:quality(70):focal(2942x752:2952x762)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/JX7DEXHVRBHPJPKTVUT23XBAY4.jpg)
FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE
Jacobs (2-1 overall, 2-1 FVC) at Cary-Grove (3-0, 3-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Golden Eagles: Since being shut out by Prairie Ridge 17-0 in Week 1, Jacobs has won two games in a row and looks to be hitting its stride as a run-heavy team. ... The Golden Eagles defeated Huntley 26-15 in Week 3, running for 407 yards in the process. … T.O. Boddie scored a 98-yard touchdown and ran for a game-high 244 yards and two TDs. Caden DuMelle added 156 yards and two scores in a dominant performance up front for Jacobs. ... Matt Scardina and Luke Gormsen had 11 tackles apiece and Andrii Tymoshchuk tallied 10. Jacobs lost to Cary-Grove 27-14 in its one game last season.
About the Trojans: The Trojans coasted to a 46-7 win against McHenry last week and have outscored their first three opponents 118-24. C-G was ranked as the No. 1 team in last week’s Associated Press Class 6A poll. … FB Logan Abrams, who missed the team’s first game, ran for three TDs in the first quarter in a runaway win against the Warriors. Cary-Grove has yet to be tested, with Jacobs representing the biggest challenge of the season yet.
Friday Night Drive pick: Cary-Grove
Prairie Ridge (3-0, 3-0) at Huntley (2-1, 2-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Wolves: Prairie Ridge’s defense allowed its first points of the season last week in a 41-20 win over Hampshire. In their first two games, the Wolves outscored their opponents 66-0 while recording shutout wins against Jacobs and Crystal Lake South. … Prairie Ridge was ranked No. 3 in The Associated Press Class 5A poll last week, behind only Nazareth and Joliet Catholic. ... The Wolves have won 17 straight FVC games, with their last loss on Sept. 16, 2022, to Jacobs 42-35.
About the Red Raiders: Huntley suffered its first loss of the season in a 26-15 defeat to Jacobs in Week 3. The Raiders defense was gashed on the ground with over 400 yards allowed. … RB Reichen Dvorak scored a 2-yard TD to give Huntley a 7-6 lead with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter. QB Braylon Bower later found Owen Hoffman in the end zone for a 30-yard TD with 8:40 left for a 15-12 lead, but the Raiders couldn’t hold on. … Huntley committed 10 penalties in the loss. Praire Ridge beat Huntley in last year’s meeting 27-14.
FND pick: Prairie Ridge
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/43SLX3JCHFFKJON4SFQSKIZLWU.jpg)
Crystal Lake Central (1-2, 1-2) at Burlington Central (2-1, 2-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Tigers: Crystal Lake Central got its first win of the season last week in overtime against Dundee-Crown 17-14, receiving a 28-yard field goal from Mattia Zavattaro to seal the victory. … QB Aidan Niederkorn connected with Ben Kolodziej for a 11-yard touchdown in the game, while Anthony Martini caught seven passes for 100 yards. ... Niederkorn was 20-of-34 passing for 157 yards and two scores, with the other touchdown coming on a 5-yarder to WR Carter Kelley. ... Crystal Lake Central committed only one penalty for five yards.
About the Rockets: Burlington Central spread the ball around in a Week 3 win over Crystal Lake South 33-6, in a game that never was that close. ... Zach Samaan scored two touchdowns for the Rockets, while Zane Pollack, Henry Deering and Jackson Alcorn all had one. Pollack (team-high 66 yards) scored a 7-yard TD, and Samaan had scoring plays of 38 and 3 yards. Deering tossed in 51 yards on the ground, and Alcorn threw for 122 yards and ran for 32.
FND pick: Burlington Central
McHenry (0-3, 0-3) at Dundee-Crown (1-2, 1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Warriors: McHenry got behind early and couldn’t catch up to Cary-Grove in a 46-7 loss, dropping to 0-3. The Warriors are one of two teams in the FVC without a win so far [Crystal Lake South the other]. McHenry has been outscored 107-23 in its first two games this season. ... McHenry lost to Hampshire 17-16 in Week 1 and Huntley 44-0 in Week 2.
About the Chargers: Dundee-Crown lost its second game in a row on a field goal, falling to Crystal Lake Central 17-14 in overtime as Mattia Zavattaro drilled a 28-yarder. In a 24-22 loss to Burlington Central in Week 3, it was Rockets kicker David McCoy who hit a game-winning 37-yard against the Chargers. … D-C came up with a blocked kick against Crystal Lake Central to force overtime. ... The Chargers racked up 12 penalties for 101 yards. ... Isaiah Blake had a 14-yard touchdown pass from Hayden DeMarsh in the first half. DeMarsh was 8-for-18 passing for 146 yards. … Terrion Spencer had seven catches for 88 yards and added five carries for 31 yards, including a 24-yard TD run.
FND pick: Dundee-Crown
Hampshire (1-2, 1-2) at Crystal Lake South (0-3, 0-3)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Whip-Purs: Hampshire is looking to rebound after back-to-back losses. After beating McHenry 17-16 in Week 1, the Whip-Purs fell 28-21 to Jacobs in Week 2 and 41-20 to Prairie Ridge in Week 3. ... The Whips lost to South 38-28 in last year’s only meeting.
About the Gators: South has been outscored 102-20 through three weeks, losing to Dundee-Crown 20-14, Prairie Ridge 49-0 and Burlington Central 33-6. AJ Demirov did a bit of everything for the Gators, running for 92 yards, passing for 23, catching a pass and returning a punt. Demirov led the Gators on an 80-yard fourth-quarter drive, taking it in himself from 11 yards out to get the team on the scoreboard. … South started the game with two long drives that ended in a punt and a missed field goal.
