McHenry County notes: Richmond-Burton gets on track, keeps KRC championship hopes alive

Richmond-Burton’s 49-14 win over Sandwich on Friday not only put the Rockets firmly back into the discussion for the top spot in the Kishwaukee River Conference, but it also gave the team some much needed confidence after a 1-2 start.

“We had a good week of preparation, our kids were focused. And that’s hard to do on homecoming,” R-B coach Mike Noll said. “We’re starting to figure out what works.”

Richmond-Burton (4-2, 3-1 KRC) ran for almost 350 yards and handed Sandwich (3-3, 3-1) its first conference loss, and now the Rockets have a chance to do the same in Week 7 when they host Woodstock North (6-0, 4-0), which beat Harvard 42-28 to stay undefeated.

Both teams know a lot is on the line.

“I’m looking forward to the competition,” said R-B running back Hunter Carley, who ran for four TDs against Sandwich. “I don’t know if we’ve played anybody quite as good as [North]. It’s going to decide a lot for us.”

North, which had three combined wins from 2021-23, already knows it is headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

“It feels great,” North junior fullback David Randecker said after running for four TDs against Harvard. “Our line definitely improved on their blocking. We had [a] couple of mistakes on defense, but we were able to pick it up on offense to make up for it. We need to fix a lot of mistakes to beat [R-B].”

Woodstock North, 6-0 for the first time in school history, has punished teams on the ground and is averaging 43.5 points a game. Its next win will match the school record for wins in a season (seven in 2011 and 2012).

“I’m just going to execute to my best ability and hope that can help my team achieve greatness,” North junior QB Parker Halihan said. “We’re going for that 9-0.”

Block, Franze just getting started: A combination that has taken the area by storm just keeps getting better.

By now, the connection between junior QB Carter Block and sophomore WR Ryan Franze has become old hat for Johnsburg fans. Through six weeks, they have connected 36 times for 479 yards and nine touchdowns.

No game was better than Friday’s 34-7 win over Marengo, however. The Skyhawks’ dynamic duo hooked up for three TDs.

It’s a connection that started many months ago.

“It all starts in the offseason,” Block said. “Working in the offseason, building that connection and building that chemistry. Then you go into the season and ball out.”

“The one thing we have is trust in each other,” Franze said. “Our trust is really high. He trusts me to make plays, and I trust him.”

But it’s more than spending a lot of time together.

“During the offseason they’ll be running routes together, and they are both high-IQ football guys,” Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak said. “After a drive they’ll come out on the sideline and they will be talking about, ‘This guy’s here, and we can do this.’ Those little nuances and intricacies ... that’s what makes the biggest difference. It’s about setting a guy up here, setting a guy up there or looking a guy off here. Those two are really fun to watch.”

Owning the clock: Even without starting fullback Caden DuMelle, who was out because of illness, Jacobs ran the ball effectively in its 21-18 Fox Valley Conference win over Burlington Central.

The Golden Eagles ran 45 times for 206 yards (4.6 per attempt) in their 21-18 win. T.O. Boddie and Mike Cannady led the way with 81 and 77 yards, respectively, each scoring a TD. Jacobs had 16 first downs, 15 via the run.

QB Connor Goehring threw only two passes, completing both for 12 yards, including a 7-yard TD to tight end PJ Barnes.

“We were just trying to control the clock,” Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman said. “I’m really proud of our guys stepping up coming into a tough environment.”

Central (4-2) last made the postseason 10 years ago and has games remaining against Prairie Ridge (5-1), Hampshire (1-5) and Huntley (4-2). Jacobs (4-2) has gone through the toughest part of its schedule, with games left against Crystal Lake Central (2-4), McHenry (1-5) and Crystal Lake South (2-4).

“We’ve got to make some plays [on defense],” Central coach Brian Iossi said after his team had its four-game winning streak snapped. “Our biggest goal was to not give up the big play, which I think we did pretty well tonight. That was a heck of a football game.”

Alcorn ascends: Burlington Central QB Jackson Alcorn impressed in the Rockets’ loss to Jacobs.

The three-year varsity starter gave the Eagles fits with his scrambling and throwing accuracy. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 157 yards, including TD passes to Caden West (2 yards) and Lucas Kerr (12 yards), the latter coming with 1.3 seconds left. Alcorn also connected with Noah Hedlund on a 2-point conversion pass.

Neither team turned the ball over.

“Jackson’s a monster,” Rockets coach Brian Iossi said of his 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior. “He’s a great kid, he works his butt off, and he’s a leader for us. He’s not going to back down, even with a minute left in the game and down two scores.”

Hurricanes look to finish strong: Marian Central had a long bus ride home Friday after a 40-21 loss to Chicago Hope Academy in their Chicagoland Christian Conference contest. The loss dropped Marian to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the CCC. It will be a tough hill to climb for the Hurricanes with games to go against Aurora Christian (4-2), St. Edward (0-6) and Wheaton Academy (5-1).

“Now it’s finding a way to get in a right mindset,” Hurricanes coach Liam Kirwan said. “This conference has shown week in and week out, you’ve got to be at your best. We need to get back to the basics.

“We didn’t tackle well [against Chicago Hope]. Offensively, we had some holds, a couple of bad snaps, and we lined up in the neutral zone a few times. I think defensively it was our worst game of the season. I don’t know if it was the long bus ride or what. With Hope’s speed, we gave up too many big plays. I felt like they wanted it more than us.”

Freshman quarterback Colin Hernon got most of the snaps Friday for Marian, running for 93 yards, including a 29-yard TD, and throwing for 91 yards. Kirwan said the team has relied on a lot of young players this year.

“The potential is there. Now with a freshman QB, we’re even younger,” Kirwan said. “It’s the little things, the little mistakes that are hurting us. But when we put it together, it’s a pretty good group, you can see it. If we limit the mistakes, I think we can go on a run.”

Marian’s offense has run through senior RB Nick Schmid, while senior DL Rob Hernon has been one of the team’s most impactful contributors.

“Nick Schmid, the kid is special. I wish we could have him for a few more years,” Kirwan said. “Rob Hernon may not get all the stats everybody is looking for when you think of stud player, but he is doing a lot of the nitty-gritty stuff. That kid plays with a passion and energy not matched by many.”

Week 6 scoreboard

Fox Valley Conference

Jacobs 21, Burlington Central 18

Huntley 38, Crystal Lake South 12

Prairie Ridge 21, Dundee-Crown 6

Crystal Lake Central 21, McHenry 7

Cary-Grove 48, Hampshire 7

Kishwaukee River Conference

Richmond-Burton 49, Sandwich 14

Johnsburg 34, Marengo 7

Woodstock North 42, Harvard 28

Woodstock 26, Plano 10

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Chicago Hope Academy 40, Marian Central 21

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

South Beloit 6, Alden-Hebron 0

• Northwest Herald sports reporter Joe Aguilar and Shaw Local correspondents Andy Tavegia and Mark Winter contributed to this report.