Chicago Public League Sports Blog

CPS Linebacker Watch List- Fall 2011

Shaquille Joyner(sr, LB, 6-1, 220lbs) of Simeon ranks as the number one linebacker in the CPS.

Linebacker Watch List
Shaquille Joyner(sr, LB, 6-1, 220lbs), Simeon
Elgin White(OLB/SS, 5-11, 180lbs, sr), Amundsen
Lance Bagett(6-1, 230lbs, sr), Chicago Academy
KyJuan Tate (6-0, 225lbs, sr, LB/FB) Hubbard
Damarco Gilmore (5-11, 185lbs, LB, jr), Harlan
Vaughn King (6-0, 242lbs, FB/LB), Curie
Ammon Williams(LB), Harlan
Jeremy Burkes(6-1, 232lbs, sr) Raby
Chris Brown(5-9, 185lbs, sr) Vocational
Jimmy Wright(5-10, 225lbs, FB/LB) Clark
Ledell Fleming(sr), Julian
Martrell Travis(sr), Julian
Eddie Scott(5-11, 200lbs, jr) Morgan Park
Jareem Fleming (6-0, 195lbs, so) Morgan Park
Xavier Rios (5-10, 185lbs, sr) Lane Tech
new - Deshante Dunning(6-2, 220lbs, MLB/LG, class of 2012), Lindblom
new - Chris Ballard(6-1, 241lbs, MLB/TE, sr) Gage Park
new - Tim Jones(6-0, 190lbs, sr, LB) Simeon
new - Dravon Williams(6-1, 230lbs, sr) Senn

Please comment to state why your linebacker should be on this list.

The #1 linebacker in the CPS this year is Shaquille Joyner from #1 Simeon. Joyner is a highly recruited linebacker who already has offers from Westerm Michigan, Illinois State, and Eastern Michigan. Also look out for athletic Lance Baggett of Chicago Academy. He is being recruited by Army (West Point). Vaughn King of Curie is one of the hardest hitting linebackers in the CPS. Others that could really make a name for themselves this year are Kyjuan Tate of Hubbard, Demarco Gilmore of Harlan, and sophomore Jareem Fleming of Morgan Park.

QuarterBack Watch list

Overall Watch List

RunningBack Watch List

Wide Receiver Watch List

Lane Tech Summer Time Trial

Lane Tech boys cross country team had a summer time trial (2k or about 1.2 miles) yesterday at River Park. Here is a recap:

The results should be on athletic.net at some point in the near future.  Let me just say this for our first month of summer training: I was impressed with the efforts of the guys that have dedicated themselves to the team. 

 

The 2k time trial that we conducted at River Park was just icing on the cake for the hard work being put in.  It serves notice to themselves who have actually been running on a consistent basis as well as guys who have been bs'ing. 

 

key results: David Timlin 5:57.9, Lucas Beltran 5:58.6, Marcelo Burbano 5:58.8, Danny Zimny-Schmitt 6:22.1, Kevin Perez 6:26.5, Jon Vara 6:44.6, Nathan Beltran (Whitney Young) 6:58.4, Matt Grygo 6:58.7.

Summary: despite not having one or two key summer guys here, it was a complete success.  Last year under the same weather conditions, Lucas B ran 6:29.  We had three under 6:00 this time and five under the winning time last year.  Timlin, L. Beltran, and Burbano ran step for step from the 1200m on as they hit 3:36, 4:52 (mile).  Beltran is completely healthy from a mental and physical standpoint.  Hopefully, he can do the things needed to stay the course.  Danny Z-S is coming back from a sub par track season that took its toll mentally.  He ran well as did Perez.  Perez is slowly building his mileage up to his teammates after spending much of the summer doing club track.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is Jon Vara.  He is going to be a beast!  Vara is just a sophomore but a very smart runner who knows his limits.  He broke away from WY's Beltran (twin brother of Lucas) at 1200m.  Overall, 21 guys competed.

 

Coach Tony Jones

Lane Tech cross country

Catching up with Lane Tech great Chris Kyles

There are not too many athletes from Lane Tech's illustrious 100+ year history with more onfield accomplishments than Christopher Kyles. Kyles was all-state for Lane Tech in the 100 meter dash in 2009 and 2008, all-state 4x200 relay member in 2009 and 2007, and all-state 4x100 relay member in 2007. He also was the starting safety for Lane's city championship football team in 2008.

