PEDs on display in Boylan win over Bucs

By Bob Kopp

BDR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

It’s the elephant in the room – uh, I mean on the court or field or diamond – whenever a public school plays a parochial school for NIC-10 seedings, titles, regards, recognitions, rewards, and all of the rest.

Indisputably, nobody wants to talk about it, parochial schools deny it, educators ignore it, and the IHSA rationalizes it as public school players, coaches, parents, and fans grin and bear it while their counterparts pretend their competitive excellence is not fueled by the use of Performance Enhancing Demographics (PED).

Simply, parochial schools competing in athletic conferences with public schools don’t play by the same rules.

They are not bound by geographical districting, and everybody knows they cherry-pick, recruit, enable, and celebrate PEDs.

They don’t play by the same rules of eligibility.

It makes Russian hacking look sophomoric.

People who deny this reality think Michelle Obama and Donald Trump will divorce their spouses, so I can preside at their nuptial on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Now, before those who want to pretend there’s no elephant in the room burn up cyberspace with their letters to the editor to deny and rationalize their use of PEDs to move to the head of their classes, anyone who has ever read anything from me in the past – Not many! – knows I am an outspoken advocate for schools like Boylan who are dedicated to academic, spiritual, and athletic excellence; or as they say, “striving to be saints, scholars, and champions.”

Praise God!

While public education has been the backbone of America in leveling the academic, athletic, vocational, and socioeconomic playing fields regardless of color, class, or culture, parochial education respects decisions to provide educational, social, spiritual, and athletic opportunities not tainted by the increasing insistence among public educators to distance themselves and those entrusted to them from America’s spiritual roots.

Whenever I go to Boylan, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the civility of their fans, unashamed Christian confessionalism, and exercise of their constitutional right for collective prayer before every contest; begging the question why they can and public schools can’t if they’re in the same conferences playing for the same kudos.

Every once in a while, a public school will push the Titans out of the athletic spotlight, but that happens only slightly more frequently than the possibility of the aforementioned nuptial.

So, it may be worth considering giving the trophies to Boylan and the other school in town vying to match their prowess before seasons begin; and then, acknowledge the real champions who play by the same rules without the indisputable advantage of PEDs.

Now that that’s not out of my system, Thursday’s 50-33 Boylan win over the Bucs seemed more like a football game than night at the hoops; especially when checking the scoreboard.  The score was 15-3 in Boylan’s favor at the end of the first.  The score moved up to 21-6 with Boylan still winning at half.  Then, Boylan kept the lead at 33-15 going into the fourth.  And that’s not to mention the laudably feisty play of Boylan captain and Air Force Academy recruit Zach Couper and Bucs captain and first-team-all-state QB Austin Revolinski who’ve been mixing it up against each other on the court and field most remarkably throughout their careers.

With their PEDs and daunting height advantage, the Bucs never posed a threat to their visitors.

While Couper played as solidly dominating as ever in every aspect of the game (eight points as the court general), his usual offensive display wasn’t needed in a balanced scoring attack led by 6’6″ senior Ronan Jansen who led all scorers with 14 points.

Senior Nate Horton led the Bucs with nine points.

After four games (TBA) at Jefferson’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Shootout on Saturday, Jan. 14 through Monday, Jan. 16, Belvidere returns to conference action when they host Auburn on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.