MORE POWE-R (12/7):  In our closest vote since I started handling the Extravaganza seven years ago, Shane Powe of Central Catholic is the WJBC Ron Smith Printing Intercity High School Football Player of the Year.  You could have made the case for at least four others, but Shane was the only player to repeat as our player of the week for the Intercity, and was the only one to show up on every ballot submitted by Extravaganza reporters.  He's just a sophomore, so he'll be back to defend his title.

THEY DON'T UNDER-STINDE (11/23):  One thing star Lexington running back T.J. Stinde does (in addition to using potential tacklers as traction) is make things easy for your friendly neighborhood sports director when it comes to selecting the Morris Tick Recycling and Tick Steel Athlete of the Week.  I've lost count of how many Roberts Trophies plaques we've awarded him this fall, but he just keeps piling up the reasons why it's difficult to consider anyone else.  All he did in the past week was set state records for touchdowns and rushing yards to lead the Minutemen to a state championship game appearance.  Here's another plaque, T.J.  Maybe your folks will take down some pictures and move some furniture so that you can hang all of your awards.  By the way, Friday's championship game against Tuscola (hometown of U-High head coach Dusty Burk) can be heard on WJBC beginning with a 9:35 a.m. pre-game from Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

DON'T TRACK THAT ON MY FLOOR (11/6):  That's probably the most commonly-heard phrase after the mud baths that posed as first round playoff games last weekend.  Fortunately, the fields used for this week's second round have had the chance to dry out, and the weather looks fine for participant and fan alike.  First-round thoughts:  1) Bobby Moews was right when he said turnovers would be the key to Central Catholic's effort at Metamora, 2) Bloomington learned a similar turnover lesson the night before, 3) LeRoy reinforced that when players listen to good coaches, good things happen; i.e., the Panthers' defensive tweaks in their first round win, 4) Normal Community reminded another suburban team that we know from football in Central Illinois, and 5) mud is not Kryptonite to Lexington running back T.J. Stinde.

Here's what's up for us on Radio Bloomington football on Saturday:  We're doing a mini-Extravaganza on Saturday, with ISU football our main game.  During the Redbirds' Family Day contest against Western Illinois, we'll hear live from Crete-Monee at Normal Community, LeRoy at Lexington and Alexis United at Heyworth.  All games kick at 1:00.  We'll keep you posted on other scores as well, including the Mercer County at GCMS game which kicks at 2:00.  You can hear the LeRoy-Lexington game in its entirety on WTRX 93.7 the Oldies Channel and www.wtrxoldieschannel.com beginning at 1:00.  Also, Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan is on www.wjbc.com at 12:45, and PrairieThunder hockey is at Port Huron on 93.7 the Oldies Channel at 6:15.

WE'RE STILL PLAYING (10/27):  We'll keep an eye on 11 games this weekend as the first round of the high school football playoffs commences.  Here's what we'll be Extravaganzizing on Friday:  Our feature game will be Normal Community at Oak Forest, with updats from Oswego at Bloomington, Bushnell-Prairie City-Avon at LeRoy, Heyworth at Princeville and Fisher at Lexington.  Same drill for the Extravaganza, with pre-game at 6:10, updates every quarter hour and post-game debriefing until 11:00.  The Fisher-Lexington contest will be heard on 93.7 WTRX the Oldies Channel on Friday at 6:45.  We'll update you on all of the Saturday games during our Illinois State University football coverage.

IX-STRAVAGANZA (10/23):  The 2009 regular season curtain falls at the end of Friday night's action.  The Extravaganza is back up to a full complement of 11 games this week (not counting updates on PrairieThunder hockey and Illinois State volleyball).  Decatur MacArthur visits Bloomington in our center ring, but we have just about every other local game staffed.  Playoff pairings are announced on Saturday night, and WJBC will air our annual Playoff Pairings Show from 8 p.m. till 9 p.m. on Saturday.  We'll hear from several coaches who will continue their seasons in Week 10.  We expect another full Extravaganza next Friday, although dates and times of the first round games won't be confirmed until Monday.

