The Herald-News IHSA football preview for Week 7 of the 2024 season

Southwest Valley Blue

Lockport (3-3, 1-1) at Lincoln-Way East (6-0, 3-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Porters: Lockport’s schedule has been a brutal gauntlet (all but one opponent at or above the .500 mark), and this will be the second consecutive opponent that enters the contest with no losses after the Porters fell to Naperville Central in Week 6. If Lockport wants to be in the postseason, it is going to have to beat at least one, and likely two, of its final three opponents, and although this doesn’t look like an ideal matchup to start that quest, any chance at an upset bid will have to be coupled with cleaning up the giveaway situation. Lockport had four turnovers in the Naperville Central loss. QB Brendan Mecher, who was thrust into the role because of injuries, did respond by throwing for 357 yards.

About the Griffins: For Lincoln-Way East, it is starting to become a pattern. The Griffins were dominant against Neuqua Valley, scoring 48 first-half points and allowing their first string to have a large chunk of the night off. Lincoln-Way East has now scored either 48 or 49 points in every game it has played (the Griffins received a forfeit win in Week 2), while Oregon commit Jonas Williams had five combined touchdowns (four pass, one run) in his light night of work. Somewhat lost in the shuffle of Lincoln-Way East’s potent offense is the stellar play of the Griffins’ defense. East has allowed 63 points this season, but almost none of those points were allowed in scenarios where the games were remotely close.

Friday Night Drive pick: Lincoln-Way East

Southwest Valley crossover

Stagg (2-4) at Lincoln-Way Central (3-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Chargers: After a solid start to the season with back-to-back wins in nonconference play, things once again have become problematic for Stagg in the conference. This pattern was mirrored by last season’s effort, where once the Chargers got into league play, staying competitive became an issue. In its past four games – all losses – Stagg has been outscored 171-31.

About the Knights: Lincoln-Way Central couldn’t extend its winning streak to three games, losing to Sandburg 28-27 in Week 6. This is finally a stretch of schedule where the Knights might be able to get a little bit of momentum going, as just one remaining team on its schedule is above .500. Lincoln-Way Central seems to have found a reliable source of offense in RB Tyler Tulk, who is two weeks removed from a 241-yard rushing effort against Bradley-Bourbonnais in Week 5.

FND pick: Lincoln-Way Central

Southwest Prairie West

Bolingbrook (3-3, 1-1) at Oswego East (2-4, 0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: Bolingbrook entered the meat of its SPC West Division schedule still a bit of an unknown as to how it might mesh with the rest of the league. Although Week 6 delivered a loss to conference front-runner Oswego, it demonstrated a number of positive signs for the Raiders moving forward. Bolingbrook was very much in the game with Oswego until a pair of unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns allowed the Panthers to create separation. The defense has largely answered the bell all season for Bolingbrook, but more consistent offense beyond RB TJ Lewis is a major need moving forward.

About the Wolves: Oswego East has gotten consistently strong play from its defense all season. Its 20-14 loss to Plainfield North in Week 6 was the most points it has allowed to an opponent. But the primary reason Oswego East finds itself below the .500 mark through six games is that its offense is consistently getting less productivity. Aside from a 42-point outburst against Plainfield East in Week 3, Oswego East has mustered only 53 points in its other five games.

FND pick: Bolingbrook

Minooka (5-1, 1-1) at Plainfield North (3-3, 1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Indians: Minooka had few problems scoring points and shutting down opponents through the first five games of the season. But both of those strengths betrayed the Indians in Week 6, as their offense was shut down, limited to seven points, and the defense allowed 21 points. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, this is a unit that had given up only 47 points in its first five games and no more than 14 to any opponent. This isn’t the ideal game for Minooka to try to get back on track, either, especially on offense, as Plainfield North’s defense has been consistently difficult to deal with.

About the Tigers: Plainfield North seems to be moving around pieces of its puzzle on a weekly basis. But the Tigers fit fine in a Week 6 win against Oswego East where Jack Tota – last year’s leading rusher for the Tigers – was thrust into the lead back role after primary running back Malik Jassim went down with an injury. Jassim had been surging as an offensive leader, including surpassing the 100-yard barrier in only a half against Oswego East, so the hope is that the sidelining won’t be long term.

FND pick: Plainfield North

Southwest Prairie East

Romeoville (2-4, 1-1) at Joliet West (2-4, 1-1)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Spartans: Romeoville experienced something it hasn’t in a while as a program – a dominating victory – as the Spartans shut out Plainfield Central in Week 6. The hope is the momentum added from that game could propel them to a few more wins the rest of the way, as Romeoville hasn’t managed to win more than two games in a season since 2015.

About the Tigers: The Joliet West quest to defend its Southwest Prairie East title from a year ago got significantly more difficult after a Week 6 loss to Plainfield South. Joliet West’s offense, which entered the game as the only team in the conference that had scored more than 100 points on the year, almost completely disappeared against Plainfield South. Other than a mammoth QB run by Antoine Brooks that accounted for the Tigers’ lone touchdown, Joliet West mustered less than 100 yards of total offense.

