Steve Soucie’s Week 3 games to watch: Conference season opens for many as picture starts to gain clarity

For the grand majority of the conferences in the state that are not closed, this is the week where most conference races officially begin.

There are a few games that pair teams that are expected to be at or near the top of their respective conference races. Although those are obviously very pivotal, there are many, many more games that pair teams that are expected to finish in the middle of their conference races. Those are the teams that are involved in games that could prove critical for playoff aspirations of those teams with a win or a loss potentially having huge implications on whether or not a team can reach the playoff qualification threshold.

The nonconference season often gives us information about how top teams stack up statewide, but its truly the conference schedule that shows whether or not a team is indeed of playoff caliber.

Here’s a look at some of the top games of Week 3:

Nazareth (2-0) at Mount Carmel (1-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: It’s the Green Division’s turn to dip its toes in the water of the powerful Blue Division in the CCL/ESCC crossover maelstrom. All of the matchups do have a little bit of intrigue, but this is the one that seems to have the most likelihood of shaping where these teams ultimately land in the playoff bracket. A win for Nazareth would be gigantic in that cause and Mt. Carmel is in a position it rarely has been in, avoiding a loss that would put them under the .500 mark.

Wheaton North (2-0) at St. Charles North (2-0), 7 p.m. Friday: Welcome to DuKane Conference regular season play! Six of the teams in the league are still undefeated including the two combatants here. This game looks to be very close on paper and both of these two teams are extremely experienced in playing tight games, especially Wheaton North who has pulled out of both of its wins late in the fourth quarter.

Warren (1-1) at Lake Forest (2-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Warren has already experienced some ups and downs this season, trampling Hersey in the opener before having the tables turned on them in a loss to Maine South. Lake Forest put themselves on the radar with a win over a well regarded Carmel team in Week 2, but this another enormous test for the Scouts against the largely unquestioned front runner of the North Suburban Conference.

Byron (2-0) at Williamsville (2-0), 7 p.m. Friday: A very rare nonconference game between two power small school programs. Both were entitled to a forfeit win as initially scheduled opponents, Riverton for Williamsville and Rockford Christian for Byron, dropped out of the 11-man ranks this season. But instead of doing that, these two teams that met in a doozy of a 2019 Class 3A title game where Williamsville won 46-42, decided to play a titanic regular season matchup instead.

Peoria (2-0) at Morris (2-0), 7 p.m. Friday: An interesting matchup between two teams that have had absolutely no problem scoring points in recent seasons. Peoria is transitioning to a new coach in Aaron Montgomery, but it appears a new man at the helm hasn’t changed the Lions offensive philosophy as they’ve posted 102 points through two games. These two teams last met in the 2022 Class 5A semifinals and not surprisingly it turned into a scoring festival ultimately won by Peoria, 76-56.

Other games of note: St. Rita at Brother Rice; St. Francis at Loyola; IC Catholic at St. Ignatius; Montini at Marist; Fenwick at Joliet Catholic; Maine South at Hersey; Geneva at Wheaton Warrenville South; Huntley at Jacobs; Metamora at Washington; Libertyville at Stevenson; East St. Louis at Imhotep Prep Charter (Pa.); Plainfield North at Plainfield South; Glenbard West at Downers Grove North.