EIGHT-STRAVAGANZA (10/16):  Week 8 is providing some high-interest action, with a lot of it centered along Airport Road in Bloomington-Normal.  The WJBC feature game is Homecoming night at Normal Community High School, as the 6-1 Ironmen host the 7-0 Vikings of Danville in a game that could force a three-way tie in the Big 12 Conference if NCHS and Bloomington both win.  The Iron may have turned a corner with a decisive win on the road at Decatur MacArthur.  Don't forget that a little way south is a big Corn Belt Conference tilt, as 6-1 Central Catholic (hard to remember when the Saints were anything-and-1) against unbeaten Rochester.  Until last week's Saints loss at Mahomet-Seymour, this looked to be a collision between the top two teams in the Class 4A poll, but that stumble doesn't really diminish this game, which can be heard from Bill Hundman Memorial Field on 93.7 the Oldies Channel or www.wtrxoldieschannel.com.  Pontiac visits a depleted U-High squad on www.wjez.com and 98.9 WJEZ with the always entertaining crew of Mark Myre, Tim Scott and Mick Peterson.  Of course, we'll update it all on the Extravaganza beginning at 6:10, here on this page and on Twitter by following WJBCHSFootball.  Yours truly is on the road with the PrairieThunder for the season opener on Saturday, so Zach Parcell slides capably into the anchor chair.

SEVENTH HEAVEN (10/9):  Just a quick note as we head into Week 7--although our main game is the final Intercity matchup of Bloomington at Normal West (the host Wildcats have to win out), we will have an open line from the Studio A Nerve Center to Decatur where MacArthur hosts Normal Community in a battle of 5-1 teams.  Prairie Central at Pontiac is on 98.9 WJEZ and www.wjez.com, while Lexington visits Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland on 93.7 the Oldies Channel and www.wtrxoldieschannel.com.  Stick with us till 11 p.m. on 1230 AM WJBC, here on the Extravaganza page or on Twitter through WJBCHSFootball.

SIX IS A SERIOUS NUMBER (10/1):  Week 6 means Intercity teams keep the buses in the barn--well, except for U-High, and the Pioneers make up for all of the other lack of travel with a journey to Rochester.  The Extravaganza will feature Central Catholic's Homecoming game against the Eureka Hornets.  As always, we reserve the right to pay closer attention to another game we're staffing, and we're keeping that big Heart of Illinois Conference battle at Downs between Tri-Valley and Lexington on the warmer as a possible second primary game.  We might need a little more help with scores this week, so don't be afraid to give us a call at 309-829-2345 or e-mail us at talk@wjbc.com to give us some help.  Oh, and as for the chili last week--a good traditional variety with kick from Dan Kinzinger and a thicker version with a bacon kick from Zach Parcell, in addition to Bruce Evans' beanless "meat soup"--well, I call it a three-way tie.  OK, maybe a two-way tie between Kinzinger and Parcell since I actually got to TASTE their chili.  And there was hardly a spoonful left by the end of the Extravaganza debriefing session at 11 p.m.

GETTIN' CHILI (9/24):  The Unit 5 rivalry between Normal West and Normal Community highlights Week 5 on the WJBC Friday Night High School Football Extravaganza.  West is trying to find some combinations, while the Ironmen are still in the hunt for the Big 12 Conference title.  This game is called the Chili Bowl, something WJBC (specifically Bruce Evans, Terry Brown and Gary Walter) came up with sometime after West came into existence in the early '90's.  Apparently the boys wanted to pick up the quality of fare available in the press box to something beyond a few carrot and celery sticks, so they brought a pot of Bruce's chili (actually, as he calls it, "meat soup"), and made it an annual tradition for this game.  It's grown to where there is now an actual traveling trophy, which will be presented to the winning coach after the game.  Just like the Indy 500's bottle of milk for the winner, the victorious coach will also enjoy a bowl of chili.  Of course, the Extravaganza crew will also be enjoying (hopefully) chili, as Zach Parcell and Dan Kinzinger plan dueling chili for Friday.  With any luck, we'll make it to the end of the Extravaganza at 11 p.m.

TILL THEY TURN PURPLE (9/16):  The Extravaganza climbs into the box at Fred Carlton Field in Bloomington on Friday, as the Purple Raiders host Champaign Central.  The Maroons are 3-0, and although their three opponents have a total of one win, they've put up some big offensive numbers.  The Raiders are a hair's breadth away from being 3-0, but their 2-1 mark has been against a tougher early schedule.  WTRX 93.7 the Oldies Channel visits Minonk as Fieldcrest hosts Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland, and WJEZ 98.9 features 2-1 Pontiac at 3-0 Rochester.  The ubiquitous Extravaganza will be at all of the big games, with a special eye on Heart of Illinois Conference matchup Fisher at Lexington, a battle of 3-0 teams.  We set the scenes beginning at 6:10, updates every quarter hour, post-game debriefing sessions until 11:00 and don't forget regular updates on our Extravaganza schedule page and on Twitter (WJBCHSFootball)!

