Record Newspapers Football Capsules for Week 1

Nonconference games

Oswego (5-1 last season) at Neuqua Valley (4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Oswego 27, Neuqua Valley 13 (2004)

About the Panthers: Oswego, coming off a 5-1 season capped off by a Southwest Prairie West championship, returns a large amount of skill-position players. Headlining that group is 6-foot-6 junior tight end Deakon Tonielli, who provides a matchup nightmare with his size and holds seven offers including Michigan and Tennessee. Senior Julian Toma and junior Cruz Ibarra, who both got reps in the spring at quarterback, are back, as are a number of running backs, but a big question is how the Panthers replace four out of five offensive linemen and most of their front seven defensively. Oswego will have its bonafides tested out of the gates with a trip to Naperville followed by a home game with Batavia Week 2.

About the Wildcats: The Wildcats won the DuPage Valley Conference in the spring with a perfect 4-0 record, with several underclassmen playing key roles. Lefty junior quarterback Mark Mennecke, who opened eyes as a sophomore starter, is a player to watch. Senior Grant Larkin is his go-to receiver. Senior Palmer Domschke, also a standout defensive back, is one of the top kickers in the country. Wildcats’ head coach Bill Ellinghaus hasn’t had a losing season in his first nine years at Neuqua.

FND Pick: Neuqua Valley

Oswego East (2-4 last season) at Waubonsie Valley (1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Waubonsie Valley 24, Oswego East 6 (2006)

About the Wolves: Oswego East in the shortened spring season had its first losing record since 2014, but there is plenty of room for optimism. Illinois recruit Jared Badie leads the defense at linebacker, and is also expected to play offense for the first time in high school. Running backs Darquel Sanders and Oshobi Odior also return. The offense received a further boost when junior quarterback Tre Jones, who holds an offer from Arizona State, transferred back to his home district from Montini. Oswego East’s junior class has lost just one game in high school. The Wolves’ offensive line is entirely new.

About the Warriors: Waubonsie has taken a small step back recently, with losing records in three of its last four seasons after making 10 straight playoff appearances prior to that. Waubonsie graduate and longtime assistant Tom Baumgartner, tabbed to replace 15-year head coach Paul Murphy last year, begins his first full season. The Warriors return 18 starters from a very young spring team and have 28 seniors on the roster. Antonio Torres, a standout safety and also part of a deep backfield, transferred back to Waubonsie after playing his junior year at Naperville Central. Jabron Lee is another to watch out of the backfield. Jose Barragan anchors Waubonsie’s defensive line.

FND Pick: Oswego East

Aurora Central Catholic (2-2 last season) at Plano (1-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Plano 34, Aurora Central Catholic 7 (2019)

About the Chargers: Veteran coach John Belskis is back for his second stint at ACC. The 2010 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, who took over at the end of last school year, went 12-8 in 2015-2016 with a playoff appearance in 2016. The player to watch for the Chargers is senior running back/linebacker Ty Hopp, who holds offers from Army, Air Force and Minnesota State. Four starters return on the offensive line, but a lack of depth at most positions is an issue for a program low in numbers.

About the Reapers: Plano begins year three under head coach Rick Ponx, and brings back several players from a young spring team. Third-year starter Bryan DelAbra, who is expected to play both ways, anchors an offensive line that returns four starters. Nemo Denton and Luca Schoensee anchor the Reapers’ defense. Carson Gill and Sam Sifuentes are projected to rotate at quarterback as they did in the spring. An infusion of speed from Plano’s younger classes could help. Ray Jones, who ran Wildcat in the spring, has moved to running back.

FND Pick: Plano

Southwest Prairie Conference

Yorkville (3-3 last season) at Romeoville (2-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Yorkville 42, Romeoville 10 (2015)

About the Foxes: Yorkville is a program that’s been on the rise in recent years, posting back-to-back 8-3 records with playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019. The defense, which returns several starters who cut their teeth in the spring including defensive backs Malachi Jones and Blake Kersting, would figure to be Yorkville’s backbone – at least early in the season. Both lines appear to be a team strength, with Andrew Laurich and Jake Davies both returning and Kendren Smith back from injury. First-year quarterback Nate Kraus could add a running dimension to the position.

About the Spartans: Romeoville started the spring season on the right foot with two wins in its first three games, but after that solid start the Spartans had some issues with numbers and were unable to finish the way they would have preferred. Numbers remain an issue for the program, but they have seen a slight improvement there. Expect Romeoville to employ a heavy dose of running back Jahmari Christian as he was highly productive in the spring.

FND Pick: Yorkville

Interstate Eight Conference

Ottawa (0-4 last season) at Sandwich (1-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Sandwich 44, Ottawa 25 (2019)

About the Pirates: Ottawa improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the shortened spring season, with the play of quarterback Braiden Miller a key cause. Miller returns to lead a balanced run/pass attack, albeit with an almost entirely new receiving corps. Also returning are expectations of victories for the Pirates program, coming in on a 14-game losing streak. Ryder Miller at linebacker is a standout playmaker, as are Conner Price and Levi Sheehan in the secondary.

About the Indians: Sandwich welcomes back nine starters, including the young man expected to be the workhorse of its wing-T offense, All-Interstate Eight fullback Seven Tornga. Christian Sommers, Cainan Haick and Doug Taxis should also see carries in the Indians’ run-first offense. Varsity numbers are a concern, with only 25 upperclassmen in the program this fall. This game is now considered a crossover game in the new Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 football-only merger.

FND pick: Ottawa

– JT Pedelty