NBCSportsChicago.com preps reporter "Edgy" Tim O’Halloran spotlights 100 high school football teams in 100 days. The first 75 team profiles will focus on teams making strides across Chicagoland and elsewhere in the state. Starting Aug. 5, we’ll unveil the @NBCSPrepsTop 25 Power Rankings, leading up to kickoff on Friday, Aug. 30.
School: Aurora Christian
Head coach: David Beebe
Assistant coaches: John Jira - Defensive Coordinator, Dean Griffing - Special Teams and Defensive Line, Nate Perry - Linebackers and Running Backs, Dave Erffmeyer - Defensive Assistant, Cody Slamans - Defensive Backs, Grayson Roberts - Assistant Offensive Coordinator, Josh Kok - Offensive Line, Chris Griffing - Quality Control, Chad Henry - Offensive Assistant and Matt Simonson - Defensive Assistant
How they fared in 2018: 8-4 (3-3 Metro Suburban Blue Conference). Aurora Christian made the Class 1A state playoff field and defeated Kewanee and Princeville. They lost to Lena Winslow in the quarterfinal round.
2019 regular season schedule:
Aug. 30 vs Urban Prep-West
Sept. 6 vs Urban Prep-Bronzeville
Sept. 13 vs Aurora Central Catholic
Sept. 20 vs Riverside-Brookfield
Sept. 27 @ IC Catholic Prep
Oct. 4 vs St. Francis
Oct. 11 @ Bishop McNamara
Oct. 18 vs Guerin Prep
Oct. 25 @ Wheaton Academy
Biggest storyline: After a solid postseason run last season, can the Eagles make a deeper run in the Class 1A state playoff field in 2019?
Names to watch this season: QB Ethan Hampton (Jr.), RB/DB Josh Dornick (Soph.) and OL Bryce Henderson (Sr.)
Biggest holes to fill: The Eagles welcome back several experienced starters this fall but need to add more overall depth and numbers— especially on the defensive line.
EDGY's Early Take: The Eagles managed to survive a stacked Metro Suburban Blue slate which included taking on two 4A state title contenders in IC Catholic Prep and Bishop McNamara. The conference schedule remains loaded but look for the Eagles’ offense to be explosive. They’re led by junior QB Ethan Hampton and a host of speedy and impressive receivers and backs. This Eagles team could very well end up playing deep into the state playoff field again if they can survive the regular season schedule.
