Partly cloudy. Low 57F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Bradley-Bourbonnais' Neal May carries the ball on a play during last month's game against CICS-Longwood.
Kankakee's Jyaire Hill leaps to avoid a fallen teammate Friday night during the Kays' game against Nazareth Academy last month.
Bishop McNamara's Parker Wolf secures a first down as Coal City’s Creide Skubic, left, and Buddy Widlowski tackle him Friday night during the Coalers’ 30-6 victory against Bishop McNamara.
Bradley-Bourbonnais' Neal May carries the ball on a play during last month's game against CICS-Longwood.
Kankakee's Jyaire Hill leaps to avoid a fallen teammate Friday night during the Kays' game against Nazareth Academy last month.
Bishop McNamara's Parker Wolf secures a first down as Coal City’s Creide Skubic, left, and Buddy Widlowski tackle him Friday night during the Coalers’ 30-6 victory against Bishop McNamara.
(8A-RV)Lockport (2-0) at Bradley-Bourbonnais (1-1)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: WR/DB Neal May, TE/DE Matt Allen
Preview: The Boilermakers were a possession away from upsetting Kenwood last week, with their reward for playing hard coming in the form of a Southwest Suburban crossover against the defending Class 8A champions. The Porters only returned two starters from last year and have faced a slew of injury issues through the first two weeks but still have been dominant to the tune of a 2-0 start. May just might be the best athlete on the field whenever he steps on it and will be a huge factor catching passes and also serving on the back line of defense. Allen, the Eastern Illinois commit, has elite size and strength, which will be much-needed as an extra blocker, while his hand-eye coordination could prove pivotal in the red zone.
(5A-2)Kankakee (1-1) at Thornridge (0-2)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: WR Quantarious McElroy, QB Larenz Walters
Preview: The Kays got their feet back under them after a 42-0 win against Washington last week and now set their sights on defending last season’s first-ever Southland Athletic Conference title. Walters had his coming out party at quarterback with 257 yards and three touchdowns last week, including a 90-yarder to McElroy. McElroy is one of several standout weapons Walters has at his disposal, and as he continues strengthening his chemistry with them, this offense will continue to improve. The defense has yet to surrender any points of their own this season, and there’s a very real chance that continues for several more weeks.
Ridgewood (2-0) at Bishop McNamara (0-2)
Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: TE/DE Michael O’Connor, RB/WR/LB Parker Wolf
Preview: The Fightin’ Irish are reeling after an 0-2 start, and although 0-2 is also the start they got off to last season before winning six of their last seven regular season games and advancing to the Class 2A quarterfinals, this year provides a new challenge. The Rebels are a much improved Metro Suburban Conference foe, but the Irish need this one if they want to keep any sort of playoff chances alive. O’Connor brings a diverse skillset as both a receiver and blocker, and could be set up for opportunities for big plays off of play-action. Wolf has been a bright spot as a varsity newcomer and has found a variety of roles to fill.
(3A-T2)Reed-Custer (2-0) at Lisle (1-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: OL/DL Kody Marschner, RB/LB Rex Pfeifer
Preview: The Comets never have gotten off to a hot of a start as they have this year, and their best AP Poll ranking in school history shows it. Pfeifer has led the team in rushing through two games and gives the team a great compliment to fellow back Jace Christian, with both players finding time to impact the game defensively as linebackers as well. Whoever gets the ball for the Comets always has room to run with Marschner serving as one of the state’s best linemen. Defeating the Lions at their place is always a tough task, but taming this year’s Comets team looks to be much more difficult.
(3A-10)Peotone (2-0) at Manteno (0-2)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: Peotone — RB/DB Dylan Sroka, RB/LB Dawson Piper; Manteno — QB Niko Akiyama, WR/DB Sevin Keigher
Preview: The Rumble on Route 50 is one of the most fun area rivalries, and also features a stark contrast in playing styles. The Blue Devils survived a tough road test in Indiana last week and will look to bring their ground-and-pound offense back to begin the Illinois Central Eight season against a young Panthers squad. Sroka ran for three scores last week and will be right there with Piper as the team’s leading backs. The Panthers got a solid effort from Akiyama last week, who peppered Keigher with targets. That combo will be what Manteno will rely on to try and muster up an upset Friday.
Streator (1-1) at Herscher (1-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: WR/S Luke Richmond, K Hailey King
Preview: The Tigers get started in ICE play a week after Rochelle sought its revenge from last year’s Herscher win with a five-score loss to the Hubs. But they’ve got an opportunity to get back above .500 and a 1-0 start in conference play if they can get past a Bulldogs team also coming into this week after a big loss. Richmond paced the Tigers in receiving a week ago and is one of the emerging options for Brock Wenzelman out wide. King had a deal-sealing field goal against Charleston in Week 1 and, in a game that figures to be tight throughout, could see her right foot be a difference-maker again this week.
