Northwest Herald area preview capsules for Week 9 of the 2022 season

FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE

Crystal Lake South (5-3, 5-3) at Huntley (7-1, 7-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Crystal Lake South beat Huntley 28-14 in Week 9 last season.

About the Gators: South lost to Prairie Ridge 48-41 last week. … The Gators led Prairie Ridge 27-14 after playing their best half of the season but could not hold off the Wolves’ high-powered offense in the second half. … South’s offense is dynamic with WR Michael Prokos leading the area with 56 catches for 893 yards. In one drive last week, Prokos laid out for a diving catch. Then, after catching a ball on the run, took off at the 3-yard line and somersaulted into the end zone for a touchdown. … QB Caden Casimino has thrown for 2,122 yards, which is second in the area. … RB Nate Van Witzenburg has 1,114 yards rushing and has scored 24 touchdowns (19 rushing, five receiving). … South will be headed to the Class 6A playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

About the Red Raiders: Huntley defeated Dundee-Crown 31-19 last week for its fifth consecutive win. … The Red Raiders are headed back to the Class 8A playoffs after having a six-year playoff run snapped last year. … Huntley needs a win to lock up a share of the FVC title. The Raiders are tied with Jacobs and Prairie Ridge. They shared the 2019 title with Prairie Ridge. … Huntley’s defense continues to shine with an FVC-low 130 points allowed. … RB Haiden Janke is fifth in area rushing with 1,126 yards.

Friday Night Drive pick: Huntley

Burlington Central (4-4, 4-4) at McHenry (3-5, 3-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Central defeated McHenry 30-13 in Week 9 last season.

About the Rockets: Central beat Cary-Grove 10-7 in overtime on Griffin Kohlhoff’s 37-yard walk-off field goal. … That win kept the Rockets within reach of making the playoffs for the first time since 2014. If they beat McHenry, they will be in the Class 5A playoffs. … QB Jackson Alcorn has thrown for 973 yards and eight touchdowns. … WRs Michael Person (27 receptions), LJ Kerr (21) and Caden West (18) are Alcorn’s top targets. … RB Michael Ganziano leads the Rockets with 555 rushing yards.

About the Warriors: McHenry defeated Crystal Lake Central 27-21 last week. … QB Dom Caruso has thrown for 1,709 yards, with WRs Jacob Zarek (40 catches, 751 yards, four TDs) and Zack Maness (38, 633, five) as his leading receivers. … Only one of McHenry’s five losses was by more than 18 points.

FND pick: Burlington Central

Hampshire (0-8, 0-8) at Cary-Grove (3-5, 3-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Cary-Grove defeated Hampshire 42-14 in Week 9 last season.

About the Whip-Purs: Hampshire lost to Jacobs 28-17 last week. … Despite being winless, the Whip-Purs’ losses to Prairie Ridge and Huntley were the only ones in which they lost by big margins. … RB Cole Klawikowski leads the Whips with 1,162 yards rushing, third in the area, but missed last week because of an injury. … Logan Massie filled in for Klawikowski and ran six times for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 28 yards and a score.

About the Trojans: C-G lost to Burlington Central 10-7 in overtime last week. … The loss kept the defending Class 6A state champions out of the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. … C-G has been decimated by injuries, but only one of its losses was by more than 11 points. The Trojans have not lost four consecutive games since the beginning of the 2002 season. … RB Andrew Prio (551 rushing yards) and FB Holden Boone (409) are the leading remaining healthy players in the backfield.

FND pick: Cary-Grove

Crystal Lake Central (2-6, 2-6) at Prairie Ridge (7-1, 7-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Prairie Ridge defeated Crystal Lake Central 69-48 in Week 9 last season.

About the Tigers: Central lost to McHenry 27-21 last week. … RB Vince Honer had his best game of the season with 170 yards and two touchdowns last week. Honer has 677 yards for the season. … QB George Dimopoulos has thrown for 1,288 yards and seven touchdowns. … WRs Carter Kelley (24 receptions) and Griffin Buehler (23) lead the Tigers in receptions. Buehler has battled an injury in recent weeks.

