Red Raiders’ football ’22 slate set – open vs. CLC

HUNTLEY – The Illinois High School Athletic Association announced official football schedules for all schools for the 2022 season on July 7.

Huntley will open the season at Crystal Lake Central at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26.

The Red Raiders are preparing for the new gridiron season under the direction of new head coach Mike Naymola. All nine regular season games are against Fox Valley Conference opponents. The schedule includes Cary-Grove, who is the defending Class 6A champion.

After the opener, HHS’s schedule includes, with all kickoffs at 7 p.m.:

Sept. 2, McHenry, home; Sept. 9, Prairie Ridge, away; Sept. 16, Burlington Central, away; Sept. 23, Jacobs, home; Sept. 30, Cary-Grove, away; Oct. 7, Hampshire, home; Oct. 14, Dundee-Crown, away and Oct. 21, Crystal Lake South, home. The Class 8A championship game will be Nov. 26 at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

“We always look forward to the challenges that the FVC will provide us,” Naymola said. “The FVC has state caliber teams each season and I expect that will continue.”

Naymola commented on the Red Raiders’ football summer camp work, from mid-June to mid-July.

“We’ve had a tremendous three weeks of camp in June and the boys enjoyed a well-deserved week off for the Fourth of July holiday,” he said. “Our tempo, energy and enthusiasm has been great this summer and I look forward to the final two weeks of camp in July.”

The tone has been a good one throughout, according to the coach, and a 3-6 mark in 2021 provided motivation.

“I credit the assistant coaches and the players for setting the tone this summer,”  Naymola said. :”Our boys were humbled last year and they have attacked this off-season summer camp with a renewed sense of purpose because of it. The energy has been contagious and it has been an exciting summer so far. I have been very happy with the large number of players that have stepped into the leadership roles this year.”