THE Varsity Voices: High School Sports Talk

In this episode, Coach Mike Passarella reflects on the DePaul Prep Rams' journey to winning the state championship and discusses the challenges and opportunities ahead for the upcoming season. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining focus amidst external distractions, building a strong team culture, and the invaluable lessons learned from a special senior class. Coach Passarella also shares in...

We sit down with Chicago Catholic League powerhouse program St. Rita head football coach Martin Hopkins. He talks about the tradition of the storied program at St. Rita and the goals for the football program in 2025.

We have a discussion with head football coach for Marmion Academy Adam Guerra and talk Chicago Catholic League and Marmion football for 2025.

We interview Mike Bukovsky, head football coach for the 2025 state champions Montini Broncos and he brings along three of his top players for the 2026 season, Izzy Abrams, Isaac Alexander and Angelo DeSensi.

We take a look back at our first year of episodes and talk about some of the key and pivotal moments in our evolution as a podcast about the Chicago Catholic League football teams and other topics related to the important issues facing high school sports today.

Joe Knows — where Dan throws the questions at Joe to hear his take on the hot topics, the issues, and sometimes the stuff nobody wants to say out loud regarding high school sports and Chicago Catholic League football.

Steve Soucie, Shaw Media's Managing Editor and Illinois high school football analyst/Guru, joins the podcast to discuss Illinois high school football.

We interview head football coach for Benet Academy, Pat New. Coach New talks about the resurgence of Benet Academy football, the players we should be on the look out for, and the challenges of competing in the Chicago Catholic League.

In our inaugural episode of the Chicago Catholic League football player spotlight, we interview Luke Doyle, star and standout wide receiver from Benet Academy.

In this episode of THE Varsity Voices , we’re flipping the format and handing the mic to Dan, for our special segment we like to call… Dear Dan . This is where we throw out the questions—raw, real, and sometimes ridiculous—and Dan gives it to us straight. Whether it’s Chicago Catholic League football topics, NIL deals, transfer rules, or just who’s got the best stadium nachos, you’ll hear what he...

Where is high school sports headed considering NIL, transfer issues, right to play and other factors? Plus, what kind of pressure are high school sports administrators and coaches under considering today's environment. Are they ready, do they need to make some changes...listen in and find out our thoughts.

In this episode we interview Theo Hopkins, the newly appointed head football coach at Leo Catholic High School in Chicago, part of the Chicago Catholic League. He brings a wealth of experience as well as deep connections to the school and the Chicago Catholic League football.

In this episode we are joined by a special guest—Jason McKie, head football coach at Carmel Catholic in Mundelein. Coach McKie brings a wealth of experience to the high school sidelines as a former NFL fullback and current Chicago Bears sideline reporter. We dive into his vision for the Carmel football program, the values he’s instilling in his players, and how he’s helping shape young athletes bo...

In this "Quick Hits" episode we discuss our early favorites for the Chicago Catholic League football player of the year, naming rights of high school sports stadiums, the impact of regional and national exposure for high school sports programs, how difficult is the Athletic Director's and Head Coach's job and Western Illinois Universities recruiting push in the CCL.

In this episode we’re diving into something every football fan can appreciate this time of year—a little taste of what's to come. We’re taking an early look at the 2025 Chicago Catholic League football schedules. It’s never too soon to get your football fix and with some of the top matchups already set, we’re going to break down key dates, early season showdowns, and the games that could shake...

We talk about the Chicago Catholic League football and where the conference ranks or should rank nationally against other national conference powerhouses. We also give an update on the status of the where the legislation stands in Illinois on Right to Play and Student/Athlete transfers.

We talk about what the effect will be on high school athletes regarding the pending NIL legislation in college which limits the amount of NIL money which can be distributed to athletes. #NIL #NILHighSchool

We talk with Connor Buckridge, head coach for Loyola Academy flag football, about the excitement around flag football in Illinois and his goals and objectives for the upcoming season.

The hosts talk about the recent legislation introduced in Illinois regarding right to play and transfer rules, as well as the recent IHSA approved changes to the by laws regarding the multiplier waiver for Chicago Catholic League schools and its impact on the football classes and the playoffs.

New head football coach for St. Laurence high school, Pat Swanson, joins the podcast to discuss his new role, what helped get him to this point, the challenges of Chicago Catholic League football and where the St. Laurence football program is headed under his leadership.

Coach Jeff Quinn brings 40 years of experience at some of the highest levels of college football. He served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo and held numerous coaching positions at powerhouse programs like Notre Dame, the University of Cincinnati, and Central Michigan as well as some top D2 and D3 programs along the way. With a focus on the Chicago Catholic League, we’ll get...

THE Varsity Voices podcast is joined by Remax "Circle of Legends"  recipient, realtor Christopher Cobb.  Chris speaks about his time on the football field to his career as a realtor and everything in between.  Also discussed the big high school athlete transfer news and changes from NFHS and State Associations.

There are several new head coaches this year in the Chicago Catholic League and Notre Dame College Prep has picked a good one in Dan DeFranza. We interview Coach DeFranza in this episode and discuss his goals, objectives and how he plans on taking Notre Dame football to the next level.

In our next Quick Hits episode our hosts talk about the effect of the college transfer portal on high school recruiting, game scheduling to make it more interesting, who will be the surprise team in the CCL next year, the lack of officials and what effect that has on the game, future tech in high school football and are the initial college choices just a steppingstone to something bigger.

Jenny Czerwonka, from Deep Dish Football, joins our hosts again to talk about future stars in the Chicago Catholic League. This episode they talk about the QB's, those that are returning and those who are up and coming in the CCL.