5 football storylines to watch in the Suburban Life area for 2024

The Illinois high school football season began Monday with the start of preseason practices. Here are some of the top storylines to watch in the Suburban Life area this season.

Can Nazareth three-peat?

Nazareth had a comeback for the ages in 2023.

The Roadrunners became the first team to reach a state championship game after starting the season 0-4 and were the only finalist to ever get to a title game with five regular-season losses.

The theme of comebacks continued once they got to Normal.

Trailing by 10 at halftime, Nazareth scored 31 unanswered points to beat Joliet Catholic 38-20 in the Class 5A state title game for the program’s second straight state title.

Can the Roadrunners three-peat?

The pieces are in place. Only three starters on offense and two on defense graduated from last year’s starting lineup at state. Senior Gabe Kaminski, a Stanford recruit and one of the state’s top senior prospects, is back for his fourth varsity season, and so is senior quarterback and four-year starter Logan Malachuk.

The schedule, again, is a bear with seven playoff teams from 2023, highlighted by a Week 3 game at defending Class 7A state champion Mount Carmel. But don’t bet against Nazareth playing deep into the postseason again, perhaps all the way to Normal in late November.

Can York keep rolling with a new head coach?

York has emerged as an elite program over the past two seasons with back-to-back Class 8A state semifinal appearances and only one regular-season loss combined in 2022 and 2023.

In January, the architect of that renaissance – head coach Mike Fitzgerald – announced he was leaving York for Marist, where he previously served as an offensive coordinator.

It was a big loss for York, but the school didn’t need to look far for a replacement.

Don Gelsomino, defensive coordinator at York for the past four seasons, was promoted to head coach. Gelsomino previously served as head coach at Ridgewood for three years and before that was an assistant at Fenwick and St. Patrick.

It’s a good reason to think that stability will help keep things rolling at York.

Senior lineman Joe Reiff, a Notre Dame recruit, anchors the Dukes up front. York’s senior class has lost only a combined five games in three seasons.

Can Montini return to glory?

Montini, long a gold standard of football in DuPage County, had a couple of uncharacteristic lean years in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back 3-6 seasons. It was the first time the Broncos had missed the playoffs in nearly 30 years.

They were back in the postseason last year.

Montini made it all the way to the Class 3A state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Byron 26-20.

Could the Broncos take the next step this year? Montini made eight championship game appearances between 2009 and 2018, but hasn’t been back since. This could be the year. The Broncos return 11 starters on defense and eight on offense. Of Montini’s 29 seniors, nine are three-year starters – depth the program hasn’t had since before the pandemic.

The challenge will be navigating the Catholic League schedule, but if the Broncos can survive they should be one of the contenders in the 3A bracket.

Can Owen Lansu keep Downers Grove North on its rise?

It’s been quite a run the past calendar year for Downers Grove North athletics and the Trojans’ football team added to that in 2023. Downers Grove North won 11 games, its most in 19 years, and reached the state championship game for the first time since winning the 2004 Class 8A title. The Trojans lost to Mount Carmel in the 7A final.

Downers Grove North has big holes to fill with the loss to graduation of running back Noah Battle and linebackers Cael Brezina and Jimmy Janicki, but the Trojans are well-positioned at football’s most indispensable position.

Junior quarterback Owen Lansu, who committed to Minnesota last month, is back after a breakout varsity debut season in which he threw for 2,106 yards and 26 touchdowns. He’s one of the state’s best quarterbacks. He’ll throw to Charlie Cruse, a player to watch at receiver and defensive back. Don’t be surprised if Downers Grove North leans on Lansu’s talents both as a thrower and runner with Battle not around anymore.

Division I recruit star power

As usual, there will be no shortage of Division I star power for area teams.

And it starts up front.

Fenwick senior defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall, a Michigan recruit, is the second-ranked player in Illinois’ Class of 2025, according to the 247Sports Composite. Reiff at York and Kaminski at Nazareth are ranked ninth and 13th, respectively, and like Marshall are difference-makers on both sides of the ball. Glenbard West senior Michael O’Connell, who is 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, is committed to Northwestern.

Dynamic athletes include IC Catholic Prep senior Dominik Hulak, a Notre Dame recruit, Glenbard West senior Mason Ellens, committed to Iowa State, and Nazareth senior Garrett Reese, committed to Indiana. Lansu at Downers Grove North is the second-ranked quarterback in Illinois’ Class of 2026.

A wild card is St. Francis junior Gavin Mueller. The 6-foot-5 tight end did not play football his first two years of high school, but already holds 10 offers including Florida, Wisconsin and Cincinnati.