First Day of Football in Illinois: Anything Possible at JCA

Normally it’s 95 degrees on the first day of high school football practice in Illinois.

And everybody hanging around the Joliet Catholic Academy camp is buzzing about the latest Division I prospect.

Not Wednesday.

The Hilltoppers, coming off an 8-5 season that ended with a 40-37 loss to Montini in the Class 5A semifinals, were running through drills on opening day with the crisp procession of a team bent on proving itself, minus the superstar element, and operating in the relative comfort of fall-like conditions.

The morning dawned with temperatures in the mid- to upper-60s and an “anything is possible” attitude making its way around the playing field at JCA. The Hilltoppers have high hopes despite the loss of USC recruit and record-setting running back Ty Isaac, in part because they return two-way starters J.B. Butler (left guard/defensive tackle) and Zach Rezin (linebacker/tight end).

Players talked about coming together as one—as a family—and the excitement of getting started on a journey they hopes takes them well into November.

JCA opens with a bang—facing Providence Catholic—at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30 on ATI Field at Joliet’s Memorial Stadium.