The Times Week 6 previews: Key conference showdowns for Marquette, Ottawa, Streator, Sandwich

Chicagoland Prairie

Ridgewood (3-2, 1-2) at Marquette (4-1, 3-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last meeting: first meeting

About the Rebels: Far and away the best of the northern half of the new Chicagoland Prairie League this season, Ridgewood, the second largest school in the conference with an IHSA enrollment of 797.5, has very realistic playoff aspirations with the remaining teams on its schedule after Marquette currently a combined a 1-14. A win in this one could ultimately garner the Rebels a first-round home playoff game. Last week’s 51-7 loss to conference favorite Seneca wasn’t surprising, but the results the two previous weeks — a 32-26 home loss to Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington followed by a 42-27 road handling of St. Bede — when taken together certainly are. If the Rebels play more like the team that forced three turnovers and piled up 394 yards from scrimmage led by QB Jaden Rodriguez, WR/DB Majd Saleh and RB/LB Julian Luna against St. Bede than the one that fell to Dwight, they should give the Crusaders a good test.

About the Crusaders: Marquette wound up with an unexpected and unwanted de facto bye week when Walther Christian forfeited in Week 5. Their last time on the field, the Crusaders did what they’ve done for much of the past decade — rolled — besting Westmont 55-6 for the Cru’s third straight victory of 35 or more points. After surrendering six touchdowns in a Week 1 loss at Aurora Christian, the Marquette defense has allowed just four TDs since and is coming off an effort that saw Westmont manage just 72 yards of offense ... and that includes a 78-yard touchdown run. Jacob Smith, Grant Dose, Pete McGrath, Payton Gutierrez and Anthony Couch led Marquette’s balanced wing-T attack the team’s last time out, and should find some opportunities against a Rebels defense that is allowing 36.7 points per game against conference opponents.

Friday Night Drive pick: Marquette

Seneca 1, Walther Christian 0 (forfeit)

About the forfeit: if the Fighting Irish’s search for a last-minute opponent doesn’t prove fruitful, Seneca will improve to 6-0 overall, 4-0 in the Chicagoland Prairie League heading into a Week 7 rivalry visit to Marquette. Walther Christian — with its second straight forfeit — falls to 0-6, 0-4. Perhaps a price of small-school success in a time of unstable conference alignments, this is the second forfeit Seneca has had to accept this season and third over the past two years.

Heart of Illinois Small

Fieldcrest (2-3, 0-1) at GCMS (4-1, 1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last meeting: GCMS 23, Fieldcrest 14 (2022)

About the Knights: The Knights will visit Gibson City for homecoming looking to snap a two-game losing streak that includes last Friday’s heartbreaking, 29-28 home loss to four-win Heyworth. The task will be tall against a resurgent Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley program that sits on the verge of its first playoff berth in four years. It’s a key game for the Knights and their playoff positioning too, however, with a couple promising matchups (vs. 0-5 Fisher and 1-4 Alton Marquette) coming up before Week 9′s visit to undefeated LeRoy. Workhorse RB/LB Eddie Lorton has been a force both offensively and defensively and should approach if not pass 500 yards on the season this Friday.

About the Falcons: Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley and LeRoy appear to be the class of the HOIC Small this season. The Falcons come into this Friday’s contest outscoring opponents by an average score of 27.6-11.2, their lone loss a 16-0 shutout in Week 2 at the hands of Deer Creek-Mackinaw. Since then, the Falcons have triumphed in three straight, including an eight-point win over an El Paso-Gridley team that beat Fieldcrest by 34 and last week’s 42-0 blanking of winless Fisher that featured 210 combined rushing yards from Ty Cribbett and Aiden Sancken, 130 passing yards off the hand of Brayden Elliott and a defensive showing that surrendered 16 yards from scrimmage.

Friday Night Drive pick: GCMS

Illinois Central Eight

Streator (1-4, 0-3) at Lisle (1-4, 0-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday (Benedictine University)

Last meeting: Lisle 35, Streator 28 (2022)

About the Bulldogs: The Bulldogs got a boost in Week 5 when QB Christian Benning returned from a shoulder injury suffered in Week 3, but still came out on the wrong side of a 27-12 decision with previously winless Herscher. That win made the Lions 1-4, the same record as this week’s opponent. Allowing 40 points per game, the Bulldogs need to turn things around defensively. This game might offer the chance to get things going in that direction against a Lisle team that hasn’t scored more than one touchdown in a game since Week 1′s 28-7 victory over winless Harvard. Benning, WR Matt Williamson, RB Isaiah Brown and co. also need to return to form, having scored more than two touchdowns in a game only once since the Bulldogs’ lone win of the season, a 74-29 stomping of East Peoria in Week 1.

