THE Varsity Voices: High School Sports Talk
In depth discussions and inside information on different topics pertaining to high school sports in Illinois and across the country, high school football and the Chicago Catholic League.
Episodes
In our inaugural episode of the Chicago Catholic League football player spotlight, we interview Luke Doyle, star and standout wide receiver from Benet Academy.
In this episode of THE Varsity Voices, we’re flipping the format and handing the mic to Dan, for our special segment we like to call… Dear Dan.
This is where we throw out the questions—raw, real, and sometimes ridiculous—and Dan gives it to us straight. Whether it’s Chicago Catholic League football topics, NIL deals, transfer rules, or just who’s got the best stadium nachos, you’ll hear what he really thinks. No scripts, no sugarcoa...
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.
We talk about what the effect will be on high school athletes regarding the pending NIL legislation in college which limits the amount of NIL money which can be distributed to athletes.
#NIL #NILHighSchool
We talk with Connor Buckridge, head coach for Loyola Academy flag football, about the excitement around flag football in Illinois and his goals and objectives for the upcoming season.
The hosts talk about the recent legislation introduced in Illinois regarding right to play and transfer rules, as well as the recent IHSA approved changes to the by laws regarding the multiplier waiver for Chicago Catholic League schools and its impact on the football classes and the playoffs.
New head football coach for St. Laurence high school, Pat Swanson, joins the podcast to discuss his new role, what helped get him to this point, the challenges of Chicago Catholic League football and where the St. Laurence football program is headed under his leadership.
Coach Jeff Quinn brings 40 years of experience at some of the highest levels of college football. He served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo and held numerous coaching positions at powerhouse programs like Notre Dame, the University of Cincinnati, and Central Michigan as well as some top D2 and D3 programs along the way. With a focus on the Chicago Catholic League, we’ll get insights on what it takes for athl...
THE Varsity Voices podcast is joined by Remax "Circle of Legends" recipient, realtor Christopher Cobb. Chris speaks about his time on the football field to his career as a realtor and everything in between. Also discussed the big high school athlete transfer news and changes from NFHS and State Associations.
There are several new head coaches this year in the Chicago Catholic League and Notre Dame College Prep has picked a good one in Dan DeFranza. We interview Coach DeFranza in this episode and discuss his goals, objectives and how he plans on taking Notre Dame football to the next level.
In our next Quick Hits episode our hosts talk about the effect of the college transfer portal on high school recruiting, game scheduling to make it more interesting, who will be the surprise team in the CCL next year, the lack of officials and what effect that has on the game, future tech in high school football and are the initial college choices just a steppingstone to something bigger.
Jenny Czerwonka, from Deep Dish Football, joins our hosts again to talk about future stars in the Chicago Catholic League. This episode they talk about the QB's, those that are returning and those who are up and coming in the CCL.
In our inaugural Quick Hits episode our hosts discuss 6 topics with a time limit of 4 minutes for each. The topics discussed are the; New CCL Coaches, Districts vs Conferences, CCL Team Most Likely to Repeat as Champion, Game Evolution, 25-20 Day Contact Rule and No Limit Transfers.
Jenny Czerwonka from Deep Dish Football joins the podcast to talk about which wide receivers we should be on the lookout for in the Chicago Catholic League for next season and beyond.
Our hosts discuss the current status of NIL in high school with Dr. Scott Grant, CEO from Triple Threat Leadership. How prevalent is it at the high school level, how do schools and administrators deal with it and how do parents and student/athletes make it work for them.
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