It’s hard to believe, but in about a month, we’ll be back on air for our sixth season of unprecedented high school football coverage on the radio, unlike anything ever heard in the Peoria area. And we’d like to thank our title sponsor this year, Illinois National Bank, where they make banking easy.

The Illinois National Bank Red Zone is actually two games of the week, plus up-to-date scores from all the area high school football games every Friday night in the fall, tracking both large and small schools. I team up with legendary former Peoria Pirates head coach Bruce Cowdrey to call our main game, joined by stats guy Tyler Busch. Veteran Galesburg sports voice Tom Meredith stands by at the other top game each Friday with scoring updates or live play by play.

Back at the GLO studio, Jason Glick keeps up on all the games going on in central Illinois each week and produces the broadcast. E.J. Hendon produces Tom’s reports when he’s not live from the secondary game.

Our main game usually features two, large school teams facing off in either Mid Illini or Big Twelve action. We generally put the spotlight on a small school game or two each year, too. On opening night, Friday, August 26, we’re considering a couple of small school pivotal games for our main game: playoff regulars Elmwood/Brimfield at Stark County and/or the Route 9 Rivalry game between Tremont and DeeMac. Perennial state playoff contender Washington hosts Normal U-High on week one, also.

We follow our teams into the playoffs when the games eventually flip to Saturdays, so the season usually extends about four months. You can hear the Red Zone on our powerful FM signal, 95.5, online at this website (955glo.com) and by smart phone with the free 95.5 GLO phone app. I talked to a Notre Dame parent this week who said he had about 40 prep fans listening to our broadcast of the Shamrock Classic game from Dozer Park last fall with his phone, while they were sitting in a hotel lobby in Indianapolis. Our audience stretches across the map.

Make plans to tune in Friday nights for the excitement of high school football again with our Illinois National Bank Red Zone coverage, starting August 26 on Peoria’s home for the Chicago Bears and prep football, 95.5, GLO.

Doc Watson