About the Lions: While the defense is allowing 40 points per game, Lisle’s offense has also struggled, averaging just 11.6 points per Friday night. That isn’t to say dual-threat QB Drew Nigro, physical RB David Skonieczny and big-play WR Myloe Thordson aren’t dangerous, though. Nigro, especially, is a name the Bulldogs likely remember from last season’s seven-point loss at Doug Dieken Stadium, and the senior signal-caller runs the type of balanced offense the Bulldogs have struggled to rein in, especially when it comes to big plays. There will be no preliminary game due to low numbers in Lisle’s program, with Streator’s underclassmen instead hosting Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington on Monday.

Friday Night Drive pick: Streator

Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White

Woodstock North (2-3, 1-2) at Ottawa (2-3, 0-2)

When: 7:15 p.m. Friday

Last meeting: Ottawa 33, Woodstock North 12 (2022)

About the Thunder: Already with two wins in its ledger after a one-win 2022, Woodstock North also has a pair of close losses — 25-12 to Johnsburg in Week 1 and 35-24 to La Salle-Peru in a Week 3 game the Thunder led into the second half — that show coach Matthew Polnow’s team is not the same opponent the Pirates handled easily last fall. Aside from a lopsided win over Harvard and loss to Morris, Woodstock North has played all close games, including finding a way to win last week’s 14-7 rivalry showdown with winless Woodstock. QB Landan Creighton is both a dangerous runner and passer, coming off a game that saw him record a 94-yard run and 3-yard pass to Parker Menzel for touchdowns. DL Dillon Gavers is a disruptive force on the defensive line.

About the Pirates: With a currently 5-0 opponent (Morris) and 0-5 opponent (Woodstock) scheduled to end the regular season, Ottawa desperately needs this win to keep its playoff hopes alive as well as to build some positive momentum after back-to-back blowout losses to powerhouses Sycamore and Kaneland. The Pirates have the weapons to make a push, led by RBs Ryder Miller (360 yards, two TDs) and Archer Cechowicz (210 yards, two TDs), WR Paxton Miller (10 catches, 120 yards, two TDs) and dual-threat QB Colby Mortenson (46 of 71 for 535 yards and five TDs passing; 146 yards and four TDs rushing) and have shut down two opponents, Streator and Harvard, but surrendered an average of 43.3 points in their three losses. Next week’s showdown at La Salle-Peru looms and could be huge for both teams’ playoff hopes if Ottawa can do its part with a win this Friday.

Friday Night Drive pick: Ottawa

Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue

Sandwich (4-1, 2-1) at Harvard (0-5, 0-2)

When: 7:15 p.m. Friday

Last meeting: Harvard 29, Sandwich 24 (2021)

About the Indians: After suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of still-undefeated Richmond-Burton, the Indians bounced back last Friday with a 28-6 handling of Johnsburg that put Sandwich in striking range of its first playoff appearance since making the Class 4A field in 2013. The Indians could all but clinch that spot this week with a good showing against the winless Hornets. The three-headed wing-T rushing attack led by Simeion Harris, Nick Michalek and Parker Anderson will be going against a Harvard defense that’s surrendering 40.6 points per outing.

About the Hornets: Harvard has struggled through five weeks of the season, its closest games being Week 1′s 28-7 loss to one-win Lisle and last Friday’s 40-20 defeat at KR/I-8 White foe Marengo. The Hornets are currently embroiled in a 16-game losing streak dating back to the last time they played Sandwich in 2021. Adam Cooke is as likely to tuck it and run as he is to pass and is the key piece on an otherwise young, underclass-heavy Harvard varsity team.

Friday Night Drive pick: Sandwich

Illinois 8-Man Football

FCW (3-2) at Alden-Hebron (2-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last meeting: first meeting

About the Falcons: Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland may have found the thunder to go with its lightning, as last week speedy RB Payton Quaintance (625 rushing on the season) was complemented by big FB Kesler Collins (142 yards in last week’s 41-6 dismissal of St. Anne). While they are 0-2 against teams currently holding winning records — including a three-point loss to still-undefeated St. Thomas More in Week 2 — the Falcons are 3-0 against teams currently holding sub-.500 records, which includes this week’s opponent. A 4-1 Bushnell Prairie City and a 5-0 South Beloit await FCW the next two weeks, so a win here could prove vital to the Falcons’ hopes of returning to the I8FA playoffs.

About the Giants: Despite their losing record through five weeks, the Giants have been more than competitive on the eight-man circuit, with a 32-14 win over Rockford Christian Life and 53-6 demolishing of Galva offset by a trio of relatively close losses — 34-33 to Ashton-Franklin Center, 35-20 to undefeated South Beloit and last week’s 53-36 loss at home to Orangeville. RB Wyatt Armbrust and dual-threat QB Ben Vole are both playmakers knocking on the door of 10 touchdowns scored this season.

Friday Night Drive pick: FCW