5 football storylines to watch across the Kane County Chronicle area in 2024

High school football practices officially are underway for Kane County Chronicle teams.

From program rebuilds to a superstar’s swan song, here are five storylines for the 2024 season.

New faces at quarterback ...

Last season saw area rosters boast plenty of experience at quarterback.

This season will be quite the opposite.

Of the nine area teams, seven will have a new pass slinger. Notable departures lost to graduation were St. Francis’ Alessio Milivojevic, Batavia’s Ryan Boe and Kaneland’s Troyer Carlson. Geneva, St. Charles East, Marmion and Aurora Central Catholic also will have new men under center.

A lack of experience at the most important position on the field can make quite the difference, so it should be interesting to see how long it takes teams to adjust under their new quarterbacks.

... except at St. Charles North

While most teams will have to figure out who will be under center, St. Charles North will have Ethan Plumb back at quarterback for the fourth season in a row.

St. Charles North is one of two schools in the Kane County area – Burlington Central has Jackson Alcorn and Landon Arnold – and the DuKane Conference – Wheaton Warrenville South has Luca Carbonaro – to bring back their quarterbacks from last season.

Plumb is coming off his best statistical season, throwing for 2,546 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 10 scores. The North Stars lost a majority of their receiving corps to graduation, but the experience at quarterback could help St. Charles North claim its second conference title in three seasons.

Can Batavia and St. Francis make it to the state semifinals for the third straight season?

Batavia and St. Francis have made it to the state semifinals the past two seasons. Will both teams make a third consecutive trip?

St. Francis is coming off a 38-31 state semifinal loss to Nazareth, which went on to defend its Class 5A state title. While the Spartans have to deal with the loss of Milivojevic at quarterback and Dom Beres on defense, St. Francis looks to be just as dangerous as ever. Running back TyVonn Ransom and wide receiver Ian Willis are back after having more than 1,000-plus all-purpose yards in their junior seasons, Gavin Mueller is a highly touted tight end prospect despite not playing a single snap in his first two years in high school, and Zach Washington was a solid secondary threat in his sophomore season, catching 11 touchdown passes while grabbing five interceptions.

Batavia saw its 2023 campaign ended by Mount Caramel for the third season in a row in the Class 7A semifinals. The Bulldogs’ path back may be a bit more difficult.

Not only did Batavia lose Boe at quarterback, it also lost key skill players on offense (Charlie Whelpley, Luke Alwin and the majority of its line) and defense (Ben Fiegel, Jordan Buckley and Kyle Porter).

Even with the changes, coach Dennis Piron said this year’s Bulldogs team may be one of the most explosive in recent history, especially on offense. Running back Nathan Whitwell and receiver Isaiah Brown are expected to fill the big shoes left by their predecessors. Brett Berggren will try to prove that his big run in the playoffs was only a glimpse of what he can do.

What’s in store for Talyn Taylor’s final high school season?

Despite missing four games last year after tearing the meniscus in his knee against Batavia in Week 6, Geneva’s Talyn Taylor proved as a junior that his standout sophomore season was no fluke.

In seven games at receiver in his shortened junior season, the four-star recruit led the Vikings with 32 receptions, 512 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

There’s a good chance Taylor will want to go out on a high note before heading to Georgia to compete in the Southeastern Conference.

There are some hurdles he’ll have to get over. Not only can the star receiver expect to face double coverage on every snap, he’ll also have to adjust to a new quarterback after the graduation of Nate Stempowski.

Considering the stats that Taylor put up against double-teaming defenses a season ago, it shouldn’t be surprising if his game reaches another level.

Who will win the DuKane Conference?

Even though the majority of teams are going through major changes, there’s little doubt the battle for the top spot in the conference will be exciting to watch.

Batavia and Wheaton North, which finished 1-2 in the conference standings a season ago, saw major shifts in their rosters, which opens the door for teams that retained some of their star power such as Geneva, St. Charles North and Wheaton Warrenville South.

Will Geneva jump at the opportunity to pass its rival and win its first DuKane Conference title? Will St. Charles North use its experience to grab its second title in three seasons? Can Batavia overcome adversity and retain its DuKane crown? Only time and scoreboards will tell.