FND pick: Hampshire
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/FTNFKHBFBFGTBIYHDGHDFFWFPA.JPG)
KISHWAUKEE RIVER CONFERENCE
Sandwich (1-2, 1-0) at Johnsburg (2-1, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Indians: Sandwich dominated Plano last week, winning 41-16 to take the Route 34 rivalry matchup for the third straight time. … The Indians rolled up almost 400 rushing yards, with four different running backs rushing for TDs. Simeion Harris had a 75-yard TD with 158 yards and Nick Michalek had 148 yards and a 16-yard score. ... QB Brady Behringer scored on an 11-yard keeper and tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Kai Pon. … Sandwich, a Class 4A quarterfinalist last season, had struggled out of the gate with losses to Manteno and Wilmington, surrendering a combined 94 points.
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. … Sandwich beat Johnsburg in last year’s game 28-6. … 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.
FND 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’s Amari Bryant scored a 91-yard kickoff return in a 41-16 loss to Sandwich last week, the third loss in a row in the series for the Reapers. … Plano has lost two straight games since defeating Ottawa 17-14 in its opener. Plano lost to Manteno 27-6 in Week 2. … Tim Young had a 5-yard TD run for Plano and ran for 106 yards against Sandwich.
FND pick: Woodstock North
Richmond-Burton (1-2, 0-1) at Harvard (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Rockets: Richmond-Burton dropped its KRC opener to Johnsburg 21-14. The Rockets’ lone win this year was a 21-7 win over Marian Central in the opener. They lost to Quincy Notre Dame 22-10 in Week 2 and have scored only 45 points in their three games. … R-B was led by Hunter Carley with 76 rushing yards in the loss to Johnsburg, including a 13-yard TD that made the score 21-14 with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter. Riley Shea added 73 rushing yards, including an 8-yard TD, while Ray Hannemann went 9-of-15 passing for 103 yards and one interception. Nate Moreno added five catches for 74 yards.
About the Hornets: Harvard beat Lisle 42-7 in the season opener and Reed-Custer 21-14 in Week 2 before falling in its KRC opener against Woodstock 10-7 last week on a field goal with less than a minute left. The Hornets entered the year on a 20-game losing streak and have been tough every week. … For Harvard, QB Adam Cooke led the way in both rushing and passing against Streaks. He had 70 yards on 14 carries and was 8-of-12 passing for 74 yards.
FND pick: Richmond-Burton
Woodstock (2-1, 1-0) at Marengo (1-2, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Blue Streaks: Woodstock’s Sam Tafoya kicked a 25-yard field goal with less than a minute left to lift the Blue Streaks past Harvard 10-7 in Week 3. … RB Stewart Reuter averaged 5-plus yards per carry, while Landen Stoltz scored the Streaks only touchdown of the game. Stewart finished with 145 yards on 25 carries. … The offensive line of Gabe Serafimov, Trey Neuhart, Everett Flannery, Tommy Jackson and Jack Vidales played a pivotal role in sustaining drives, especially in the second half when the Streaks had drives of 15 and 16 plays.
About the Indians: Marengo senior quarterback David Lopez was a human highlight reel early for the Indians in a 20-14 Week 3 loss to Woodstock North. He returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for touchdown, found the end zone on a 29-yard keeper and also recovered a fumble on defense. ... Marengo, however, was held to 189 total yards (97 rushing, 92 passing) in the loss. ... Marengo beat Woodstock 23-21 in last year’s meeting.
FND pick: Marengo
Chicagoland Christian Conference
Marian Central (1-2, 1-0) at Chicago Christian (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Hurricanes: Marian Central picked up its first win of the season by defeating Bishop McNamara 14-6 in their Chicagoland Christian Conference opener last week … Marian held the Fighting Irish to only 59 yards of total offense through three quarters. … Nick Schmid ran for 43 yards and a TD. QB Picasso Ruiz threw a 44-yard TD to sophomore WR Max Kinney. … Ruiz was 9-of-17 passing for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Sophomore Eddie Kowalczyk ran for 35 yards and added 52 yards on four catches.
About the Knights: Chicago Christian suffered its first loss last week with a 27-7 defeat to Wheaton Academy. The Knights beat Herscher 34-14 in Week 1 and Elmwood Park 49-16 in Week 2. Marian Central won last year’s contest in a high-scoring game 49-34.
FND pick: Chicago Christian
Illinois 8-Man Football Association
West Carroll (3-0, 3-0) at Alden-Hebron (2-1, 2-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Thunder: West Carroll will look to stay perfect this week against Alden-Hebron, which it did not play last year. The Thunder were 0-9 last year as part of the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference and scored only 26 points. They already have 175 points this year and have allowed 22. West Carroll has wins over River Ridge 64-14, Hiawatha 54-0 and Ashton-Franklin Central 57-8.
About the Giants: Alden-Hebron has alternated wins and losses to start the season. The Giants beat Orangeville 36-22 in Week 1 and lost to Milledgeville 70-20 in Week 2. Wyatt Armbrust had a big offensive performance for A-H last week in a 39-14 win over Rockford Christian co-op, scoring three TDs. Armbrust scored on a 7-yard run, a 15-yard run and a 20-yard pass from quarterback JP Stewart. ... Caleb Linneman had TDs on a 47-yard run and a 29-yard run. Stewart scored on a 40-yard interception return.
FND pick: West Carroll