Chicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. The De La Salle sideline. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times Media
As the final game of the 2012 Illinois high school football regular season got underway, I knew it was something special and that in the years following I would probably rarely see again.
The game didn’t feature any future hall of famers. There were no state records set that may never be broken. It was a conference matchup between De La Salle who was 4-4 and needed the win to even be considered for the playoffs and Fenwick, who was 6-2 and would clinch the Catholic League White conference and make the playoffs win or lose. The score ended up being a lopsided 28-3 victory by the Friars of Fenwick and while the game action gave me plenty of shots to file for the newspaper, I gave my self an assignment at the start of the second quarter.
Document what is a dying sight in high school football. A mud bowl!
Chicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. A Fenwick coach meeting with the defense in between series.| Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times Media
From sideline to sideline, no bench or player was able to escape the mud. Mud was on everything and even my boots were no match for the muck.
Chicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. A ball sits on the De La Salle bench needing to be cleaned. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. Mud coul dbe its own achievemnt sticker for De La Salle’s Carneal Owens. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times Media
You could tell the difference between the players who were in for single play, versus those who were on the sidelines for the game so far.
Chicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. The bench. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–As artifical playing surfaces become the norm in sports, even at the high school level, the days of playing on a mud soaked field is becoming rarer. This is a look at one such “Mud Bowl”, played between Fenwick & DeLaSalle. Fenwick’s Nick Sacramento’s jersey numbers, 79, were unreadable. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. Mud could be its own achievement sticker for De La Salle’s Carneal Owens. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. The realative cleanliness of quarterback Gino Cavalieri’s jersey (13), compared with his offensive linemane’s (left & right), showed what type fo job they were doing in the first half. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12– | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. The most over used piece of equipment Friday night, the cleat cleaner. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–Even the down markers couldn’t escape the mud. | Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times MediaChicago, 10/19/12–The mud bowl between Fenwick and De La Salle. Running back Robert Spillane, was covered with midfield dirt even while on the sidelines.| Vincent D. Johnson~for Sun Times Media
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