2023 Beat EDGY Weekly Pick EM: EDGY's winners
Make sure and check out EDGYTIM's Weekly Best Guesses and Winners from the Top Games State-Wide each week.
Play Right Now: Pick Em 2023 Beat EDGY Weekly: Week 1 Games
Results are complied and announced on the Monday after each week's results.
1. The deadline for all completed brackets will be on each Friday by 4PM CST.
2. You must make selections for all games and also including answering the weekly tie breaker question. Any missing selections or a missing tie breaker automatically is a disqualification.
The final winner will be announced and new games for the following week will be posted every Monday here.
Simply just click the link and play along. Pick Em 2023 Beat EDGY Weekly: Week 1 Games
Make sure and check out EDGYTIM's Weekly Best Guesses and Winners from the Top Games State-Wide each week.
EDGYTIM's 2023 Record? TBA
Week 1: My Best Winners and Guesses
Rochester over Peoria
EDGY's Take: You gotta love it when two state level programs throw all hesitation out the window and decide to play each other in an opening game. Throw in that this game is being played in newly renovated Peoria Stadium.....which is a terrific place to see a football game and this opener has all the hype, smoke and excitement you want to see. Rochester and head coach Derek Leonard had a young team in 2022, took two losses to his Hall of Fame Dad and SHG legend Ken Leonard and has been reloading all off season. The Rochester Rockets welcome back 12 returning starters and keep an eye out for standout TE/DE Lance Ingold (NIU) along with senior QB Parker Gillespie who is a much more traditional pocket/shotgun pocket passer.
Peoria and head coach Tim Thornton made a deep run in 2022 and came up just short, losing to Class 5A state champion Nazareth Academy in the Class 5A state title game The Lions once again will reload and will also rly on a very good group of returning starters this fall. Senior QB Valentino Gist has developed into a heady pocket passer while also having the athletic ability to scramble when required. Senior WR/DB Gary Rutherford is a leader and an athletic as heck impact player. Junior OL/DL Deuce Thornton missed most of the 2022 season with an injury, but the son of the head coach is fully healthy and ready to make noise up front while. Peoria sophomore OT Jaquarius Green is yet another big body upfront and already a known name in recruiting circles this season.
Biggest storyline? Can the Rochester offense keep the Lions defense back on it's heels and test the light bulb strength in Peoria Stadium's new scoreboard? Can the Peoria offense trade score for score against the high octane Rochester spread attack? Get ready for what could be a wild one on P Town.
EDGY's Pick: Rochester 54 Peoria 43
Maine South over Brother Rice
EDGY's Take: It's been a lively off season for Maine South as the Hawks wound up having to forfeit the entire 2022 season due to an IHSA residency violations. Look for the Hawks and veteran head coach Dave Inserra to use the incident as motivation this coming season to come out and play like it's hair is on fore. The Maine South offense under new OC Ryan Healy will look and play similar to the same Maine South offense we've seen for years under former OC Charlie Bliss (Loyola). Maine South senior QB Jack DePhilipps is a highly accurate and strong armed signal caller who looked great this summer. The Hawks are always loaded in the skills department and keep an eye on senior WR/DB Evan Agosto along with junior RB Michael Dellumo while junior OT Zak Stoilov (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) is a name to watch. The Hawks will be a bit green on defense with just 4 starters retuning, but the overall talent level and depth of the program always allows them to reload as well as anyone in Chicagoland.
Brother Rice and second year head coach Casey Quedenfeld is looking to take the Crusaders to the next level in 2023 and this Brother Rice schedule is about as brutal as they come this season. The Crusaders will rely early on behind a offense that welcomes back 8 returning starters from a season ago. The Rice offense will utilize again a two quarterback rotation between senior QB Ryan Hartz and senior QB Maurice Brown while also establishing the run game led by senior RB Randall Nauden (Navy). Nauden will run behind and offensive line that brings back 4 starters upfront and senior OT Conor Kenzinger (6-foot-7, 290 pounds) has D1 level upside and ability. The Rice defense will no question have to reload this summer with just 3 starters back in the field. Junior LB Christian Pierce is already holding multiple Power 5 scholarship offers this summer and is a headliner for the Crusaders in 2023.
Biggest storyline? Can the less experienced Brother Rice defense slow down the Maine South high octane spread passing game? Can the Brother Rice offense keep the Maine South offense in the sidelines and wear down the Hawks defense?
EDGY's Pick: Maine South 35 Brother Rice 28
Glenbard West over Marist
EDGY's Take: Glenbard West and head coach Cjad Hetlet is another program that has been a model of consistency in his tenure, and you can always expect the Hitters to play fast. physical and hard hitting football. The Hilltoppers welcome back some key names on offense in senior RB Julius Ellens along with senior RB Rhett Pierce but nearly the entire West offensive line was lost to graduation. The Glenbard West defense welcome back 7 starters and keep an eye on the linebacker play l;ed by senior Ben Starman, senior Eli Limouris and senior Ben Cesario, while senior DE Danny Coffee is another impact name to watch along with junior DB Mason Ellens.