I got a chance to catch up with Kyles the other day at DePaul University. Kyles is a member of the DePaul track team.

The first thing I noticed was that he is much leaner than he was in high school.

"Yeah, I'm skinnier...it's all the training and diet that I'm doing for track," said Kyles. I'm glad to have run at Lane, it gave me a good opportunity to go to a good school like DePaul...I went to Skinner Elementary school by Whitney Young...I played basketball there; you see how that turned out... I'm glad to have played on Lane's city championship football team...we surprised people that year....I plan on going to check out Lane's first football game this season when they play DeLaSalle," said Kyles.

Recent track fans may think that Lane has always been dominant in track. But that was not always the case. For most of the 1990's and the early 2000's Lane Tech boys track was no where near as competitive as it is now. In some of those years, Lane struggled to finish in the top 7 at city. That all changed with the arrival of athletes such as Fuad Salami (prior to Kyles) and then Chris Kyles. Since then Lane has dominated the city track scene.

Morgan Park will be fine

 

With 70 + players on its roster, Morgan Park has one of the deepest teams in the CPS.

Fall 2010- results
Illini-Prairie State Conference Champion
City Runner up
2nd Round State Playoffs

Fall 2011 Schedule and Neilski's predicted result
Aug 26 vs Providence @ Soldier Field - Loss
Sep 2 vs Mt. Carmel @ Gately - Loss
Sep 10 vs Simeon @ Gately - Loss
Sep 17 vs Amundsen - Win
Sep 23 vs Orr - Win
Sep 30 @ Robeson - Win
Oct 7 vs Bogan - Win
Oct 13 @ Hubbard - Loss

Key game - Oct 13 @ Hubbard. This could be for the conference championship.

Players to watch
Demetrius Cooper(6-5, 225lbs, jr, TE/DE)
Dareil Lee-Crowder(6-0, 180lbs, sr, WR)
Khairi Bailey (6-4, 230lbs,jr DE)
Andre Newell(6-1, 185lbs, jr, QB)
Robert Huddleston (6-1, 250lbs, jr, OL)
Desmond Earls(5-7, 185lbs, so., RB)

Changes
Fair or unfair, new Morgan Park coach Jeremy Gold will be heavily scrutinized. That is what happens when you replace a legend as long time Morgan Park coach Lexie Spurlock was replaced by Gold. Gold will have to do it without last year's starting quarterback Dae Shaun Hurley - who transfered to Julian; and last year's starting running back Brandon Peppers - who decided to leave Morgan Park.

Killer Schedule
Morgan Park has one of the toughest schedules in the CPS. They open with Providence at Soldier Field, then play Mt. Carmel and Simeon at Gately. Providence is looking to get back at Morgan Park after a 16-14 upset win by Morgan Park last year. The games vs Mt Carmel and Simeon will be packed.

Young talent
Morgan Park has some great young talent. The likely starter at the quarterback position will be Andre Newell(6-1, 185lbs, jr, QB). Newell, although only a junior has got some experience. He started on Morgan Park's sophomore team as a freshman. He'll have some support as he'll have a great pair of running backs to hand off to. Desmond Earls(so, RB) and Charles Bournes(so, RB) may be the best 1-2 pair of sophomore running backs in the city. The two performed well when they got some quality playing time last year due to injuries by the starting running backs.

Also look for Demetrius Cooper(6-5, 225lbs, jr, TE/DE),Dareil Lee-Crowder(6-0, 180lbs, sr, WR)
and Khairi Bailey (6-4, 230lbs,jr DE). The three are college football prospects.

Conference Play
Conference will be much tougher this year. Robeson and Orr are new to the Illini-Prairie state after winning Illini conferences last year. Bogan and Amundsen have improved. Then there is old foe Hubbard.

Neilski's Pre-Season Top 20

Team Previews
Sullivan
Kenwood
Taft
Dunbar
Amundsen

Spotlight - Desmond Earls, Sophomore Running Back from Morgan Park

Desmond Earls (so-RB) from Morgan Park ran for over 700 yards and 10TD's last year asa  freshman.