(1A-10)Iroquois West (2-0) at Georgetown-Ridge Farm (0-2)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: OL/DL Cannon Leonard, LB/RB John Ahlden
Preview: The Raiders rolled to a 50-plus point win against Oakwood last week and now find themselves with their most manageable of their three-game Vermilion Valley Conference crossovers. Ahlden scored the first three Raider touchdowns last week, one on an interception and two from the backfield, and joins Trystyn Schacht and Damian Melgoza in a formidable backfield. Leonard, the Raiders’ Iowa commit, has spent the past couple weeks wreaking havoc on both sides of the trenches and has a chance to feast again this week.
Pick: Iroquois West 49, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 6
Oakwood (1-1) at Central (1-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: OL/LB Evan Redwing, WR/DB Tristan Schmidt
Preview: The Comets got rolling with a four-touchdown effort from quarterback Luke Shoven in a dismantling of Georgetown-Ridge Farm last week, with Schmidt the recipient of one of those scores and a team-high 89 yards. Schmidt is just one of several receivers Shoven has quite a rapport with and it’s blockers up front like Redwing who give him the time he needs to find them downfield. Redwing is also a defensive leader from the linebacker level and will be called upon both to clean up the run and help defend the middle of the field on the pass. After a tough first week, a Central win in Week 3 can get the team rolling as VVC North play begins next week.
Momence (0-2) at Hoopeston (0-2)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: QB Erick Castillo, QB/RB/WR/DB Kud’de Bertram
Preview: Momence has started a little slower than it would have liked to this season, but the last week of VVC crossovers give the defending VVC North champs a chance to get in the W column. Castillo was inserted at quarterback last week and played admirably as a freshman, and if he continues to see time as the signal-caller moving forward, that opens up the potential for Bertram to get the ball in his hands in other ways, particularly as a rusher, as he’s run for 217 yards on the season. As the season goes on and this year’s team gets comfortable, expect more progress to come from coach Wayne Walker and company, starting as soon as this week.
(2A-5)Bismarck-Henning (2-0) at Watseka (1-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: RB/LB Evan LaBelle, RB/DB DaVincci Lane
Preview: The Warriors have now seen their first bit of adversity under new coach Max Fransen as they recover from last week’s loss at the hands of Westville, and they’ll have to battle that adversity against perhaps the top team in the entire VVC this season. LaBelle has been one of the biggest factors defensively early on, and the Warriors will look for him to take some of the offensive load off of Brady Walwer and Anthony Shervino. Lane is a super-athletic sophomore who the Warriors are very high on. But this early in the season, the young Warriors will have to be playing in midseason form if they want to upset the Blue Devils this week.
Westville (1-1) at Dwight (0-2)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: RB/LB Austin Burkhardt, RB/LB David Paige-Gomez
Preview: The Trojans gave Bismarck-Henning a very tough test in the early going last weekend, tied in the second quarter with the Blue Devils, before the visitors scored four times in just more than two minutes on the clock to run away with things. Burkhardt is the unquestioned leader of the team, and told the Daily Journal over the summer he’s excited for the future of the program, but he’s also excited to give the Trojans a victory or two this fall. He’s the featured running back, but Paige-Gomez had a nice game as his compliment last week, and both players will be focal points defensively as the Trojans will look to extinguish a red-hot Westville offense that hung 63 on Watseka last week.
Milford-Cissna Park (2-0) at Blue Ridge-DeLand-Weldon (2-0)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday
Players to watch: RB/LB Mason Blanck, RB/DB Tyler Neukomm
Preview: The Bearcats emerged victorious from their showdown with Martinsville last week with a 36-20 win, the lowest combined points total in an M-CP football game since a 40-8 regular season win over Pawnee in 2019. Coach Clint Schwartz said the defensive focus has been larger than ever before since the team moved to 8-man football, something evident by their 36 allowed points through two games. Blanck has been a big part of that from his middle linebacker spot and will also look to help establish the ground game, where Neukomm has been phenomenally efficient with an area-best six rushing touchdowns on just 11 carries.
Pick: Milford-Cissna Park 49, Blue Ridge-DeLand-Weldon 21
Mason Schweizer is an award-winning reporter who has been with the Daily Journal since 2017 and sports editor since 2019. Save for time at the University of Illinois and Wayne State College, Mason is a lifelong area resident.
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