The Wolfpack gears up before taking the field.
While the Saint Ignatius football team wrapped up their regular season with a 21-13 loss against Brother Rice, missing out on IHSA playoffs for the second year in a row, there is still hope for the Wolfpack. In the Prep Bowl Tournament, the Wolfpack won a 49-6 victory over Leo High School at home. “Obviously, going into the year we were looking to play in playoffs and bouncing back from last year, but I think that this is a good opportunity for us to win and finish the year strong”, said senior running back Robbie Connor.
Saint Ignatius entered the season with high hopes, hoping to compete in a CCL Blue Division stacked with #2 ranked Mt. Carmel #3 ranked Brother Rice, and #14 ranked Loyola Academy, while the Wolfpack is ranked #75 in the state, according to MaxPreps. Despite the disparity in rankings, the team still hoped to compete. “Mount Carmel’s always going to be tough, but we came into the year seeing those guys, no matter how good people said they were, as just the people in front of us who can make mistakes and they’re always beatable,” Said Senior Linebacker Henry Rossini.
The Wolfpack ended up finishing 2-7 overall, beating rivals DePaul and St. Viator. However, division play didn’t go as planned, as the Wolfpack lost all three of their conference games, finishing fourth in the CCL Blue.
Running back Robbie Connor ‘26 breaks through the DePaul defense.
Senior offensive lineman Ryan Krantz remarked, “I think that this year, our main issue was being put in a conference that was too good for us, we were with three teams that at the start of the year were ranked in the top 10, and our offense was out of line with injuries and a lot of other problems,”said Krantz.
The Prep Bowl is made up of teams that \did not make the IHSA playoffs or were first round exits. The Prep Bowl was the premier high school football championship until the IHSA introduced the current state playoff format in 1974. This tournament is widely seen as a ‘second chance’ for many teams that did not have the season they hoped for.
The Wolfpack has seen previous success in the competition, winning the whole tournament last year, defeating Whitney Young High School 49-8 in the final.
The Wolfpack makes a large gain on the ground against Whitney Young.
Ryan Krantz, a key part of the victory, said, “Yeah, it was a ton of fun winning the prep bowl and being a part of that especially with the seniors last year, I think it was fun for them to end with winning something meaningful and just having fun. I’m excited to see what memories I can make with these guys this year,” said Krantz.
While the Wolfpack finished the regular season with only two wins, the seniors on the team look forward to playing in a few more games before the majority of them put on the pads for what could be one last time.
“Football’s been probably the biggest part of my life here at Ignatius, and I’m really grateful for it. Football’s taught me a lot, given me almost all of my best friends here, and really just helped me become a better man overall,” said Rossini.
Meanwhile, many sophomores and juniors on the team are looking forward to the year ahead, hoping to make a turn and compete for a state title. Sophomore quarterback Reid Hites stated, “I’m really excited for next year, especially coming back to the team, and I’m really excited to play my first full season, and I learned a lot this year even though I was hurt for most of it. I think that overall, we’ll have a really good team,” said Hites.
The Wolfpack continues their prep bowl campaign this week, as they are set to play Niles Notre Dame at Saint Ignatius this Saturday at noon. If the Wolfpack beats Notre Dame, they will play in the Prep Bowl finals next weekend. In anticipation of the game, Senior Offensive Lineman Billy Hughes remarked, “After beating Leo, I think we got our, you know, confidence back, we’re in a groove and we’re ready to face ND (Notre Dame) this weekend, beat them, and move on to the finals next weekend,” said Hughes.
“Football’s done so much for me and the other guys on the team, it’s really made us family, and even though some of us aren’t gonna play in college, I think that all of us are gonna miss the family we all have here,” said Connor.
Wolfpack defense forces a fumble against Whitney Young, leading to their 2024 victory.