Emerging players come up all the time in the CPS. Here's a quick peak at one of the top incoming sophomore running backs in the CPS. (from a reader)

I am a cps coach for the Bulldogs football team and I had the pleasure to coach Desmond Earls.  I saw him when he played with the park districts Lindblom Park Ravens 6th and 7th grade. When I saw him I could not believe what I was seeing total domination at tailback. His skills impressed me so much I just had to talk to him and upon talking to him I found him to be very Intelligent and humble very unusual for a young kid. But later I found out his Dad is a high school coach and that explained everything. In 7th grade I saw the kid rep 165 and I had to have him he came to me in 8th grade and the domination continued. Very rarely does a kid come from weight restricted league to a non resrticted and do the same thing he did on the last level.

The Bulldogs have had the likes of Calvin Hayden of Indy Colts NFL, Robert Huges of Notre Dame got drafted to NFL this year, and Charles Frazier all played running back for the Bulldogs. Desmond has carried the tradition. He was player of the year for us and he had 28 TD"s in 2009.  I believe the most that year of any player.

Many coaches know of him ask around they will tell you he wound up at Morgan Park where Spurlock nurtured him. He stepped in as a freshman and carried the load for the mustangs when the two starters went down in the 3rd game. He wound up with 700yards rushing 10 TD's and 30 2 point conversions.  Check the stats.  This whole new MP coach thing has been rough on him while I was talking to him yesterday while he was working out at the park he continues to strive to be the best and he has continually improved his game. At 5'9, 190lbs, 300 pound bench, 4.5 speed as a freshman going to his sophmore year. He has hands out of this world and I just watched him as he went through his workout and It was on my heart that such hard work and self motivation should not go unnoticed.

Check him out go to Morgan Park or Lindblom Park and say his name and watch what kind of response you get. Very rarely in the public league does a ligitimate great running back comes along and he is it PUT HIM TO THE TEST!!!!!!! spend some time with him watch his work ethic and you will be amazed you should give him a spotlite on the cps blog he deserves it he is the cousin of Dae'Shaun Hurley another great athlete thank you and GOD BLESS.

 

Want to publisize your athlete? (emails with pictures will be highly considered)
send Neilski an email: Publisher@lanetechfan.com

Spotlight: Kevonta McIntyre, running back from Curie

CPSFan.com running back of the year, Kevonta McIntyre(sr, RB) and Curie hope to show that last year was not a fluke. (Photo courtesy K.McIntyre)

Curie started last season slow. They lost to Proviso West (58-16) and to Sterling (21-19) to open the season and then lost 47-0 to Simeon in Week 5. But by the end of the season, they went on a winning streak as they rolled through Hubbard, Orr, Robeson, and Morgan Park to win the city championship. They ended their season with a hard fought 6-0 loss to Fenwick in the Prep Bowl.

This year, much more eyes will be on Curie as many of their skill position players return. Their starting running back will be Kevonta McIntyre(sr, RB, 6-1, 205lbs). McIntyre was the suprise pick as fans voted him as the CPS running back of the year for Fall 2010.

"I want the world to know how hard me and my team are working to prove that last year wasn't a fairy tale or we just got lucky..... we have worked hard to get where we are and it's only the beginning for us thanks.....good luck to the rest of the teams in the CPS," said McIntyre.

Curie opens their season at Argo.

 

Hubbard Cross Country...the next to emerge?

The word out there is that Hubbard cross country is working out this summer. That is news for a Hubbard school that is known as a football school.

Hubbard will really need to work on their program. Last year they were barely noticeable as they did not field a freshman team at city. The sophomore team finished 12th out of 13 teams and the varsity team was a more respectable 11th out of 21 teams.

This years team is expected to have no stars or a face for no one returning finished in the top 50 at the sophomore or varsity level. So progress this year will not be based on finish. It will be based on effort.

Hubbard does have an incoming freshman that ran a 19:25 (3 miles?) as well as several groups training together.

Hubbard usually opens at the Whitney Young invite the first week of September. We'll see how they do.

Spotlight - Mather freshman Mamadou Bah

Mamadou Bah(incoming freshman) for Mather

Sometimes, I get some emails from up and coming players. Here is one of them:

My name is Mamadou Bah. I am 14 years old. I am going to be attending Mather this fall and I am going to be playing football. I played 3 years for the Welles Park Cowboys at the park district level. I am 5’8 168 pounds and play runningback. I run a 4.86 40 yard dash. This past season I had 19 rushing touchdowns including the playoffs. I have very good vision with the ball in my hand and I can catch out of the backfield and also block (Im not trying to be cocky). On defense I played safety, corner, and some linebacker. I have quick feet on defense and good range and good ball skills. I don’t miss tackles. I just want to be on your blog page so I can get my name out there.