About the Wolves: Prairie Ridge defeated Crystal Lake South 48-41 last week. … The Wolves trailed South 27-14 at halftime but came on strong with QB Tyler Vasey running for 301 yards and five touchdowns in the second half. Vasey leads the area with 2,054 yards rushing. … FB Nathan Greetham has 921 yards rushing, and freshman RB Luke Vanderwiel has 313. … The Wolves are tied with Huntley and Jacobs for first in the FVC and need a win to secure at least a share of the title. They tied Huntley for the 2019 FVC championship. … Prairie Ridge is No. 4 in The Associated Press Class 6A poll this week.

FND pick: Prairie Ridge

Dundee-Crown (2-6, 2-6) at Jacobs (7-1, 7-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Jacobs defeated D-C 47-14 in Week 9 last season.

About the Chargers: D-C lost to Huntley 31-19 last week. … QB Zach Randl is one of the area’s most accurate passers with a 70.2% completion rate. He has thrown for 1,580 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. … WRs Anthony Aguilar (40 catches, 417 yards, four TDs), Kali Freeman (29, 480, five) and Terrion Bell (24, 263, four) are D-C’s leading receivers.

About the Golden Eagles: Jacobs defeated Hampshire 28-17 last week. … Jacobs had to battle from behind to beat Hampshire with two second-half touchdowns. … RB Antonio Brown is second in the area with 1,467 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He had a huge game last week, topping 200 yards with RB Joey Scrivani (681 yards) out with an injury. … Jacobs is ranked No. 8 in Class 7A.

FND pick: Jacobs

KISHWAUKEE RIVER/INTERSTATE 8 BLUE

Harvard (0-8, 0-4) at Johnsburg (4-4, 1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Johnsburg defeated Harvard 26-7 in Week 9 last season.

About the Hornets: Harvard lost to Richmond-Burton 49-0 last week. … The Hornets have struggled to put points on the board, with a total of 57 this season. … QB Landon Barnett leads Harvard with 434 yards rushing, and RB Gabe Sanchez has 262 yards.

About the Skyhawks: Johnsburg beat Woodstock 30-6 last week. … That put the Skyhawks in position to become playoff eligible with a victory this week. A win likely will get Johnsburg back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. … QB A.J. Bravieri has thrown for 1,807 yards, third in the area, with 18 touchdowns. … RB-WR Jake Metze has 44 catches, and WR Ian Boal has caught 36 passes with nine touchdowns. He had three TD catches last week. Metze (643 rushing) had his biggest ground game last week with 224 yards. He has 19 combined touchdowns (14 rushing, five receiving).

FND pick: Johnsburg

Plano (3-5, 1-3) at Marengo (4-4, 2-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Marengo defeated Plano 21-20 in Week 7 last season.

About the Reapers: Plano lost to Rochelle 42-22 last week. … Junior RB Waleed Johnson ran for 180 yards and two TDs in the game and is up to 1,319 yards and 16 TDs on the season with a 9-yards-per-carry average. … Junior QB Armando Martinez has thrown for 780 yards with five TDs and three interceptions. … WR Thomas Harding has a team-high 19 catches for 277 yards, and Johnson has 15 catches for 203 yards. Logan Scheich leads the Plano defense with 47 tackles.

About the Indians: Marengo defeated Peoria Manual 48-14 last week. … That win put the Indians in position to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year if they beat Plano. … QB Josh Holst had a huge game last week with 224 yards passing and six touchdowns. Holst leads Marengo with 634 yards rushing and has thrown for 1,451 yards, with a 72.2% completion rate and 24 touchdowns with two interceptions. … WRs Logan Miller (32 catches, seven TDs), Greg Baker (26, seven) and David Lopez (19, four) lead the Indians in receiving.

FND pick: Marengo

Richmond-Burton (8-0, 4-0) at Rochelle (7-1, 4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Richmond-Burton beat Rochelle 34-7 in Week 3 last season.

