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Coal City faces Dixon in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Class 4A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive editor Hart Pisani will have live updates, scores and news from the game.
What to know
Dixon vs. Coal City kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Coal City High School
About the Dukes: Dixon is one of the few schools in Illinois that has surpassed 500 points scored this season, as the Dukes have consistently put up big numbers offensively. Dixon has a nice combo of performers – most notably QB Cullen Shaner and RB Landon Knigge – and they’ve fueled an offense that has frequently run away from opponents early in games and not allowed much of anything in regards to rallies. Dixon allowed 29 points in its lone loss of the season to Byron. But other than that, opposing offenses haven’t made much of a dent against the Dukes. Dixon has only surrendered two touchdowns in four other games and held six opponents to a touchdowns or less.
About the Coalers: Coal City RB Landin Benson has getting a lot of praise for guiding the Coalers offense to great heights, as his back-to-back five-touchdown performances are certainly worth of note. And while Benson has been fantastic, Coal City’s defensive unit has also been stellar. The Coalers gave up 31 points in their season-opening loss to Joliet West, but just 69 points since and have shown a propensity to not only limit points, but yards as well. Both of those two teams seem solid through and through, both offensively and defensively.
FND pick: Dixon