IHSA football: DeKalb County 2024 Week 2 preview capsules

Nonconference

DeKalb (0-1) at Plainfield South (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Barbs: DeKalb had a chance to tie or win late in Week 1 against Sycamore but fell short in a 35-28 loss at Huskie Stadium in a game in which the Barbs led 28-14 in the fourth quarter. Coach Derek Schneeman said he liked the intensity the Barbs brought to the rivalry showdown and said he expects them to play the same in Plainfield. Defensively, he said he thought the team played well for 3½ quarters. He saidfatigue set in, and the team wasn’t as sharp, the team more focused on the result they wanted rather than what to do on a play-by-play basis to get the job done. Quarterback Cole Latimer completed 30 of 42 passing attempts for 423 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Davon Grant had 11 catches for 147 yards and a score, while Billy Miller caught eight passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Justin O’Neal had a sack and recovered two fumbles.

About the Cougars: Plainfield South ground out a victory in Week 1, using a solitary field goal to capture a 3-0 win over Yorkville in Week 1. Like DeKalb, Plainfield South also has an experienced roster but still needs to find some offensive cohesiveness in order to contend with some of the more daunting foes on its schedule over the next few weeks.

Friday Night Drive pick: DeKalb

Oswego East (0-1) at Sycamore (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Wolves: Oswego East enters off a 14-0 loss to Waubonsie Valley in Week 1. The Wolves outgained Waubonsie in yards 134-112 but were hurt by three turnovers and 14 penalties. Oswego East’s defense was strong, allowing just eight first downs. But two came on touchdowns following Wolves turnovers, and two more came on Oswego East penalties.

About the Spartans: The Spartans came from behind for their third straight win in the series against DeKalb. Now after topping their Class 7A rivals, the Class 5A Spartans will welcome a Class 8A school to Sycamore. Coach Joe Ryan said there’s a lot of room for improvement, and the biggest leaps for teams usually come between Weeks 1 and 2. Defensively, Ryan said giving up more than 400 yards passing isn’t ideal, but it came against a good quarterback with speedy receivers. He said he felt his secondary may have been trying to do too much, creating more seams for the DeKalb receivers. Carter York, Caden O’Donnell and Burke Gautcher recorded interceptions in the win, while on special teams Josiah Mitchell returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Gautcher was 16 of 18 for 250 yards, with York catching five passes for 103 yards. Dylan Hodges ran 18 times for 84 yards.

FND pick: Sycamore

Wauconda (1-0) at Kaneland (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: Wauconda went 8-3 last year. One of those losses was at the hands of the Knights, 40-13 in Wauconda. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 44-34 shootout win against Hinsdale South. Logan Olsen is back for the Bulldogs at quarterback, a three-year starter who was All-Northern Lake County Conference last year. Running back Kaden Pemberson returns after missing most of last year as well.

About the Knights: Kaneland knocked off Washington last week 20-14 after the Panthers reached the Class 6A semifinals a year ago. Now it faces a fellow 6A second-round qualifier from a year ago after winning at Wauconda last season. Chase Kruckenberg was 12 of 15 for 162 yards and two touchdowns in his debut as the regular starter. Carter Grabowski led the ground attack with 55 yards on 13 carries, and Sam Bruno hit field goals from 28 and 35 yards for the win. The secondary had a big day, with Jackson Little forcing a pair of interceptions and Luke Gadomski coming up with one.

FND pick: Kaneland

Big Northern Conference

North Boone (1-0, 1-0) at Genoa-Kingston (1-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Vikings: They opened the year with an 18-13 win, getting a touchdown pass from RJ Wolski to Bradley Dahl with 9:04 left. It was the second year in a row the teams played a six-point game in the opener, with the Vikings losing to the Hawks 6-0 in Oregon last year. Last year against the Cogs, the Vikings rolled to a 35-6 win en route to a playoff berth and 6-4 record.

About the Cogs: Coach Cam Davekos said he was grateful for the chance to play in Week 1 after Rockford Christian dropped 11-man football two weeks before the season began. Chicago Leo came in, and the Cogs rolled to a 41-22 win over the Lions. Now they dip back into BNC play against the Vikings. Nathan Kleba threw for 125 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while the Cogs also used a rotation of wingbacks and halfbacks to wear down the Lions. Davekos said he expects a physical game Friday against the Vikings.

FND pick: North Boone

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

West Carroll (1-0, 1-0) at Hiawatha (1-0, 1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Thunder: They snapped a 24-game losing streak dating to 2019 with their 64-14 over River Ridge, their eight-man debut. It was the first win for coach Abelardo Sustaita, former assistant at Amboy. Aiden Buchholz led the way for the Thunder on the ground as the team focused on the running attack.

About the Hawks: Hiawatha takes on a West Carroll team it faced in a scrimmage two weeks ago. The defense is coming off an overtime shutout in a 6-0 win against Rockford Christian Life. Quarterback Aiden Cooper had the only score, a 6-yard run to start the overtime. Camden Rasmus and Braden Ross had sacks on RCL’s OT possession to preserve the win. Coach Kenny McPeek said the Hawks need to clean up some penalties on offense. He felt the team had penalties negate what could have been as many as three touchdowns.

FND pick: West Carroll

– Steve Soucie and Josh Welge contributed to this report.