October 19, 2024
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Seneca in line to receive second forfeit win of season

Fighting Irish seeking replacement for Walther Christian

By J.T. Pedelty
Smoke from the celebratory touchdown fireworks hang over the field as members of the Seneca offense huddle up during the Class 3A first round playoff game on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 at Seneca.

Smoke from the celebratory touchdown fireworks hangs over the field as members of the Seneca offense huddle up during their 2022 Class 3A first-round playoff game at Seneca. (Tom Sistak for Shaw Local News Network)

While it’s not a surprise, it still is a disappointment.

Walther Christian has informed Seneca it intends to forfeit Friday’s Chicagoland Prairie League game with the Fighting Irish. Seneca head coach Terry Maxwell confirmed the forfeit to Friday Night Drive on Monday morning and said his team is looking for a potential replacement.

It’s been an inauspicious inaugural season for the Chicagoland Prairie. This is the third conference game forfeited so far for the fledgling eight-school conference.

Walther Christian – which has been outscored a combined 213-2 this season, including 124-0 in the two conference games it has played against St. Bede and Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington – also forfeited its scheduled game with Marquette in Week 5. With this loss, it will drop to 0-6 overall, 0-4 in its new conference.

Seneca, if the forfeit ultimately is accepted, will move to 6-0, 4-0.

The game was scheduled to be at Seneca, the Fighting Irish’s penultimate home game of the regular season. If Seneca cannot find a suitable replacement, it will be the second forfeit win for the team this season after another Chicagoland Prairie opponent, Westmont, pulled out of its game against Seneca citing low program numbers.

Seneca also had to accept a forfeit victory in 2022 from then-Vermilion Valley Football Alliance rival Watseka. In 2021, the Irish found a week-of replacement for a forfeiting Watseka and played Clinton, a game the Fighting Irish won 50-10.