Sullivan Tigers - Momentum Going Into the Season


Joel Lohoua(jr, 5-7, 155lbs, QB/PK) of Sullivan carries the ball in their 34-12 homecoming win over Roosevelt last fall. Sullivan ended the season on a 3 game winning streak. (Sullivan football photo)

Fall 2010 record:  3-6

Fall 2011 Conference: Inter-City 1

Players to look out for:
Elijah Odulwya (sr,5-9, 165lbs, CB)
Ricky Smothers(sr, 5-9, 170lbs, RB/S)
Joel Lohoua(jr, 5-7, 155lbs, QB/PK)

Fall 2011 Schedule and Neilski's projected result
* conference games
Aug 27 @ Noble Street Rauner - Win
Sep 1 @ Noble Street Rowe-Clark-  Win
Sep 9 vs Urban Prep East Garfield -Win
*Sep 15 vs Lake View - Loss
*Sep 24 @ UCCS/Woodlawn - Toss Up
*Oct 1 @ Marine MIlitary - Loss
*Oct 6 @ Kelvyn Park - Loss
*Oct 14 vs Roosevelt-  Toss Up
Oct 18 vs Chicago Bulls - Win

Key game: Oct 1 vs Marine Military. This game will show how far the Sullivan program has progressed. Sullivan lost to Marine Military last year. If they can beat them this year, Sullivan will have hopes for the future.

Last year
Last year did not start out good for first year head coach Vincent Rociola. You can't really blame him as Rociola, coming from Prosser, had the toughest part of their schedule when they opened their season with games versus St. Viator, Round Lake, Marine Military, Kelvyn Park, Calumet, and conference champion Little Village.  So they started out 0-6. But they finally got some relief in their schedule and ended the season with wins over Farragut, UCCS Woodlawn, and Roosevelt - teams with 4 combined season wins.

Year 2 of the Rociola era
Year 2 of the Rociola era will feature a team that he is familiar with. Sullivan took some lumps early last year, but Rociola got a good chance to teach fundamentals and learn his players. With many of them coming back and with a busy off season including camps(NFL HSPD) and 7 on 7's(Foreman, Guerin Prep, Taft), Rociola now has a better grasp of his players.

Returning players
Sullivan returns all -conference conerback Elijah Odulwya (sr,5-9, 165lbs, CB). At the running back spot will be Ricky Smothers(sr, 5-9, 170lbs, RB/S) - who transfered from Amundesen after his sophomore year. Smothers averaged 124 yards per game and scored 8 touchdowns last year. The likely starting quarterback will be Joel Lohoua(jr, 5-7, 155lbs, QB/PK).

Schedule
The schedule is very manageable this year. Replacing giants St. Viator and Round Lake will be charter schools Rauner, Rowe-Clark, Urban Prep East Garfield, and Chicago Bulls. Sullivan should go at least 3-1 versus those schools - some of which are starting varsity football for the first time.

Tougher will be conference games. Sullivan opens conference play versus newcomer Lake View. Sullivan will be an underdog against Lake View. But you never know what will happen. Sullivan has been working really hard during the offseason. A good showing against Lake View will tell me how far Sullivan has progressed. Next two games will be against UCCS Woodlawn and Marine Military. Sullivan has an enrollment twice the size of those two schools, but both should be good games. After that Sullivan faces conference favorite Kelvyn Park and Brian Carter. I'm putting that game as an L.

With a favorable schedule, Sullivan could finish the season with 6 or maybe more wins. A good season for them is if they win the games versus all the charter schools and play competitive in the rest of the games. If they do that, then you could really say the Sullivan program is on the ascendancy.

Neilski's Pre-Season Top 20

Team Previews
Kenwood
Taft
Dunbar
Amundsen

University of Illinois offers Hurley

It's not 100 % confirmed yet, but a good source told me that the University of Illinois has made an offer to Julian quarterback Dae Shaun Hurley (6-1, 180lbs, sr).

Hurley is being recruited by colleges as a defensive back.

Hurley was the starter at Morgan Park last year. He opened a lot of eyes after his performance at the Pre-Season Prep Bowl Classic at Soldier Field last year where he led Morgan Park to a 16-14 upset win over Providence. He decided to transfer to Julian.

I've seen Hurley play over the years. He is very athletic, is tough and has quick feet. I can seem him as a solid DB at the college level. Hurley is also an all-city hurdler in track.