Guest Speaker: Joe Ryan

Tim Carlson says Sycamore H.S. football head coach Joe Ryan always gets the full potential out of every team he coaches; whether a team is able to pull of a 14-1 season, or a 4-5 season, he manages to get that squad to play to the best of its ability.

In advance of the annual First National Challenge contest against DeKalb at Huskie Stadium, Ryan is hopeful that his 1-2 squad can hold its own with the 2-1 Barbs. He says the team has lost to two difficult opponents, in Sterling and Grayslake North; and Ryan also laments that he had to fill his schedule with an Indiana school (Roosevelt H.S. in Gary), even though they won that game 63-6.

Ryan also addressed the problem of concussions in the high school game, a topic he says he's not afraid to discuss in public. He says the protocols that are in place at the high school level, along with improvements in equipment and tackling techniques, are helping to prevent concussions; but Ryan says they are still unavoidable, and that teams have to take the necessary measures to protect their players from further harm.