CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - St. Rita topped Kenwood Academy 21-7 Friday, at the Prep Bowl at Fritz Pollard Field at Lane Stadium on the North Side.
Several thousand fans, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, attended the Prep Bowl, which pitted the Catholic League versus the Public League. The annual game first started in 1927.
Chetwyn Rodgers was rooting for Kenwoodand told WBBM the Prep Bowl used to be like the Super Bowl decades ago before there were IHSA playoffs.
“I’m not saying it was bad having them vie for state championships, but I think it still needs to be preserved. It’s a great thing that doesn’t need to be pushed to the side or seemed as a secondary thing, but as a tradition that needs to continue,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers added that the game belongs back downtown.
“It’s such a pivotal game, the [Chicago] Public League versus the [Chicago] Catholic League…You see the excitement? This needs to be in Soldier Field, where the history of football, it just lives there,” said Rodgers.
Joan Malabarba's granddaughter is on the St. Rita cheer squad. She told WBBM the Prep Bowl is still great, even if it doesn't attract the huge crowds it did decades ago.
“It is a wonderful thing for these kids, and it’s big in all schools. These kids can be cheered, not for not wearing the right color, not for not wearing a hood, but because they are out here yelling for their squad,” Malabarba said.
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