CSN Football Preview Kicks Off IHSA Coverage

CHICAGO, IL — CSN Chicago (CSN), the home of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Championships, is ready to bring its viewers another action-packed season of expert local preps sports coverage, featuring many of the very best student-athletes in the nation. "High School Lites" presented by Wintrust will kick off with a football preview season premiere at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18.

Hosted by Kelly Crull, "High School Lites" is the destination for all the thrilling highlights from the area’s biggest preps match-ups, along with post-game interviews featuring the area’s top coaches and players. In addition to in-depth video highlights, "High School Lites" will profile exemplary student-athletes who are excelling on and off the playing surface with the “Wintrust Athlete of The Week” segment. Distinguished teams will be profiled in the show’s “Team of the Week” segment, presented by St. Xavier University.

Continuing this season, "High School Lites" will offer fans the chance to get interactive with the show by participating in the “Viewers’ Choice Game of the Week.” The popular weeklong poll will pit three Chicagoland matchups against one another. Fans are encouraged to vote via @CSNPreps for the game they want CSN Chicago to cover on Friday night. The winning matchup will be profiled in a special segment in the show. In addition, fans will also be given the opportunity to request the game that “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran (football) and Scott Phillips (basketball) cover each Friday night by utilizing the hashtags #SendEdgy and #FollowPhilips, respectively.

Every airing of "High School Lites" will also be livestreamed on CSNChicago.com/WatchLive or via the NBC Sports app. The show shifts to Saturday nights in November to accommodate IHSA Football playoff match-ups. Beginning Friday, Dec. 1, "High School Lites" shifts its key focus to preps basketball.

Here's a look at this year's "High School Lites" features:

“DRIVE”

In every weekly airing of "High School Lites" this season, preps fans can look forward to a brand new season of its acclaimed, behind-the-scenes, unprecedented all-access feature series entitled, “DRIVE.” This fall’s featured team will be the Prairie Ridge Wolves, who are coming off an exciting 6A state championship last season. The Wolves, who play in the competitive Fox Valley conference, feature two standout players who have given their commitments to Iowa – quarterback Samson Evans and offensive lineman Jeff Jenkins – who co-anchor a scoring unit that racked up an average of 50 points per game in 2016. Prairie Ridge will be seeking their third state championship in the last seven years. Every episode of “DRIVE” will be made available for viewing on CSNChicago.com immediately following its on-air debut.

“FAITH IN FOOTBALL: HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO CATHOLIC LEAGUE”

CSN’s comprehensive documentary will take a look back at the moments that defined the most dominant football conference in the state over the past 100 years. The evolution of the conference and key figures who have helped shape it will be highlighted in a unique way for fans of all ages to enjoy throughout the season. Special vignettes will be featured throughout the fall in High School Lites, on CSNChicago.com and on CSN’s social media platforms with the full feature being presented to fans in October.

“EDGY” TIM O’HALLORAN & SCOTT PHILLIPS

Veteran Illinois high school football sports writer/recruiting authority “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran (@EDGYTIM) returns for his fifth season as a contributing reporter for High School Lites. O’Halloran’s CSN Preps Power Rankings (@CSNPreps), players & coaches profiles and recruiting updates can be found at CSNChicago.com. In addition, O’Halloran’s content is also featured on CSNChicago.com’s partner site, Rivals.com. Scott Phillips (@phillipshoops) also returns for his fifth season as a contributing reporter for "High School Lites" and will take center stage this upcoming basketball season. Phillips is also a key contributor to NBCSports.com’s “CollegeBasketballTalk.”

PREPS TALK PODCAST

This season, the CSN Chicago preps reporting team will bring prep sports fans a new, weekly podcast. Hosted by Joe Collins(@JoeCSN) and Jared Storck (@jaredstorck) with appearances by “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran and Scott Phillips, the podcast will feature the latest storylines, game previews, recruiting analysis and special interviews with Chicagoland high school alumni. Fans are encouraged to listen along at csnchicago.com/podcasts.

IHSA FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PAIRING SHOW

For the sixth straight year, CSN Chicago and the IHSA will present the IHSA Football Playoff Pairing Show live at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. Brackets will be unveiled as 256 Illinois teams, from 1A to 8A, will find out their first round opponent. This two-hour show will also be streamed live on CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app.

Submitted by CSN

Image via Patch file