“Does anyone want to give it a whirl tomorrow?”
This is a question asked to fellow Caravan Media Group members and I from Mr. Tony DiFilippo ’92 in an email on a Thursday night in September of my freshman year.
As moderator of CMG at the time, Mr. DiFilippo had found students to fill in for roles such as producer and cameraman, but he was struggling to find an announcer for the upcoming sophomore and varsity football games against Brother Rice the next day.
Even though this was only three and a half years ago, I still can’t recall exactly why I responded instantly and said that I would be willing to announce both games. Perhaps it was because I was kind of interested in media group or because I loved watching broadcasts and listening to professional announcers, but I felt the need to sign up right away.
Looking back on that choice now though, I’d say it was one of the better ones I’ve made during my time here at MC.
Since that first pair of broadcasts, I have gone on to announce plenty more Caravan football, basketball, soccer, baseball, Fight Nights, lacrosse, and one chess match in which I had to whisper the entire time.
CMG and our platform on which we release our content, The Caravan Broadcast Network, have both quite literally changed the trajectory of my life.
Moderators Mr. DiFilippo and Ms. Eleanore Menke gave me the keys to the club before I was even given the keys to a real car, and for that I am extremely grateful.
The people and experiences I’ve come into contact with through this club have been incredible, but a few of them are more memorable than others.
My most nostalgic (and probably embarrassing) memory regarding my time with CMG is of course what my basketball color commentator, cousin, classmate, and ride-or-die Marty Mann says, “Where the legend of Matt Malloy all began.”
Just a few short months after my first broadcast, I had already found myself announcing a playoff football game.
It was round two of the 7A bracket and the Caravan was taking on the top-seeded Batavia Bulldogs.
If I were to break down the entire game, this reflection would be much too long, so all I’ll say is that by the time the end of the fourth quarter was drawing near, the Caravan had possession of the ball and needed just one touchdown to take the lead and hopefully win.
Penalties were flying back and forth, timeouts were taken by both sidelines, but eventually the Caravan marched down inside the ten-yard line, and with no time left on the clock quarterback Blainey Dowling handed it off to Denny Furlong who then ran it into the endzone.
What followed on the field was mostly chaos and madness, but what happened up on the roof of the school where I was announcing was something I still struggle to put into words today.
I often tell people that my repeated reactions of “Oh my God!” and “What just happened?” as well as my very noticeable squeaky voice crack was simply just my genuine and instinctual reaction.
That play was later posted all over social media obviously for its impact on the outcome of the game, but word was also spreading about the energetic, squeaky kid behind the microphone.
I’m glad that my commitment to broadcasting has helped me evolve my voice as an announcer and sportscaster, but I still look back at that play every now and then to reflect on how far I’ve come.
But I couldn’t have come this far without my fellow CMG members. Throughout my entire freshman year, I never announced with another person or had a color commentator by my side.
That was until a few of my friends and family members told me it would be smart to add one on to the broadcast.
A few hours before a football broadcast in the fall of my sophomore year, I called up my friend and classmate Christos Dimas, who had told me earlier that he was interested in filling the role.
Our first few broadcasts together were not perfect, but those who were watching from home as well as ourselves knew that we had a lot of potential and something to work off of.
Dimas and I have announced pretty much every single home football since then, with our other good friend Leonard Siegal stepping in to produce all of the games.
Dimas, Siegal, and I quickly became a tight knit trio that helped grow the broadcast each week. From audio and sound board improvements, moving to the pressbox, and somehow being chosen to broadcast a game on the Marquee Sports Network, the three of us led CMG as far as football broadcasts go.
Our collective goal was simple: Give the fans watching from home an exciting and engaging perspective of not only Caravan football, but high school football as a whole.
I’m proud of the work that the three of us, as well as Ms. Menke and the many underclassmen that helped out were able to pull off.
Dimas, Siegal, and I joke about how when we’re old and in our rocking chairs, at least we’ll have something to watch and talk about.
Caravan football isn’t the only sport I’ve been proud to broadcast though.
Basketball is perhaps the sport I’ve grown to learn about and appreciate the most from a broadcaster’s perspective during my time at MC.
Whether it was a buzzer beater, a senior making a comeback from an injury, a rivalry blowout (both win and loss), or state championship pregame show, Marty Mann and I did our best to cover as much of Caravan hoops as we could’ve.
Due to the time and effort I’ve put into CMG and broadcasting as a whole at MC, I ultimately chose to study Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska-Linoln.
Once I’m out there in the land of corn, I hope to continue announcing and broadcasting sports events, but nothing will ever be like the times I had with my fellow seniors I mentioned above.
It’s going to be tough knowing my days of working with Dimas, Siegal, and Mann are over, but I am truly proud of the way we left something better than we found it.
Throughout my time growing CMG and becoming a better announcer over the years, I also found a passion for writing within the field of work that is journalism.
Siegal could probably tell you himself that whenever I came up with a new idea, I would go straight to him and say, “The gears are turning, I need your help.”
So towards the end of my sophomore year, a gear that turned in particular was the idea of writing for the school newspaper. I was contemplating between a few electives, but Mr. Tim Baffoe’s 21st Century Media class stuck out to me because of previous success I had with interviews and writing in the past.
I signed up for the class and later wrote just under thirty articles as a junior. However, I really turned things up once I was a senior in the class.
As a staff editor, my deadlines were not as strict as a staff writer, so I decided to spend more time on interviews and articles that really piqued my interest.
Some of the articles I’m most proud of are the features about Mr. Kevin Hansen as well as the one on Rocco Lopez who just so happens to be the next “Voice of the Caravan.”
I knew that my work in the class had improved over the two years I had taken it, but what really solidified this belief is when I was awarded the SPAC Chicago High School Journalist of the Year Award.
From Mr. Baffoe who nominated me to the panel of judges who recognized my work, I am very grateful to be given this award.
The skills I’ve learned in our very own newsroom at MC (Mr. Baffoe’s classroom) will definitely carry over to my time in college and beyond.
When I look back on the things I have done with the media group and newspaper, I first think about legacy.
I wanted to be the guy to set a high bar and expectations for the way information regarding Caravan sports teams and school information in general is presented to our community.
I came to MC as a boy, worked hard and struggled as an announcer and aspiring journalist, and am now leaving as a man.
Thank you, goodnight, and goodbye, Chicago.