About the Rockets: R-B defeated Harvard 49-0 last week. … The Rockets have won 40 of their past 41 games and are ranked No. 2 in the Class 4A poll. … FB Steven Siegel has 1,321 yards rushing, third in the area, and 25 touchdowns. … RB Toby Quentrall-Quezada has 540 yards rushing, and FB Braxtin Nelleseen has 480. … QB Joe Miller has completed 64.5% of his passes fo 672 yards with nine touchdowns. … WR Zach Smith has 14 receptions and five touchdowns.

About the Hubs: Rochelle defeated Plano 42-22 last week. … The Hubs are led by RB Garrett Gensler with 1,399 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. RB Trey Taft has 762 yards and 10 touchdowns. … The Hubs will make the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Their only loss came to Sycamore, 34-0, in Week 5.

FND pick: Richmond-Burton

KISHWAUKEE RIVER/INTERSTATE 8 WHITE

Woodstock (2-6, 1-4) at Ottawa (4-4, 1-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Woodstock defeated Ottawa 24-20 in Week 6 last season.

About the Blue Streaks: Woodstock lost to Johnsburg 30-6 last week. … The Blue Streaks have lost three consecutive games to teams that most likely are playoff-bound and scored six points total in those losses. … RBs Kaden Sandoval (280 yards) and Adrian Perry (277) lead Woodstock in rushing. WR Caden Monti tops the team with 19 receptions.

About the Pirates: Ottawa lost to Morris 59-7 last week. … The Pirates still can make the playoffs for the first time since 2012 with a victory over the Blue Streaks. … WR Levi Sheehan became the Pirates’ career receptions leader last week with eight catches against Morris, giving him 70. He needs 34 receiving yards and one touchdown catch to break those school records. He has 27 catches for 332 yards and five touchdowns.

FND pick: Ottawa

NONCONFERENCE

Chicago DePaul (3-5) at Marian Central (2-6)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Marian Central defeated DePaul 55-28 in Week 9 last season.

About the Rams: DePaul lost to St. Ignatius 35-7 last week, its fourth consecutive loss. … The Rams’ three losses have come against teams with combined records of 20-4 records.

About the Hurricanes: Marian Central lost to downstate Mount Carmel 62-38 last week. … QB Cale McThenia threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the area with 2,127 yards and has 19 TD passes. … WR Christian Bentancur is second in the area with 47 receptions and has an area-high 914 yards and 10 TD catches. … WR Rylan Dolter has 40 catches, and RB Jack Schmid has 25.

FND pick: Marian Central

Woodstock North (1-7) at Chicago Hope (8-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

About the Thunder: North lost to Kaneland 45-6 last week. … That was the Thunder’s sixth consecutive loss. … FB Kaden Combs leads North with 522 yards rushing and QB Jay Zinnen has 419 yards.

About the Eagles: Hope defeated Chicago De La Salle 40-29 last week. The Eagles are headed to the Class 1A playoffs as one of the top seeds in the northern bracket. … Hope is an independent school and has scored 377 points, while allowing 102. … The Eagles’ closest game was a Week 6 win over Chicago DePaul 35-28.

FND pick: Chicago Hope

ILLINOIS 8-MAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

Hiawatha (5-3) at Alden-Hebron (3-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Hiawatha beat Alden-Hebron 50-12 in Week 2 last season.

About the Hawks: Hiawatha lost on the road to one of the top eight-man teams in Iowa, Central City, 44-26 last week. Coach Nick Doolittle said his team has played flat in the first half most of the season and is hoping to buck that trend Friday. … “One of the biggest things for us is to come out fired up and ready to go,” Doolittle said. “We can’t wait to the second half to get going. We’re a good second-half team and I want us to be successful in the first half so we don’t have to claw our way back.” … Although he didn’t have stats, Doolittle said he was impressed by the play of QB Chris Korb and RB Cole Brantley. He said they’ve been consistent all year and likes how they’ve been playing.

About the Giants: A-H lost to Sciota West Prairie co-op 39-18 last week. … The Giants suffered a big loss early in the game when QB Ben Vole went down with a calf injury. A-H coach Tim Oman said Vole will not be back, and RB Wyatt Armbrust will step in at quarterback. … Armbrust has rushed for 470 yards and leads the team with 17 receptions. … WR Jake Nielsen has 15 catches for 330 yards and eight touchdowns.

FND pick: Hiawatha