THE Varsity Voices: High School Sports Talk

THE Varsity Voices, heads into the trenches with St. Francis High School OL/DL, Brady Hill. Known for his relentless work ethic and physical dominance up front, Brady has been a key force in protecting his quarterback and opening lanes for the ground game. We’ll talk about his journey in football, the mindset it takes to win in the trenches, and what drives him to keep pushing for excellence on and off the field.

In this episode, we welcome one of the Chicago Catholic League’s premier quarterbacks — Steven Armbruster from St. Rita High School who has been lighting up the stat sheet and showing leadership week after week. In this conversation, we go beyond the numbers and talk about what it really takes to lead a football program, how he prepares for the big moments, and what’s ahead in his journey — both on and off the field.

We sit down with Chicago Catholic League powerhouse program St. Rita head football coach Martin Hopkins. He talks about the tradition of the storied program at St. Rita and the goals for the football program in 2025.

We have a discussion with head football coach for Marmion Academy Adam Guerra and talk Chicago Catholic League and Marmion football for 2025.

We interview Mike Bukovsky, head football coach for the 2025 state champions Montini Broncos and he brings along three of his top players for the 2026 season, Izzy Abrams, Isaac Alexander and Angelo DeSensi.

We take a look back at our first year of episodes and talk about some of the key and pivotal moments in our evolution as a podcast about the Chicago Catholic League football teams and other topics related to the important issues facing high school sports today.

Joe Knows — where Dan throws the questions at Joe to hear his take on the hot topics, the issues, and sometimes the stuff nobody wants to say out loud regarding high school sports and Chicago Catholic League football.

Steve Soucie, Shaw Media's Managing Editor and Illinois high school football analyst/Guru, joins the podcast to discuss Illinois high school football.

We interview head football coach for Benet Academy, Pat New. Coach New talks about the resurgence of Benet Academy football, the players we should be on the look out for, and the challenges of competing in the Chicago Catholic League.

In our inaugural episode of the Chicago Catholic League football player spotlight, we interview Luke Doyle, star and standout wide receiver from Benet Academy.

Where is high school sports headed considering NIL, transfer issues, right to play and other factors? Plus, what kind of pressure are high school sports administrators and coaches under considering today's environment. Are they ready, do they need to make some changes...listen in and find out our thoughts.

In this episode we interview Theo Hopkins, the newly appointed head football coach at Leo Catholic High School in Chicago, part of the Chicago Catholic League. He brings a wealth of experience as well as deep connections to the school and the Chicago Catholic League football.

In this episode we are joined by a special guest—Jason McKie, head football coach at Carmel Catholic in Mundelein. Coach McKie brings a wealth of experience to the high school sidelines as a former NFL fullback and current Chicago Bears sideline reporter. We dive into his vision for the Carmel football program, the values he’s instilling in his players, and how he’s helping shape young athletes both on and off the field.

In this "Quick Hits" episode we discuss our early favorites for the Chicago Catholic League football player of the year, naming rights of high school sports stadiums, the impact of regional and national exposure for high school sports programs, how difficult is the Athletic Director's and Head Coach's job and Western Illinois Universities recruiting push in the CCL.

In this episode we’re diving into something every football fan can appreciate this time of year—a little taste of what's to come. We’re taking an early look at the 2025 Chicago Catholic League football schedules. It’s never too soon to get your football fix and with some of the top matchups already set, we’re going to break down key dates, early season showdowns, and the games that could shake up the conference standings.

We talk about the Chicago Catholic League football and where the conference ranks or should rank nationally against other national conference powerhouses. We also give an update on the status of the where the legislation stands in Illinois on Right to Play and Student/Athlete transfers.