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Bears lose shot at FG because of … a towel

The Bears were set to line up for a 46-yard field goal to try to score for the first time this season when officials huddled on a soggy Soldier Field and threw a flag.

Rookie punter Trenton Gill, who was serving as the Bears’ holder in his first NFL game, had brought a towel out on the field to try to try to new sod before kicker Cairo Santos attempted his kick. He put the towel on the grass where he would have set the football down and tamped down on it. Santos stepped on the towel, too, to try to dry the grass. Gill then flung the towel behind him, where it landed on the grass.

It was illegal. All of it.

He was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty by referee Clay Martin because “he brought a towel out on the field in a dead-ball period to wipe the field down.” The Bears, pushed back, had to punt instead — and eventually went into the locker room at halftime down 7-0.

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Watch: Bears rookie Dominique Robinson’s first one-hand sack

The Chicago Bears found a guy who can sack in Dominique Robinson

Dominique Robinson made an impressive play in his first quarter of regular season action for the Chicago Bears Sunday. Robinson made a huge sack on third-and-seven that put the San Francisco 49ers out of field goal range on a sloppy turf at Soldier Field.

Robinson finished the sack with just one hand.

Robinson had an impressive preseason. His play caught the eyes of the national media. After this sack, he’ll catch opposing offensive coordinators’ eyes on their scouting sheet. He looks like he can be a suitable replacement for Khalil Mack in Week One. That’s an impressive play by the 2022 fifth-round draft pick.

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High school football: Four Downs, News and notes from Week 3

The area’s three best teams were identified in the preseason and nothing has changed after three weeks of football.

Mount Carmel, Loyola and Lincoln-Way East have dominated ranked teams at home and on the road.

The Ramblers and Griffins are both Class 8A schools and appear destined for a showdown in Champaign this November.

But which team is the top contender to face Mount Carmel in Class 7A?

Batavia seemed like the best bet in the preseason. The Bulldogs returned a ton from the squad that lost that controversial overtime game at Mount Carmel in the playoffs. But things did not go well for Batavia over the first three weeks.

The Bulldogs opened with a three-game road trip due to some construction on their home field. They dominated Phillips in the season opener and then lost 31-16 at Lincoln-Way East and 27-24 at Wheaton North.

Those are two high-quality losses. It’s likely Batavia rights the ship and becomes the top challenger to Mount Carmel in Class 7A. But there are chinks in the armor.

Wheaton North just proved it is a serious contender. Prospect and Jacobs are also off to nice starts.

St. Rita has played a horrifically difficult schedule early on but they’ve already been trounced by the Caravan so it is hard to get excited about a rematch.

Prairie Ridge rolling

The Fox Valley’s playoff pedigree has been firmly established over the last decade, so it is an easy call to put the favorite in the conference into the preseason top 10.

This season that was Prairie Ridge. The Wolves didn’t have a ton of success last season, but the program’s history and the amount of returning starters was enough to count on.

Prairie Ridge is 3-0 but started a little slowly. That’s over now. Quarterback Tyler Vasey was expected to become a big play threat and he’s delivering.

Vasey rushed for 226 yards in the win against Huntley in Week 3. He had touchdown runs of 45 and 71 yards and threw for a touchdown. Fullback Nathan Greetham added 166 yards.

All of Class 6A, even might East St. Louis, knows how dangerous a Fox Valley power is when its option offense is posting those rushing numbers.

The Wolves face No. 17 Jacobs on the road Friday.

Hero kicker

What a finish Friday night in Lake Zurich.

Danny Vuckovic nailed a 52-yard field goal to give the Bears a 13-10 win against Stevenson. The senior had a 50-yard attempt blocked earlier in the game.

Lake Zurich (2-1) has won the last six meetings against the Patriots.

Thursday night football

Public League football has generally been the only game in town on Thursdays. That changed this season after the Illinois High School Association requested that schools schedule more Thursday games due to the shortage of referees. But very few schools obliged.

Word is that the Southwest Prairie conference, which scheduled a fair amount of Thursday games this season, has voted to return to Friday and Saturday games only next year. That’s a shame, but understandable considering they saw that most of the other schools in the area decided not to make the sacrifice.

I’ve been at a suburban game each of the first three Thursdays and the crowds have been excellent. Joliet West, Round Lake and Marian Catholic all had packed stands and big student sections. It doesn’t appear that fans mind an occasional Thursday game. Perhaps the IHSA should require every school to play a Thursday game next season if the schools won’t figure it out themselves.

