Kane County Notes: Geneva, St. Charles North gear up for a battle to clinch DuKane Conference title

The battle for the DuKane Conference title has come down to the final week on multiple occasions since its conception in 2018. And most of the time, it’s included St. Charles North.

From almost playing spoiler to Batavia’s perfect conference record in 2021, to securing a perfect slate of their own over the Bulldogs in 2022, the North Stars have found themselves in the middle of the conference chaos in Week 9.

And this season, it’s no exception. The only change is the opponent.

This time around, the North Stars end their season with a matchup against undefeated Geneva, with a chance to clinch at least a share of the DuKane Conference title.

Both teams enter with the longest win streaks in the conference, with the North Stars coming in as winners of their last four games, while the Vikings have started off 8-0 for just the third time since the turn of the century.

Each team comes in boasting a talented trio of a quarterback, running back and wideout on its roster. For the North Stars, quarterback Ethan Plumb and wide receiver Keaton Reinke have established themselves as one of the best duos in the conference with 889 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this season, while Joell Holloman has stepped up on offense in multiple games.

The Vikings have been led by quarterback Tony Chahino and wide receiver Talyn Taylor, who have proven themselves as arguably the best duo in the conference. Taylor has 34 catches for 898 yards and 17 touchdowns. Meanwhile, running back Michael Rumoro has stepped up in games where the connection has been held to under 100 yards, and could have another against the North Stars.

If the Vikings win, they secure sole possession of a conference title for the first time since 2010, when they won the Upstate Eight River. They would also get their first 9-0 regular season since 2008, the same season they reached a championship game.

However, if the North Stars come out on top, it would be the second time there was a tie for the conference title, with Batavia and Glenbard North sharing the title back in 2019.

Batavia gearing up for another long playoff run

While two conference powerhouses will square off to decide the fate of the conference title, Batavia will be watching from afar to see if they can get a share of the title.

But for the most part, Week 9 for Batavia will be spent making sure the brigade is in fine tune once again in hopes of another deep run in the playoffs.

After their loss to Geneva in Week 6, the Bulldogs have put together two complete games with wins over St. Charles East and Wheaton Warrenville South. A win over Glenbard North in the final week would move them to 8-1, which would mark the 13th straight season with eight or more wins, as well as the 10th time the Bulldogs finished the regular season with one loss or less since Dennis Piron took over in 2011.

Friday’s victory over WW South also saw a couple of Bulldogs coming on right when they need to according to Piron. After two straight weeks of failing to get over the century mark, running back Nathan Whitwell got the legs moving once again with 176 rushing yards and four scores in the game. It marks the sixth time Whitwell’s gone for over 100 rushing yards, getting over the mark in each of the first five games.

“It’s definitely taking a bit of a toll on me, especially if I’m getting 30+ carries in a game sometimes,” Whitwell said Friday. “But it’s still a very awesome feeling. I’m very thankful for all the opportunities that I get and for also having some of the best teammates.”

Week 8 also saw the resurgence of DB Josh Kahley, who made his first start of the season last Friday after missing the first six weeks with a leg injury before seeing limited play in Week 7.

And the senior made his presence known on the field, finishing the game with the second most tackles on the team (seven), and also had a pass defended.

“We’re getting guys back healthy, and I feel like we’re going to head into the playoffs steaming,” Piron said. “That’s the plan, we just need to be ready to go.”

Welcome to the playoff field, St. Francis and Burlington Central

For one team, it’s become a standard for every season. For another, it’s an experience they haven’t felt for a decade.

But for both St. Francis and Burlington Central, the playoffs became a reality after getting their sixth win in Week 8.

For the Spartans, a 41-38 overtime victory over DePaul College Prep helped secure their spot in the playoffs for the sixth straight season. It also marked their third straight win after back-to-back losses against St. Rita and Providenc Catholic in the middle of the season.

Head coach Bob McMillan said that the Spartans needed to be more consistent on both sides of the ball to prove that they can be a very good team. Friday’s win seemed to prove that, and they’ll have a chance to prove it again against Nazareth.

“When these games are close, it obviously shows you need to play harder, you need to go out there and do more, you have to be able to squeak out those wins,” McMillen said.

Meanwhile, the Rockets had a much more comfortable win in Week 8, with a 31-6 victory over Hampshire. The win secured the team’s first trip to the playoffs since 2014, and a win over Huntley would likely secure a home game.

“I have known these kids since seventh grade and I knew it was a special group,” Central coach Brian Iossi said Friday. “This group has everything and it spread out. We have linemen, a quarterback, receivers, running backs and great defensive players in this group. The last two years have been disappointing. I am very proud of these kids and the program.”

Kaneland, Marmion looking for that one final victory

While seven of the local teams already know if they’ll be in or out of the postseason, two other teams hope to make their case in Week 9 to secure their spot in the field of 256 on Saturday.

Kaneland and Marmion currently sit on the bubble to make the playoffs, and an extra win in the final game of the season

Needing the win a bit more in the situation is Marmion, which currently sits at 4-4 on the season. A win against Leo (1-7) on the road would not only secure the conference title for the Cadets, but would also get them to five wins, which has been enough to make the field in recent years. If they do, it would be the first time the Cadets have made the playoffs under a first-year head coach, and Adam Guerra’s second time making the IHSA playoffs, with the first coming in his final year coaching at St. Patrick in 2021.

For Kaneland, who currently sits at 5-3, the final win will be a bit harder, but isn’t as necessary. The Knights will go up against undefeated Althoff Catholic in their final matchup of the regular season, and a win would secure them a spot in the playoffs. But with the amount of playoff points the team has accumulated, the Knights should be a secure fit in the playoff picture once again.