"When JCA loses, Illinois wins"....Why Minooka?

[Wilmatucky]

As I have stated before, I have a lot of friends and family in Minooka so I do follow them as well as Wilmington, but I have no idea what inspires their hatred for JCA.

There is a twitter handle @minookab named Minooka Barstool. They post every time JCA loses and seem to be eerily infatuated with them. Their tagline is what the title of this post is, "When JCA loses, Illinois wins". I get high school rivalry and maybe their volleyball teams have some bad blood, but I am not even sure they have played each other in the last 20 years in football. If ever? D1 recruits....Minooka has had a few but it seems like JCA has at least one or two a year. So what gives?

The tagline is also moronic because like Colin Cowherd says, whether you hate or like the big dogs its better for the overall sport when they do good. No one cares once Duke loses in basketball the same is true for high school football. When JCA is in the hunt it makes things more interesting.

Just my thoughts. Not talking trash about either program.

 

[Cross Bones]

I dont have any information, but have you looked at historical JCA rosters to see if there is a large Minooka presence?

 

[Wilmatucky]

I dont have any information, but have you looked at historical JCA rosters to see if there is a large Minooka presence?

A few hear and there, no more than Providence.......even so the kids are doing what they and/or their parents think is best for their athletic and academic careers. Can't get mad at them for that. They should worry about creating a school/athletic environment that would make kids want to stay in their home district.

 

[Cross Bones]

A few hear and there, no more than Providence.......even so the kids are doing what they and/or their parents think is best for their athletic and academic careers. Can't get mad at them for that. They should worry about creating a school/athletic environment that would make kids want to stay in their home district.

I'm just saying it's a possible explanation. Hell we contributed JRZ and James Randle and I'm not salty at all.

 

[Wilmatucky]

I'm just saying it's a possible explanation. Hell we contributed JRZ and James Randle and I'm not salty at all.

I get it. And it’s students running the account so they do dumb stuff. But it’s not like minooka is ever a power, and jca well.......

 

[pjjp]

Minooka played JCA in girls volleyball this week. I went to the match. There is a definite rivalry there. It was at JCA and Minooka brought a pretty large student section. It was an electric environment with a lot of back and forth between the two student sections. I think there is a decent rivalry in baseball as well. Not sure about the other sports. To my knowledge, I don't think there is much of a football connection.

As far as Bones' point about Minooka kids enrolling at JCA, that actually seems to be on the rise. For instance, JCA lists the grade schools of the players on their Freshmen football roster. There is one kid from Channahon Jr. High, and six kids from Minooka Jr. High. Those six are the largest contribution of any grade school represented.

 

[Cross Bones]

I get it. And it’s students running the account so they do dumb stuff. But it’s not like minooka is ever a power, and jca well.......

The meme is pretty funny, with the kid making his pronouncement to the group that JCA lost. I wish we could get someone to troll Andrew like that.

 

[dweise]

I don’t get what’s the big deal. These are high school kids. Although I didn’t know Minooka and JCA were rivals. When I was at Rice, we DESPISED Marist. It was in our blood. Our student section would chant, “We hate Marist!” in games against Marist. I checked the @minookab twitter and it’s all pretty harmless.

 

[CaravanMan]

I think the social media commentary takes a backseat to the actual question and that was what is the deal? Having lived in Minooka and now neighboring Channahon and attending their games, I've wondered as well and am interested in the dynamic.

 

[huntermaz]

During a basketball game last year JCA kids wore white garbage bags for Minooka being white trash so...

 

[ESCC fan]

I don’t get what’s the big deal. These are high school kids. Although I didn’t know Minooka and JCA were rivals. When I was at Rice, we DESPISED Marist. It was in our blood. Our student section would chant, “We hate Marist!” in games against Marist. I checked the @minookab twitter and it’s all pretty harmless.

We would chant "We hate St. Pat's" during every game, no matter the opponent.

 

[Wilmatucky]

Ya I dont think it’s a huge deal just kids being kids. I just want to know why since they don’t play each other. And probably shouldn’t pick a fight with a giant.

 

[JCHillmen]

It’s mostly Minooka’s angst. A little brown envy if you will. Minooka does have a long history of losing some decent talent to JCA. After their one breakthrough season in 96, they lose their head coach and JC alum Sharp to come home to JC and win 6 state titles in the next decade. Joe Van Tassel is a star and leading rusher on the 99 state champs. Brandon Geiss is a leading rusher on the 07 state champs. Chris Tschida is all set to go to Minooka the changes his mind when he sees JC celebrate a state baseball title in 09. Then wins his own as a senior in 13. Mike Ivlow runs for 2500 yards and is named all state 2 years after transferring from Minooka. Kenyatta Williams is the fastest kid to ever come out of Minooka and he transfers to JCA, leaving Minooka’s most talented team in 10 to 20 years without a potential difference maker.

