall.
“We’re getting a lot more involved in the community. We did a ‘Tackle the Cause’ fund-raiser and donated $200 to Assistance in Healthcare with Midwestern (Regional Medical Center ,” Lewis said.
Against Antioch, the team wore pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As for the program, well, here’s what one former Jr. Bee and current Zee-Bee freshman player had to say:
“They (Jr. Bees) taught me how to run the ball and how to block,” said Eshaunte Williams, a freshman running back who was a QB last year for the Jr. Bees. “In high school, they break up into positions at practice and work on your position skills and then come together as a team. That’s what I did here, so I was already prepared for it.”
The next step for the high-school team, of course, is to make the playoffs. This year’s team won three games, should have beaten Evanston for four, and would have won a fifth another if the team hadn’t been the victim of bad luck.
Luck, however, has a way of evening out. And if it does when these good players arrive ... who knows?
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