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High school football schedule: Week 4

Please send corrections and additions to [email protected].

Thursday, September 15

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Senn vs. Amundsen at Winnemac, 4:15

RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Chicago Richards vs. UP-Bronzeville at Eckersall, 4:15

RED WEST

Kennedy vs. Raby at Lane, 7:15

BLUE CENTRAL

Golder vs. Noble Academy at Lane, 4:15

BLUE SOUTHEAST

Bowen vs. Chicago Military at Stagg, 4:15

DuSable vs. Fenger at Gately, 4:15

Washington vs. Harlan at Gately, 7:15

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Morton vs. Leyden at Triton, 6

NONCONFERENCE

Barrington at Evanston, 7

Buffalo Grove at Deerfield, 7

Conant at Vernon Hills, 7

Elk Grove at Niles West, 7

Fremd at New Trier, 7

Hoffman Estates at Maine East, 7

Joliet Central at Oswego East, 6

Joliet West at West Aurora, 7

Palatine at Glenbrook South, 7

Plainfield East at Yorkville, 7

Plainfield South at Plainfield North, 7

Prospect at Maine South, 7

Romeoville at Oswego, 7

Friday, September 16

RED CENTRAL

UIC Prep vs. Rowe-Clark at Lane, 4:15

RED NORTH

Lane at Taft, 7:30

Young vs. Clark at Lane, 7:15

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Von Steuben at Steinmetz, 4:15

RED SOUTH

Kenwood vs. Hubbard at Gately, 7:15

Simeon at Brooks, 4:15

RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Hyde Park at Perspectives, 7:30

King vs. Dunbar at Eckersall, 4:15

BLUE CENTRAL

Johnson vs. Butler at Gately, 4:15

Noble Street vs. Muchin at Winnemac, 4:15

BLUE SOUTHWEST

Englewood STEM at Back of the Yards, 4:15

Gage Park at Solorio, 7:15

CCL-ESCC BLUE

Marist at Mount Carmel, 7:30

CCL-ESCC GREEN

Notre Dame at Nazareth, 7

St. Rita at Benet, 7:30

CCL-ESCC ORANGE

Joliet Catholic at Providence, 7:30

Montini at St. Laurence, 7:30

CCL-ESCC PURPLE

Carmel vs. St. Viator at Forest View, 7

CCL-ESCC RED

Leo at DePaul Prep, 7

CCL-ESCC WHITE

Fenwick at De La Salle, 7:30

Marmion at St. Ignatius, 7:30

DUKANE

Geneva at Wheaton-Warrenville South, 7

Glenbard North at St. Charles East, 7

Lake Park at Batavia, 7

Wheaton North at St. Charles North, 7

DUPAGE VALLEY

Metea Valley at DeKalb, 7

Naperville North at Neuqua Valley, 7

Waubonsie Valley at Naperville Central, 7

FOX VALLEY

Crystal Lake Central at Hampshire, 7

Crystal Lake South at Dundee-Crown, 7

Huntley at Burlington Central, 7

Prairie Ridge at Jacobs, 7

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Coal City, 7

Lisle at Streator, 7

Manteno at Reed-Custer, 7

Wilmington at Peotone, 7

KISHWAUKEE BLUE

Harvard at Rochelle, 7

Johnsburg at Marengo, 7

KISHWAUKEE WHITE

Ottawa at Sycamore, 7

Woodstock at Kaneland, 7

Woodstock North at Morris, 7

METRO SUBURBAN BLUE

Aurora Central at Elmwood Park, 6

IC Catholic at Ridgewood, 7:15

Wheaton Academy at Bishop McNamara, 6:30

METRO SUBURBAN RED

Aurora Christian at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:15

St. Francis at Chicago Christian, 7:15

NORTH SUBURBAN

Libertyville at Lake Forest, 7

Mundelein at Waukegan, 7

Warren at Stevenson, 7

Zion-Benton at Lake Zurich, 7

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Antioch at North Chicago, 7

Grant at Wauconda, 7

Grayslake Central at Grayslake North, 7

Round Lake at Lakes, 7

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

Lemont at Bremen, 6

TF North at Hillcrest, 6

TF South at Oak Forest, 6:15

SOUTH SUBURBAN RED

Eisenhower at Oak Lawn, 6:30

Evergreen Park at Richards, 6:30

Shepard at Reavis, 7

SOUTHLAND

Rich Township at Thornton, 6

Thornwood at Crete-Monee, 6

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN BLUE

Homewood-Flossmoor at Lockport, 6:30

Sandburg at Bolingbrook, 6

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN RED

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Lincoln-Way West, 7:30

Stagg at Lincoln-Way Central, 7:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at Elgin, 7:30