FND pick: Joliet West

Joliet Central (0-6, 0-2) at Plainfield Central (0-6, 0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cougars: Joliet Central is trying to snap a losing streak that stretches back to 2019, and although the margin of most of its games might indicate it is fairly far from snapping that streak, there is progress being made. The Steelmen were in their Week 6 matchup with Plainfield East before its thin roster started a second-half fade that led to a loss. Joliet Central’s propensity to give up a lot of points on defense is still a huge problem moving forward, but the Steelmen are still showing signs of cobbling together some positive things on offense.

About the Wildcats: Plainfield Central continues to be mired in a slump, most notably on offense. Things may have bottomed out in a Week 6 loss to Romeoville, when the Wildcats were shut out. It marked the fifth consecutive game in which the Wildcats managed to score no more than a solitary touchdown. The defense has allowed the Wildcats to stay somewhat close in a few games, but a team averaging less than a touchdown per game is going to have a hard time breaking through for a win no matter how well the defense plays.

FND pick: Plainfield Central

Plainfield East (2-4, 2-0) at Plainfield South (4-2, 2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bengals: Plainfield East seems to have started the recovery process from a difficult 0-4 start that had the Bengals not scoring a single point over a three-week stretch. Since then, the Bengals have won two straight. And although those victories came against teams collectively 0-12 on the season, there’s still plenty to like about how Plainfield East is playing. Relying on its ground game in a Week 6 game against Joliet Central, the Bengals had a pair of 100-yard rushers in Jeremiah Jenkins and Shawn Harris.

About the Cougars: Plainfield South continues to plant flags on its way to what it hopes is a conference title. Currently the Cougars are tied with this week’s opponent at the top of the SPC East at 2-0, and their defense seems determined to set the tone for what could be a very good second half of the season. The Cougars have allowed more than two touchdowns only once all season, and that kind of vigilance could come in handy down the stretch.

FND pick: Plainfield South

CCL/ESCC crossover

Providence (3-3) at Loyola (4-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Celtics: The back-and-forth for Providence continued into Week 6, where the pendulum of success swung back to the negative for the Celtics in a 28-7 loss to Marist. Providence’s offense once again struggled with consistency, but this was the first time an opponent was able to truly run away from the Celtics, as they’ve had three different games this year decided by the contest’s final possession. It also doesn’t help that the Week 7 matchup will be the third of three games on the road against some of the best teams in the CCL/ESCC.

About the Ramblers: Loyola continues to be plagued by injuries and needed to modify its usual plan of attack in a Week 6 win over St. Ignatius. Standout QB Ryan Fitzgerald is still nursing a leg injury, and while he played in the victory, his ability to cause problems as a run/pass threat were severely hampered. Instead, Loyola turned over the lion’s share of the offensive responsibility to RB Drew MacPherson, who racked up over 200 yards and three scores in the win over the Wolfpack.

FND pick: Loyola

Joliet Catholic (4-2) at Mount Carmel (4-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Hilltoppers: It’s hard to believe these two titans of Illinois high school football haven’t met on the field since 2007, but that’s the case here as Joliet Catholic goes in search of yet another marquee win. The Hilltoppers had little trouble bouncing back from a loss to Nazareth with a win over Niles Notre Dame in Week 6. That victory coupled with the fact that they will receive a forfeit win over De La Salle in Week 8 means the Hilltoppers are officially playoff eligible – not exactly the easiest feat, considering the first five opponents on Joliet Catholic’s schedule have combined for a 25-5 record to date.

About the Caravan: Mount Carmel was surprised by Brother Rice on a last-second field goal that tagged the Caravan with their first loss of the season to an in-state opponent. The Caravan played the contest without offensive catalyst and Vanderbilt recruit QB Jack Elliott. It’s unknown if he’ll be available for this matchup, but whoever is at quarterback, opposing defenses had better take stock of where sophomore WR Quentin Burrell lines up. He’s capable of making big plays at any time.

FND pick: Mount Carmel

Interstate 8

Ottawa (1-5, 0-3) at Morris (4-2, 2-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Pirates: Ottawa hasn’t had much go right during its current four-game losing streak. If anything, a little bit of progress can be taken from its result in Week 6, a 14-7 loss to La Salle-Peru. Because of the breakup of the Kishwaukee River and Interstate 8 merger for football, Ottawa and L-P have played twice this season, and the Pirates did manage to bridge the gap a little bit from the Week 3 meeting between the two where La Salle-Peru romped to a 33-0 victory.

About Morris: Morris seemed to have been rolling right along heading into its Week 6 matchup with Rochelle, having scored 50-plus points in three consecutive games and winning all but one of its games by a comfortable margin. But the wheels fell off in a trip to Rochelle, where the hosts tore up the Morris defense for 400-plus rushing yards, and its offense lost it cohesiveness and didn’t manage to net a single point until the fourth quarter. This is probably a good game for a bounce-back for Morris, but the issues that came up against Rochelle can’t be ignored.

FND pick: Morris

South Suburban crossover

Richards (5-1) at Lemont (4-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: After a couple of nonconference games that garnered mixed results (one-point win over Crete-Monee and a 33-point loss to an undefeated Libertyville squad), Richards has caught its footing, rolling to multiple lopsided wins during a four-game winning streak. This appears to be a matchup of the best two teams on each side of the South Suburban Conference.

