When I was a little girl, my dad and my uncle once took me to a Friday night high school football game. To this day, some 40 years later, I can still remember the smells of the hot dogs and popcorn, the sounds of the marching bands and the loud cheers of the crowd.
There is nothing that makes a community feel more like a community than a high school football game. Taking your children to a football game is a great way to embrace your community as well as letting you for a brief moment, feel young again. Something about the chill in the air, the marching band and people screaming their brains out that just feels like small town U.S.A.. Here is my comprehensive list of all things Friday night and football, so no more excuses.
Conferences
First, you need to know that there are several conferences within our county. You can head to the IHSA website to see them but I have done most of the work for you. The conferences that are primarily representative of Lake County are North Suburban and Northern Lake County; a few schools are in the Mid-Suburban and and Central Suburban conferences. Conferences, schools and links to local high school football schedules are located at the end of this article.
Tailgating
Tailgating might be loads of fun for professional football games but for high school games, it probably isn’t the best idea. Hanging out by your car in lawn chairs in a high school parking lot with teenage drivers everywhere? No thank you. Maybe tailgate in your driveway before you leave. I will supply the hot dogs.
Money-Saving Tips
A few tips to help save you money:
- Get a season pass if you live close to your local high school or have children who love watching the games. It will save you money in the long run and then you don’t have to hassle with your wallet and cash at the gate every time you visit. You can purchase them usually at the first game of the season or contact your local high school and they will direct you to the correct department.
- Bring snacks if you don’t want to spend your paycheck at the concession stand. I am all for supporting your local schools and the concession stands are a big way to help out but after hearing CAN I GET ONE MORE SOUR PATCH KIDS for the eighth time in an hour? You will want reinforcements.
- Stay for the half time show, if you can. The band and cheerleaders work really hard all summer long, they are a big part of the magic of Friday night lights and your children will love it too.
- But, leave after the half time show. You have seen it all and unless it is a nail biter of a game, you will want to get out of Dodge before all of the traffic. And trust me, there is traffic and again, hundreds of teenage drivers.
Click on the links below for each school’s football schedule.
The Northern Lake County Conference includes the following high schools:
- Antioch located at 1133 Main Street in Antioch
- Fox Lake (Grant) located at 285 E. Grand Avenue in Fox Lake
- Grayslake Central located at 400 N. Lake Street in Grayslake
- Grayslake North located at 1925 N. Illinois 83 in Round Lake Beach
- Lake Villa (Lakes) located at 1600 Eagle Way in Lake Villa
- North Chicago located at 1717 17th Street in North Chicago
- Round Lake located at 800 Panther Blvd. in Round Lake
- Wauconda located at 555 N. Main Street in Wauconda
The North Suburban Conference includes the following high schools:
- Gurnee (Warren)located at 34090 Almond Rd. in Gurnee
- Lake Forest located at 1285 N. McKinley Rd. in Lake Forest
- Lake Zurich located at 300 Church St. in Lake Zurich
- Libertyville located at 708 W. Park Avenue in Libertyville
- Lincolnshire (Stevenson) located at 1 Stevenson Dr. in Lincolnshire
- Mundelein located at 1350 W. Hawley Street in Mundelein
- Waukegan located at 2325 Brookside Avenue in Waukegan
- Zion-Benton located at 3901 21st Avenue in Zion
The Central Suburban Conference includes the following high schools:
- Deerfield located at 1959 Waukegan Rd. in Deerfield
- Des Plaines (Maine West)
- Evanston (Evanston Township)
- Glenview (Glenbrook South)
- Highland Park located at 433 Vine Ave. in Highland Park
- Northbrook (Glenbrook North)
- Park Ridge (Maine East)
- Park Ridge (Maine South)
- Skokie (Niles North)
- Skokie (Niles West)
- Vernon Hills located at 145 Lakeview Pkwy. in Vernon Hills
- Winnetka (New Trier)
The Mid-Suburban League includes the following high schools:
- Arlington Heights (Hersey)
- Buffalo Grove located at 100 W. Dundee Rd. in Buffalo Grove
- Elk Grove Village (E.G.)
- Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
- Rolling Meadows
- Wheeling located at 900 S. Elmhurst Rd. in Wheeling
- Barrington located at 616 W. Main St. in Barrington
- Hoffman Estates (Conant)
- Hoffman Estates (H.S.)
- Palatine (Fremd)
- Palatine (H.S.)
- Schaumburg (H.S.)
Jr. Football in Lake County
Another idea for football watching with the kids is attending a junior football game and in Lake County, there are plenty to choose from. Kids watching kids play football is a great option and offers less expensive tickets for football viewing as well.
Here are some choices for youth football in our area:
- Grayslake Colts
- Lake County Stallions (flag football)
- Lake Villa Timberwolves
- Libertyville Boys Club (flag and youth football)
- Vernon Hills Cougars
- Zion Benton- Jr. Zee Bees
- Warren Youth Football (Gurnee)
- Waukegan Jr. Bulldogs
Have fun cheering on your favorite team!
Have you taken your kids to a high school football game? Which team is your favorite to cheer on in Lake County?
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