Fenton at West Chicago, 7

Glenbard East at East Aurora, 7

Glenbard South at Streamwood, 7

Larkin at South Elgin, 7

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Proviso East at Addison Trail, 6

Willowbrook at Downers Grove South, 7:30

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Downers Grove North at York, 7:30

Glenbard West at Proviso West, 7:30

Lyons at Oak Park-River Forest, 7:30

NONCONFERENCE

Andrew at Lincoln-Way East, 7

Annawan-Wethersfield at Ottawa Marquette, 7

Argo at Tinley Park, 7

Bismarck-Henning at Momence, 7

Christ the King at St. Edward, 7:30

Dwight at Oakwood, 7

Georgetown at Seneca, 7

Hersey at Highland Park, 7

Hinsdale South at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

LaSalle-Peru at Plano, 7:15

Marian Central at Appleton West, Wis., 7:30

Peoria Manual at Kankakee, 7

Plainfield Central at Minooka, 7

Rolling Meadows at Glenbrook North, 7

Salt Fork at Iroquois West, 7

Schaumburg at Niles North, 7

Walther Christian at Hope Academy, 7

Watseka at Hoopeston, 7

Wheeling at Maine West, 6:30

Saturday, September 17

RED CENTRAL

Catalyst-Maria vs. Woodlawn at Eckersall, 10 a.m.

Pritzker vs. Hansberry at Gately, 10 a.m.

Speer vs. Rauner at Winnemac, 10 a.m.

RED NORTH

Westinghouse vs. Phillips at Gately, 1

RED NORTH-CENTRAL

Mather vs. Sullivan at Winnemac, 4

Schurz vs. Lake View at Winnemac, 1

RED SOUTH

Morgan Park vs. Curie at Lane, 7:15

RED SOUTH-CENTRAL

Ag. Science vs. Bogan at Stagg, 1

RED SOUTHEAST

Corliss vs. Vocational at Eckersall, 1

Dyett vs. Julian at Gately, 4

Goode vs. Comer at Eckersall, 4

South Shore vs. Carver at Gately, 7

RED WEST

Bulls Prep vs. Crane at Orr, 1

Lincoln Park vs. Payton at Lane, 4

Little Village vs. North Lawndale at Westinghouse, 1

BLUE NORTH

Chicago Academy vs. Foreman at Lane, 10 a.m.

Marine vs. Prosser at Westinghouse, 10 a.m.

Roosevelt vs. Clemente at Lane, 1

BLUE SOUTHWEST

Lindblom vs. Tilden at Stagg, 4

BLUE WEST

Collins at Orr, 10 a.m.

Kelly vs. Phoenix at Orr, 4

CCL-ESCC BLUE

Brother Rice at Loyola, 1:30

CCL-ESCC PURPLE

Marian Catholic at St. Patrick, 1

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at McHenry, 1

SOUTHLAND

Thornridge at Bloom, noon

NONCONFERENCE

Clifton Central at Westville, 1

Normal West at Richmond-Burton, 3

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High school football: Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 rankings for Week 4

The big three (Mount Carmel, Loyola and Lincoln-Way East) continue to dominate. The Caravan and Ramblers obliterated ranked teams on the road in Week 3.

At this point in the season, all the activity is happening at the bottom of the rankings. It’s exceedingly difficult to work out which teams to add every week.

Today I went with Wheaton North, Lyons and York. Glenbard North, Nazareth and Wheaton-Warrenville South dropped out.

Wheaton North, last season’s Class 7A state champion, was an easy call. The Falcons knocked off Batavia and haven’t missed a beat this season despite losing almost everything from last season’s squad.

Lyons gets in after a nice win against Hinsdale Central. It is possible undefeated York should have been in the Super 25 long ago. The Dukes were 8-2 last year and returned a solid core. But they haven’t been tested yet this season.

It’s always tough to decide what to do with schools smaller than Class 5A. Joliet Catholic is an obvious call. But what about IC Prep and St. Francis and Wilmington?

Last week on Twitter a reader suggested another set of rankings, maybe a top five, for the smaller classes. That’s something we used to do for basketball rankings. Back in the two-class system I always had a top five for area Class A teams.

That might be a good idea. I don’t see the small schools play very often though, so that’s my biggest hesitation.