Minooka will have a nice season this year. Probably go 8-1 or 9-0, then probably win a game or two in the playoffs.

All the chirping is just kids being goofballs. They don’t know the history except for Williams leaving. It’s just a bunch of kids attending one of the more underperforming athletic departments (excepting a few years of softball and wrestling state runs.....volleyball and baseball have been good but always underperform at the end) trying to poke at the small neighboring school that has the tradition and gets substantially more publicity. Sure it’s a bad look, but it’s really harmless and in good fun from what I can tell.

For their part, the JC student body has seemed to take the high road on the twitter exchanges. Just a few comical “why do you care about us so much?” replies that must just irk the Minooka kids even more. I will be curious to see if Minooka’s second or third round loss in 8A is met with an “attention: minooka still has......zero rings” twitter barrage.

 

[Irish LB]

In no way am I insinuating JCA did anything wrong, transfers happen. That said if I were a Minooka guy I’d be pretty salty about Ivlow and Williams.

There’s definitely some envy on the Minooka end, they can say whatever they want about JCA’s classifications etc but they want the history JCA has. As a Naz fan I used to hate them so much when we hadn’t done anything and they were murdering us. When Naz started winning and surpassed JCA I quickly realized I didn’t hate them at all I was just jealous.

 

[SilverHelmet]

When Naz started winning and surpassed JCA

Still have a little ways to go to surpass them

 

[Corey90]

Still have a little ways to go to surpass them

Thanks
Naz is a better team this year but so far they haven’t won anything. It’s still a long season. As for surpassing JCA well they still have a long way to go before comparing programs and titles.

 

[Irish LB]

Thanks
Naz is a better team this year but so far they haven’t won anything. It’s still a long season. As for surpassing JCA well they still have a long way to go before comparing programs and titles.

Smh here comes the message board police. Since 2014 Nazareth is 5-1 against JCA and has played in 4 titles (won 3). Is Nazareth historically a better program? Of course not. In the here and now has Nazareth caught and passed up JCA? Not debatable. Nazareth got absolutely manhandled by JCA from 2003-2010. Prior to playing their first game in 2003 Nazareth perennially was about as good as JCA’s Soph team. No one is comparing their histories except you I guess.

 

[CaravanMan]

Smh here comes the message board police. Since 2014 Nazareth is 5-1 against JCA and has played in 4 titles (won 3). Is Nazareth historically a better program? Of course not. In the here and now has Nazareth caught and passed up JCA? Not debatable. Nazareth got absolutely manhandled by JCA from 2003-2010. Prior to playing their first game in 2003 Nazareth perennially was about as good as JCA’s Soph team. No one is comparing their histories except you I guess.

Try sticking to the original topic, which was about JCA/Minooka. If you want to talk Naz then open another topic.

 

[Paliakas1]

Minooka played JCA in girls volleyball this week. I went to the match. There is a definite rivalry there. It was at JCA and Minooka brought a pretty large student section. It was an electric environment with a lot of back and forth between the two student sections. I think there is a decent rivalry in baseball as well. Not sure about the other sports. To my knowledge, I don't think there is much of a football connection.

As far as Bones' point about Minooka kids enrolling at JCA, that actually seems to be on the rise. For instance, JCA lists the grade schools of the players on their Freshmen football roster. There is one kid from Channahon Jr. High, and six kids from Minooka Jr. High. Those six are the largest contribution of any grade school represented.

Those volleyball games with both crowds in it can be very intense, when the football teams get out of practice and help with crowd noise even more so. How do the Angels look this year in volleyball?

 

[USD24]

Those volleyball games with both crowds in it can be very intense, when the football teams get out of practice and help with crowd noise even more so. How do the Angels look this year in volleyball?

They should be pretty good. I think they are 7-1. Opened up with a nice win at McAuley. They are currently missing their two top players, who are both out with foot injuries. When they return, I would think they will be one of the favorites to win 3A.

 

[Paliakas1]

They should be pretty good. I think they are 7-1. Opened up with a nice win at McAuley. They are currently missing their two top players, who are both out with foot injuries. When they return, I would think they will be one of the favorites to win 3A.

