Summer appetizer for you football crazies

Coach Sly can tell some of you are wanting to get a jump start on the football talk, and Sly is only too happy to oblige.

After all, Sly knows some of our youngsters are already out there this summer, putting in time at camps and elsewhere to prepare for kickoff in a couple months-plus.

This time of year, there's a lot of guesswork involved, but Sly's wondering if there's any way Kaneland could have the last laugh on the big dogs in the Tri-Cities and steal the last Western Sun Conference championship.

If it was only a matter of skill position players, probably so. Seems like Kaneland might have the most razzle-dazzle guys to work with this season. But with the numbers Kaneland has compared to Batavia and Geneva, up front is usually where that proves the difference.

Hey Kaneland types, how are those lines lookin?

Much of a machine as Geneva has become, you just don't lose the guys they're losing and not feel it in a big way. That doesn't mean they can't find a way to win seven or eight games, but any more than that and Wicinski needs to write a book or something.

Batavia is losing lots on offense but Coach Sly is more curious about the other side of the ball, where there's the most room for improvement. Sly's guessing lots of tackling drills are on the summer agenda.

Sly is pretty sure North's Huxtable is going to be the best back in the area but would love to hear from North fans what else the Stars have to work with.

And East ... new coach and no Wes, but a pretty good group of defensive players comes back. Sly expects coach Fields to field a playoff contender right from the get-go.

Well, lemme have it.

As you all know, it's never, ever too early to talk Tri-Cities football.