Also, remember we'll have bonus high school football play-by-play on Saturday as Mt. Carmel visits Central Catholic for a 4 p.m. kickoff on WJBC.com.  Scroll down the main page for the proper link.  Your friendly neighborhood sports director/Extravaganza anchor will have the call from Bill Hundman Memorial Field.

GO WEST, YOUNG MEN (9/9):  That's where the Extravaganza's featured attraction is, as a quick and experienced Decatur MacArthur squad visits Normal West.  Turnovers have plagued a few Intercity teams this year, and the Wildcats have been no exception.  Still, West turned in a cleaner second half last week at the other Decatur high school, Eisenhower, and maybe turned a corner.  The Stock and Brown show will suit up for the 7 p.m. kickoff.  As always, we'll update all Intercity and most other area games every quarter hour.  Scene setters begin as we kick off the Extravaganza at 6:10, with post-game debriefings until 11:00.  We also have special scoreboards after the news at the bottom of each hour overnight, and I'll run down everything on the Saturday morning sportscasts ahead of a tripleheader sports day on WJBC (Illinois State at Illinois volleyball, 9:45; Illinois Wesleyan at Alma football at 11:45, Illinois State at Illinois football at 5:00).

Our other Radio Bloomington play-by-play games on Friday for Week 3 include Central Catholic at Pontiac on www.wjez.com worldwide and Lite Rock 98.9 WJEZ in the Livingston County area with Mark Myre, Tim Scott and Mick Peterson (varsity only at Williamson Field at 7:15!!), and a big Heart of Illinois Conference matchup on 93.7 the Oldies Channel and at www.wtrxoldieschannel.com as Lexington visits Heyworth with Eric Lapan and Brennan Wiggs on the call from Hornet Stadium at 6:45.  Of course, those games are included in the Extravaganza on 1230 AM WJBC.  Check Twitter at WJBCHSFootball or this page for more!

LET'S PLAY TWO (8/31):  As in the Intercity doubleheader at Illinois State University.  U-High and Central Catholic hook up in the opener at 4 p.m., while Bloomington and Normal Community enjoy the Hancock Stadium lights at about 7:30.  Of course, both are on WJBC.  We'll tweak Extravaganza mode a bit, as we usually do for this doubleheader, providing you with the updates on area games after each quarter.  Our scene setters will come between games, and we'll still have the post-game debriefing session until 11:00.  All but Bloomington posted wins, and the Purple Raiders almost had theirs in the left-hand column before sustaining a heartbreaking loss to Danville on the game's final play.

Speaking of final plays, what a first night of the season!  At least three area games came down to the last snap, and I'm proud to say the Extravaganza was there live with each one.  That reminds me to remind you that although we have a featured game (and a lot of people pay attention to which game that is), we are still going to where the action is, as last Friday night proved.  So, Week 1 should show you that you shouldn't get too wrapped up in which game is the "main" game.

Last, the most heartfelt kudos I can hand out go to the Corn Belt Conference schools.  Finally--FINALLY--starting next year, the league is ditching the freshman preliminary games on Friday night, moving them to Thursday, and allowing varsity games to kick off at a standard 7 p.m. on Fridays, like most other area conferences.  The student-athletes can get home sooner, there are fewer worries about field conditions for the varsity game on a wet night, the varsity will start at a set  time instead of an approximate time, and certainly not least, your media attention will increase.  What I am talking about on the last point?  Well, with earlier print deadlines these days, there have been times when a pass-heavy Corn Belt game has not had complete coverage in the next day's newspaper.  Here at the Extravaganza, we have to be very careful when making a 7:45 Corn Belt game our featured game because it WILL cut heavily into the time when we bring you recaps of all of the other area games.  The IHSA News Media Advisory Committee (of which I am a member) has continually brought up these points while urging schools to kick off no later than 7:00.  I'm sure I speak for many of my colleagues in thanking the Corn Belt for considering the media as one of the reasons to move game times back.  I know the Extravaganza will get even better as a result.

LET THERE BE LIGHTS (8/28):  As in the Friday night variety, under which we bring you the WJBC Friday Night High School Football Extravaganza.  If you've toured the place here on WJBC.com, you've seen that the Extravaganza has become more, well, extravagant, with the addition of video and more complete schedule information.  We've also added reporters to allow us to Extravaganzize more games each Friday.  We start at 6:10, set the scene until most of the kickoffs at 7:00, update everything every quarter hour and post-game debriefing until 11:00.  We'll also have scoreboards through the overnight hours after the bottom-of-the-hour news, and complete recaps on the Saturday morning sportscasts and Gameday Saturday.