Tough news on the injuries - good to hear they are doing well. They are coming to Benet tomorrow, we are looking forward to a tough match-up with them.

 

[Irish LB]

Try sticking to the original topic, which was about JCA/Minooka. If you want to talk Naz then open another topic.

Read my original post Dad.,

 

[CaravanMan]

Read my original post Dad.,

I tried but all the naz mentions in it were in my way.

 

[Irish LB]

I tried but all the naz mentions in it were in my way.

Good luck in your crusade Eliot Ness.

 

[Penlight]

Wilmatucky,

For what it is worth:
Joliet is one of the oldest towns/cities in the State.
Demographically it has always had a strong Catholic population
In the early 1960s, there were 60,000 residents and 25+ Catholic Churches (roughly 75% of the town was Catholic of mostly European ethnicities); still probably nearly 20 Catholic Churches in Joliet and adjacent towns.
In 1964 Joliet Township HS opened the JT East & JT West campuses and the original JT became JT Central.
The very successful Football Coach from Joliet Township began the program at JT West.
When the “brand new school” opened on Joliet’s westside (then the newest part of the city), many families who’s children had attended Catholic Grade Schools opted to send their children to JT West --- 10 years earlier many of their boys would have been sent to Joliet Catholic and their girls to St. Francis Academy.
The kids all knew each other and often very well.
Through the 1960s and 1970s a very intense rivalry emerged between Joliet Catholic and JT West.
In the 1970s into the early 1980 both competed in the Illini-8 conference in sport, (along with Central & East, but those face-offs were never as intense and many within their camps despised JT West more than they did Joliet Catholic), in cupid’s arena for dating, etc..
Fast forward to the present day and for the last 40 years the area that is served by Minooka (“min-New-Ka” as the locals there once called it, like favorite son Nick Offerman still does) High School exploded and many people that have stayed in the Joliet area have moved into that school district.
There is a little joke among old-timers that when you look at many of the families, Minooka HS is “Joliet West-West.”
I wonder if the old JT West rivalry doesn't stir up some intensity within homes and fuel some of what you have observed?

 

[Saints7078]

agreed and a lot of people don't realize that on the far west side of Joliet between County Line Road and Ridge Road that is all Joliet but those kids go to Minooka High School. I also belive that Plainfield school district actually had more Joliet kids than Plainfield kids.

 

[Nit92]

I’m a Morris guy, didn’t grow up here but have two sons in the program. Morris and JCA have a huge history, JCA winning more but Morris taking their share. Here’s how it rolls here. I took my son when he was in 8th grade to watch JCA vs Marist. There was a boy from Morris that was a freshman at JCA, my son and him had played youth football and baseball together for years. Anyway, by Monday morning, I had 2 texts and a few phone calls asking why I had my son at their game, was he going there, would it really send him there. Just a perspective on how some feel about them. Success does that, and this is in a town with a lot of success on the football field.

 

[redmen85]

The young man is wearing a wrestling singlet!

 

[JolietWest89]

Fast forward to the present day and for the last 40 years the area that is served by Minooka (“min-New-Ka” as the locals there once called it, like favorite son Nick Offerman still does) High School exploded and many people that have stayed in the Joliet area have moved into that school district.
There is a little joke among old-timers that when you look at many of the families, Minooka HS is “Joliet West-West.”
I wonder if the old JT West rivalry doesn't stir up some intensity within homes and fuel some of what you have observed?

Minooka a big rival now of Joliet West because a fair number of kids who go to junior high together in Shorewood then end up either going to Minooka or Joliet West. Minooka HS enrollment has skyrocketed with expansion in Shorewood and Channahon.

I grew up in Joliet. I graduated from Joliet West. Biggest rival in our day was Joliet Central. It wasn't filled with hatred because many of my friends from junior high went to Joliet Central, we all knew each other.

I still hate Joliet Catholic.

 

[USD24]

Minooka a big rival now of Joliet West because a fair number of kids who go to junior high together in Shorewood then end up either going to Minooka or Joliet West. Minooka HS enrollment has skyrocketed with expansion in Shorewood and Channahon.

I grew up in Joliet. I graduated from Joliet West. Biggest rival in our day was Joliet Central. It wasn't filled with hatred because many of my friends from junior high went to Joliet Central, we all knew each other.

I still hate Joliet Catholic.

C'mon man!

 

[Wilmatucky]

The young man is wearing a wrestling singlet!

I have to admit that made me LOL when I saw that.