Marist and head coach Ron Dawczak will also be very young this season with just 4 starters back from a season ago. The Redhawks however have been as strong as any program in Chicagoland when it comes to reloading and having a deep, talented roster ready and capable of stepping up. The Redhawks offense is always explosive and keep an eye on senior RB Marc Coy wghile senior QB Owen Winters is expected to take the reins of the offense this season. The Redhawks defense will also look towards junior DL Brad Fitzgibbon as a leader. Fitztgibbon is already holding several D1 level offers this summer.
Biggest storyline? Can Marist young and less experienced kids on both sides of the football step up this week? Can the Glenbard West offense kick things into a higher gear and get payback for last year's one point loss at Marist?
EDGY's Pick: Glenbard West 35 Marist 34
Nazareth Academy over Kankakee
EDGY's Take: This is the second year of a home and home deal between the defending Class 5A state champion Nazareth Academy Road Runners and the Kankakee Kays. Last season in LaGrange Park Nazareth Academy scored a first quarter safety and somehow this game ended with a 2-0 Road Runners win which was easily one of the strangest final scores of the 2022 IHSA football season.
Nazareth Academy and Hall of Fame head coach Tim Racki welcomes back an impressive 16 returning starters (8 offense 8 defense) and several key names are already state champions and multi-year varsity starters. Also 11 of those 16 returning starters are still underclassmen so don't expect Nazareth Academy to disappear anytime soon. Keep an eye this season on junior QB Logan Malachuk along with junior 4 star ranked DE/OLB Gabe Kaminski while sophomore LB Lesroy Tittle is a high level recruit to watch.
Kankakee has a new head coach in Miles Osei, who takes over the Kays program after starting his coaching career at Elk Grove. The Kays are again in consideration of being a state title contender again this fall. Keep an eye on QB Larenz Walters along with senior RB Tony Phillips Jr. who will run behind a big and physical Kays line anchored by senior 4 star ranked OT Marques Easley (Georgia). The Kays defense is also speedy and highly athletic again this fall and keep an eye DB Tyrone Kennedy Jr along with senior LB Kennarius Chandler.
Biggest storyline? Can the Kankakee defense limit the Nazareth Academy balanced offense on Friday night? Can the Nazareth Academy defense slow down the explosiveness of the Kays offense for four quarters?
EDGY's Pick: Nazareth Academy 28 Kankakee 20
East St. Louis ve Mount Carmel @ Hancock Stadium Illinois State
EDGY's Take: This has easily become one of the more anticipated Opening Week games in some time. East St. Louis is coming off one of the program's most historic runs in the programs history under head coach/AD Darrin Sunkett. East St. Louis will welcome back several key starters, and no one is as important as senior QB Robert "Pops" Battle (Lindenwood). Battle, who will be a rare four year varsity starter for the Flyers this fall also will get the football to junior RB TaRyan Martin and junior WR Jesse Watson (Purdue) while the defense is also stacked with talent led by a strong and physical secondary with senior S Leontrae Bradford (Purdue), junior S Charles Bass along with senior Jaion Jackson (Central Michigan) and senior DB Taylor Powell (NIU). The biggest question for the Flyers? Can East St. Louis replace nearly two tons of graduated offensive linemen, two thirds of which are in either the SEC or the Big Ten.
Mount Carmel and head coach Jordan Lynch is also coming off an impressive 2022 season, posting a 14-0 season and winning the Class 7A state title.The Caravan might have as much talent in 2023 than they had in 2022 as the roster has maybe never been as deep or as talented. The offense will be lead by junior QB Jack Elliott who in many ways reminds me of his head coach when he led the Caravan offense. Elliott has an impressive arm and is also very capable with running the football. Mount Carmel senior 4 star ranked RB Darrion Dupree (Wisconsin) is also a ton and the receivers group is deep and talented and keep an eye on senior WR Darrion Gilliam (Kent State), RB Alonzo Manning (Navy) and incoming transfer WR Maurice Densmore. Like it's opponent, the Caravan offensive line will need to reload this summer and will feature several new faces. The Caravan defense welcome back the likes of senior LB Parker Startz (Ohio University) along with senior incoming transfer WR/DB Jayden Jones plus junior DB Havy Payne and senior DL Tavon Rice.
Biggest storyline? Can the East St. Louis offense reload on the offensive line and get the Flyers offense clicking right out of the gates? Can the Mount Carmel offensive line also get the offense in gear and wear down the Flyers defense? Will/can special teams be the difference here? Expect a hard hitting, very physical and very fun game on Saturday night.
EDGY's Pick: Mount Carmel 28 East St Louis 27
Remaining EDGY Winning selection for Pick Em Games for Week 1
Downers Grove North over St Francis
Quincy over Quincy Notre Dame
Loyola Academy over Grand Rapids Central Catholic
Palatine over St. Charles North
Sterling over Metamora
Tie Breaker: Total combined points in the Crete-Monee at Carmel Catholic game? 49