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Kishwaukee River Conference
Sandwich (1-2, 1-0) at Johnsburg (2-1, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Indians: Sandwich got the win it needed last Friday, 41-16 at Plano, and looked very 2023 Sandwich-like doing so. Simeion Harris and Nick Michalek each ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown, the speedy Harris getting on track with a 75-yard TD. Not to be overlooked were the contributions of senior fullback Diego Gomez, who ran for 73 yards on a team-high 19 carries with a TD, and QB Brady Behringer, who threw for two TDs and ran for a third. Sandwich went for over 400 yards on the ground as a team. A big reason can be chalked up to the O-line getting healthier, with Quinton Rome returning at right tackle and Peter Popp moving back inside. Dom Rome and the Sandwich defense was much steadier, too, than the first two weeks. Sandwich beat Johnsburg 28-6 last season, but can’t overlook a Skyhawks’ team coming off a big win over Richmond-Burton.
About the Skyhawks: Johnsburg defeated Richmond-Burton 21-14 for its first win against the Rockets since 2017. The Skyhawks beat Wilmot Wisconsin 41-21 in their opener and lost to Mundelein 21-14 in Week 2. QB Carter Block, a junior, was 12-of-21 passing for 224 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win against R-B. He also scored the Skyhawks’ third TD of the game on a 9-yard scramble with 7:54 left in the third that gave his team a 21-7 lead. Sophomore Ryan Franze had 97 yards on four catches, including touchdown grabs of 23 and 51 yards. RB Brett Centnarowicz led his team with 73 rushing yards on 19 carries. LB Duke Mays added a fumble recovery and interception.
Friday Night Drive pick: Sandwich
Woodstock North (3-0, 1-0) at Plano (1-2 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Thunder: Woodstock North improved to 3-0 with a come-from-behind win over Marengo 20-14 in Week 3, scoring 20 unanswered points to seal the victory. The Thunder limited Marengo to 189 total yards (97 rushing, 92 passing) on offense. The Thunder got a second-quarter touchdown from Sean Mitchell on a 10-yard pass from QB Parker Halihan. Michael Pintor scored a 68-yard TD that tied the game against Marengo at 14 with about five minutes left before halftime.
About the Reapers: Plano comes in off back-to-back double-digit losses, and the concerns start up front where the Reapers gave up close to 400 yards rushing and had consistency getting their own rushing game going in the loss to Sandwich. Amari Bryant had a 91-yard kickoff return for a TD to start that game, but the Reapers didn’t find the end zone again until late in the third quarter. Tim Young rushed for 92 yards, but Plano had just six first downs and turned the ball over twice. Young has rushed for 308 yards and three TDs on the season. He also leads Plano defensively with 29 tackles, 17 of them solos.
Friday Night Drive pick: Woodstock North
Southwest Prairie crossover
Joliet Central (0-3) at Oswego (3-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Steelmen: This has just been a rough stretch of schedule for Joliet Central. The SPC schedule has two crossovers against members of the other division and the West Division typically dominates the East Division (West Division teams won all six games in the crossovers in Week 3), but the struggling Steelmen arguably got assigned the two best teams in the West Division in the crossover games. For Joliet Central the primary goal is to try to hang in there and get themselves prepared for interdivision play where that elusive victory is considerably more likely.
About the Panthers: Oswego’s defense has been its calling card through three games, and with good reason with just 13 points allowed. But the Panthers’ offense showed it’s more than capable as well last Friday in a 49-6 rout of Plainfield Central. Michael Kelly caught two passes for 94 yards from QB Brett Connolly, including a 58-yard TD. Jeremiah Cain hauled in a 29-yard TD. Ayden Villa got in on the act with a 29-yard TD run and Oswego as a whole racked up 423 yards. Oswego beat Joliet Central 55-7 last year. With what looks like another blowout win this Friday, key for the Panthers is getting through healthy heading into SPC West divisional play Week 5.
FND Pick: Oswego
Plainfield South (2-1) at Oswego East (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Cougars: Plainfield South was flying high after a pair of dramatic wins to start the season over Yorkville and DeKalb. The hope was that momentum would carry over into Week 3 against rival Plainfield North, but a really brutal first quarter put the Cougars in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. If Plainfield South can put that game, primarily the first quarter of that game, behind them there might be an opportunity for Plainfield South to pick up a rare crossover win over an SPC West team.
About the Wolves: Oswego East, after managing a combined nine points during an 0-2 start, got the get-well game it needed in a 42-0 win over Plainfield East. Junior quarterback Niko Villacci threw for 195 yards and a touchdown to Lincoln Ijams, and Villacci also ran for a TD. Sophomore Ty’Rel Thomas and junior Zamarion Taylor continue to split time at running back with starter Jasiah Watson sidelined since Week 1 with mono. Wolves’ coach Tyson LeBlanc said there are still some things to clean up, but it’s hard to argue with a defense that’s allowed just three TDs through three games. Oswego East beat Plainfield South 41-3 last year.
FND Pick: Oswego East
Plainfield Central (0-3) at Yorkville (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Wildcats: Plainfield Central has really struggled out of the box, particularly on offense, where the Wildcats have posted just 23 points through the first three games of the season. Perhaps more troubling is the last two weeks has seen the defensive unit struggle just as much of the offense. The Wildcats need to catch a few breaks at some point and this might be an opportunity to do so against a Yorkville team whose offensive productivity has been inconsistent as well.
About the Foxes: Yorkville, like a few other Kendall County-area schools, earned a much-needed win in Week 3, 31-8 at Joliet West. An offense that had struggled for two weeks got help from the Foxes’ special teams, Luke Zook scoring on Joe Freeman’s blocked punt. NIU recruit Dyllan Malone later caught two TD passes from junior QB Jack Beetham. Beetham was 12-for-24 passing for 208 yards, Malone catching five of those for 114 yards. Defensively, Caleb Viscogliosi was huge with eight solo tackles and six assists. Yorkville beat Plainfield Central 28-0 last year. Yorkville coach Dan McGuire noted that his team dropped two home games last season, and one this season, uneven play on the Foxes’ home field that he would like to see remedied.
FND Pick: Yorkville