Beth Long’s football recruiting notebook

Homewood-Flossmoor finished the regular season a perfect 9-0 for the first time in head coach Craig Buzea’s career with the Vikings. His athletes, including top junior prospect Justin Hall, feel a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s amazing,” Hall said. “Knowing that Coach Buzz has never finished the regular season undefeated until now makes me feel amazing.”

Hall, at 5-10, 180-pounds, saw time on defense as a sophomore. It became apparent leading up to his junior season that the recruiting trail would be a promising for him. His athleticism shone through at camps and he put his name on the map with several big performances during the summer.

“Recruiting is going well,” Hall said. “I’ve got a lot of colleges talking to me lately. Syracuse is talking to me, I’ve visited Notre Dame to watch one of their games so they are showing interest in me, Wisconsin is showing me a lot of love, and of course Illinois has been showing me interest from the start. Central Michigan and Iowa State are also recruiting me.”

Hall’s game has continued to develop this season.

“Playing linebacker I have learned a lot of new things,” Hall said. “I am working with my feet more and I’ve gotten faster by using my technique. I’ve been trying to get stronger as well. Knowing the game is important at safety too. Knowing what the concepts look like, what receivers like to do. What the offensive coordinators like to do. I have learned a lot more about the game this season.”

Another junior prospect to watch on Homewood-Flossmoor is defensive standout Mario Wright. Listed at 6-2, 205-pounds he has had a whirlwind season after transferring from Marian Catholic this summer.

“This season has been really up and down for me,” Wright said. “Honestly, coming here from Marian Catholic it was totally different and a different atmosphere. I wasn’t starting until game five this season, but it just took a while for me to get into the flow of the team. It just all clicked from there and it’s been rolling.”

Recruiting is starting to pick up for the big-bodied and athletically promising prospect who has good field vision and football IQ.

“I’ve heard from Eastern Michigan and they have asked me to come to some games,” Wright said. “I plan on going to see a game there. I have also heard from Pennsylvania.”

The top prospects

The playoffs are the time to sparkle for many of the area’s top prospects. Keep an eye on these three standouts:

Neuqua Valley’s Isaiah Robertson: Neuqua Valley lost to Glenbard North last week, but the four-star Rivals.com athlete and Notre Dame commit can turn heads and make big plays.

Brother Rice’s Ricky Smalling: One of the most explosive athletes in the area, the Illinois recruit can turn heads at any moment. A three-star recruit on Rivals.com, he has shown that he’s a game changer on both offense and defense.

Loyola’s Jake Marwede: A Duke recruit, the three-star has seen time as receiver, tight end, running back and even quarterback for the Ramblers. He burned Brother Rice for five touchdowns on Friday.