Football games played in baseball stadiums are still a pretty rare occurrence at the NFL and NCAA level, let along the high school level. Notre Dame hosts one of these special games annually at Dozer Park, the home of the Peoria Chiefs. This year the Shamrock Classic is Friday night, when PND hosts North Peoria rival Richwoods for neighborhood braggin’ rights.
These Shamrock Classic games have tended to be very high scoring and very entertaining. PND and Richwoods met in 2017 (pictures above and below), and the Irish have also hosted Peoria High and Normal West in these usually wild affairs. Notre Dame brings its Wing T offense into the week 4 matchup, averaging 33 points a game. The 1-2 Irish scored 63 in their win at Champaign Central last week. Richwoods is 2-1, coming off a road win at Champaign Centennial, and boasts a strong defense that’s surrendering an average of 23 points per game in the high-scoring Big 12 Conference.
Former Farmington and Illini lineman and Peoria Pirates coach Tony Johnson and I will call the main game from Dozer. Tom Meredith will handle some live play by play and scoring updates from Dunlap, where the 2-1, 1-0 Eagles host 2-1, 1-0 Washington in a key Mid Illini matchup that could help determine the eventual conference champion. Jason Glick produces in the Red Zone studio and tracks scores from all the area games.
Our pregame show Friday begins at 6:30 pm with my interviews with main game head coaches Pat Armstrong of ND and Richwoods veteran HFC, Roland Brown. Since the Mid Illini game kicks off a half hour later, we’re prepared to have Tom call the finish of that game live if it’s a close one.
The Super Nutrition Red Zone Game of the Week is presented by Heartland Apartments, Starcrest Cleaners and Brickhouse Bar BQ, with supporting sponsors Peoria Motors and Suiting Up.
Listen to our thorough Red Zone high school football coverage every Friday night during the regular season on the booming 95.5, GLO FM signal if you’re in the area. Or listen anywhere in the world online at 955glo.com by clicking on the Listen Live button and by phone by downloading the free GLO station app.
Doc Watson