Week 4’s Super 25With record and last week’s ranking

1. Mount Carmel (3-0) 1Friday vs. No. 9 Marist

2. Loyola (3-0) 2Saturday vs. Brother Rice

3. Lincoln-Way East (3-0) 3Friday vs. Andrew

4. Warren (3-0) 4Friday at Stevenson

5. Glenbard West (3-0) 5Friday at Proviso West

6. Naperville North (3-0) 6Friday at Neuqua Valley

7. Simeon (3-0) 8Friday at Brooks

8. Maine South (2-1) 9Thursday vs. No. 12 Prospect

9. Marist (2-1) 11Friday at No. 1 Mount Carmel

10. Prairie Ridge (3-0) 10Friday at No. 17 Jacobs

11. Wheaton North (3-0) NRFriday at St. Charles North

12. Prospect (3-0) 12Thursday at No. 8 Maine South

13. Lockport (3-0) 14Friday vs. Homewood-Flossmoor

14. Lemont (3-0) 15Friday at Bremen

15. Joliet Catholic (3-0) 16Friday at Providence

16. Bolingbrook (2-1) 17Friday vs. Sandburg

17. Jacobs (3-0) 22Friday vs. No. 10 Prairie Ridge

18. Palatine (3-0) 23Friday at Glenbrook South

19. Lyons (3-0) NRFriday at Oak Park

20. St. Rita (1-2) 13Friday at Benet

21. Batavia (1-2) 7Friday vs. Lake Park

22. Kankakee (2-1) 21Friday vs. Manual

23. Hersey (3-0) 25Friday at Highland Park

24. York (3-0) NRFriday vs. Downers Grove North

25. Notre Dame (2-1) 20Friday at Nazareth

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Chicago Bears vs. 49ers game could be low scoring swampy mess after 3 inches of rain hits Soldier Field

The rain in Chicago came in at full force early Sunday morning, testing the new sod laid down earlier this week at Soldier Field.

Stacey Dales of the NFL Network reported on the depth of the water on the sideline at  Soldier Field shortly after the ground crews took the tarp off.

The rain is pounding Chicago. Watch… @nflnetwork @NFLGameDay 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/a0F4MnShMK

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) September 11, 2022

As Dales reported 1 to 3 inches of rain has already fallen in parts of Chicago and another two inches is expected today.  A sloppy rainy field could bode well for the 49ers as it would take the ball out of Justin Fields’ hands.  That being said the Bears could be able to hang around given their running game is arguably the strongest part of their offense.

Hopefully, the new hybrid Bermuda grass will hold up at Soldier Field.  One thing is certain, Mother Nature in Chicago doesn’t care what your plan is, she’s going to put everything to the test.

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Chicago Bears vs. 49ers game could be low scoring swampy mess after 3 inches of rain hits Soldier Field Read More »

Chicago Bears vs. 49ers game could be low scoring swampy mess after 3 inches of rain hits Soldier Field

The rain in Chicago came in at full force early Sunday morning, testing the new sod laid down earlier this week at Soldier Field.

Stacey Dales of the NFL Network reported on the depth of the water on the sideline at  Soldier Field shortly after the ground crews took the tarp off.

The rain is pounding Chicago. Watch… @nflnetwork @NFLGameDay 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/a0F4MnShMK

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) September 11, 2022

As Dales reported 1 to 3 inches of rain has already fallen in parts of Chicago and another two inches is expected today.  A sloppy rainy field could bode well for the 49ers as it would take the ball out of Justin Fields’ hands.  That being said the Bears could be able to hang around given their running game is arguably the strongest part of their offense.

Hopefully, the new hybrid Bermuda grass will hold up at Soldier Field.  One thing is certain, Mother Nature in Chicago doesn’t care what your plan is, she’s going to put everything to the test.

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Bears, 49ers inactives: Star TE George Kittle ruled out for opener

The 49ers present the Bears with plenty of concerns when they meet in the season opener today, but they will not have All-Pro tight end George Kittle.

Kittle, who also missed the game when the 49ers visited the Bears last season, was out of practice all week with a groin injury.

On the Bears’ side, it was unlikely that rookie wide receiver and returner Velus Jones would be cleared after missing practice Wednesday through Friday because of a hamstring injury, and he has been ruled out.

Here are the Bears’ inactives for Week 1:

WR Velus JonesOL Alex LeatherwoodOL Ja’Tyre CarterTE Trevon Wesco

DL Kingsley JonathanS Elijah Hicks

In addition, here’s a look at the field conditions as Soldier Field has been hammered by rain since the early morning:

The facility has always grass problems, and Bermuda sod was installed Monday in advance of this game.

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