About Lemont: Lemont looked to be in a bad place after its first two games of the season, with lopsided nonconference losses to Libertyville and Geneva, but as expected the South Suburban Conference has allowed them to cure what ailed them. Lemont has strung together four relatively lopsided wins in conference play. Lemont looks well positioned to repeat as conference champions, but this stretch of schedule should provided a few more challenges than the last few weeks have.

FND pick: Richards

Nonconference

Centennial (4-2) at Lincoln-Way West (3-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Chargers: Centennial is a hard team to figure, as it hasn’t defeated a team with a winning record and has struggled in its one chance against one of the Big Twelve’s better programs. Centennial’s four wins came against teams that have combined for five victories.

About the Warriors: Lincoln-Way West would appear to be in a little bit of trouble, as it has dropped three games in a row. But all of the losses have come to quality competition, and other than a Week 6 loss to Naperville North, those games have been very competitive with just one score separating the teams. This, however, is likely a must-win for the Warriors as Lockport and Bradley-Bourbonnais loom on the back end of their schedule.

FND pick: Lincoln-Way West

Illinois Central Eight

Coal City (5-1, 4-0) at Wilmington (6-0, 4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Coalers: Coal City’s wrecking ball tour through the Illinois Central Eight continued in Week 6 as it breezed to a 50-0 win over Reed-Custer. Excluding a Week 1 loss to Morris, only one opponent (Peotone) has come within 14 points of toppling the Coalers. During this five-game winning streak, Coal City has outscored foes 260-25. Wilmington has always proved to be a thorn in Coal City’s side, but despite that fact it’s hard to argue that the Coalers aren’t in a good place to take a solid swing at the Wildcats, especially with the numbers that RB Landin Benson continues to deliver.

About the Wildcats: Wilmington hasn’t real been pressed this season in piling up victories, but took the quest of letting their starters take most of the night off to a different level in its Week 6 win over Herscher. Wilmington scored 42 points in the first quarter of the matchup, and while the running clock wouldn’t start until the second half, the runaway marked the fifth time in six games Wilmington has had a speedy conclusion to their game. Odds are it’ll have to work a little harder than most weeks to keep the record spotless this week.

FND pick: Wilmington

Manteno (6-0, 4-0) at Reed-Custer (0-6, 0-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Panthers: Manteno has surged out of the gates and is having its best season in a decade. The Panthers seem to have both components playing well right now, as defense set the tone in a pivotal Week 6 win over longtime rival Peotone, and the offense did just enough to keep Peotone at arm’s length. Manteno still hasn’t played either of the top dogs in the Illinois Central Eight (Wilmington, Coal City) but there’s a good opportunity for Manteno here to go into that back-to-back buzzsaw with a 7-0 record under its belt.

About the Comets: Reed-Custer’s offensive woes continued in Week 6, as it was shutout by Coal City. It’s been a persistent problem for Reed-Custer this season, as it has scored more than one touchdown just once this season (21-14 loss to Harvard in Week 2). Provided they can get through this contest unscathed, there’s a few opportunities for the Comets to find the win column in their final two games of the season (Streator, Lisle).

FND pick: Manteno

Streator (2-4, 1-3) at Peotone (3-3, 1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: Streator finally got the cure to what was ailing it in the form of Lisle in Week 6. The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak with a comfortable win. Streator’s running attack closed in on 400 rushing yards in the contest and nearly had a trio of 100-yard individual rushers on the game. The Bulldogs would likely enjoy a duplication of that in Week 7 against an opponent that is likely to try to do the same thing.

About the Blue Devils: Peotone and its fairly productive offensive attack ran into a significant roadblock – Manteno – in Week 6. The Blue Devils were forced into downs-and-distances that didn’t allow its potent running attack to take control of the tempo of the game and were forced to throw the ball a bit more than what typically suits them. In order for Peotone to cement its place in the playoff field, a win here is pretty pivotal.

FND pick: Peotone

Chicagoland Prairie

Peru St. Bede (1-5) at Dwight/GSW (3-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bruins: St. Bede was pigeon-holed into a difficult schedule this season, and the Bedans still haven’t been able to gather much of a foothold. The Bruins’ lone win this season was over an overwhelmed Walther Christian team that will likely forfeit the remainder of its games. Otherwise, a tough nonconference schedule coupled with already playing some of the top teams in the league leaves St. Bede looking for something to grab a hold of the rest of the way.

About the Trojans: Dwight has gotten a lesson about what it takes to play in the upper crust of Class 2A over the past few weeks, declining to take a forfeit win over Walther Christian and playing the Associated Press’ then-No. 1 1A team Maroa-Forsyth in Week 5 and following that up with a date with league powerhouse Seneca in Week 6 loss. The final score looked a little lopsided (52-22), but Dwight was very much in the game in the first half before Seneca – by running for 400 plus yards – literally ran away with the contest in the second half.

FND pick: Dwight

Note: Seneca will receive a forfeit victory over Walther Christian and will improve to 7-0 on the season.