June 19, 2025
Shaw Local
Illinois High School Football NewsPhoto GalleriesSubscribeAnalysisFeaturesPodcastNewsletterPhoto Store
Alden-Hebron Giants Amboy Clippers Antioch Sequoits Ashton-Franklin Center Raiders Barrington Broncos Batavia Bulldogs Bartlett Hawks Benet Academy Redwings Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish Bolingbrook Raiders Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers Brother Rice Crusaders Buffalo Grove Bison Bureau Valley Storm Burlington Central Rockets Carmel Corsairs Cary Grove Trojans Clifton Central Comets Coal City Coalers Conant Cougars Crystal Lake Central Tigers Crystal Lake South Gators DeKalb Barbs Dixon Dukes Downers Grove North Trojans Downers Grove South Mustangs Dundee-Crown Chargers Dwight Trojans East St. Louis Flyers Eastland-Pearl City Wildcatz Elk Grove Grenadiers Elgin Maroons Erie-Prophetstown Panthers Fenwick Friars Fieldcrest Knights Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland Forreston Cardinals Fremd Vikings Fulton Steamers Geneva Vikings Genoa-Kingston Cogs Glenbard East Rams Glenbard North Panthers Glenbard South Raiders Glenbard West Hitters Grant Bulldogs Grayslake Central Rams Grayslake North Knights Hall Red Devils Hampshire Whip-Purs Harvard Hornets Hersey Huskies Herscher Tigers Hiawatha Hawks Highland Park Giants Hinsdale Central Red Devils Hinsdale South Hornets Hoffman Estates Hawks Homewood Flossmoor Vikings Huntley Red Raiders IC Catholic Prep Knights Iroquois West Chargers Jacobs Golden Eagles Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers Joliet Central Steelmen Joliet West Tigers Johnsburg Skyhawks Kaneland Knights Kankakee Kays Lake Forest Scouts Lake Zurich Bears Lakes Eagles Larkin Royals LaSalle-Peru Cavaliers Lemont football Libertyville Wildcats Lincoln Way Central Knights Lincoln Way East Griffins Lincoln Way West Warriors Lockport Porters Loyola Academy Ramblers Lyons Township Lions Maine East Blue Demons Maine South Hawks Maine West Warriors Marengo Indians Marian Catholic Spartans Marian Central Catholic Hurricanes Marist RedHawks Marmion Academy Cadets Marquette Crusaders McHenry Warriors Metea Valley Mustangs Mendota Trojans Milford Bearcats Milledgeville Missiles Minooka Indians Momence Montini Broncos Morris Morrison Mustangs Morton Mustangs Mount Carmel Caravan Mundelein Mustangs Naperville Central Redhawks Naperville North Huskies Nazareth Academy Roadrunners Neuqua Valley Wildcats New Trier Trevians Newman Central Catholic Comets Niles Notre Dame Dons Oak Park River Forest Huskies Oregon Hawks Oswego Panthers Oswego East Wolves Ottawa Pirates Palatine Pirates Peotone Blue Devils Phillips Wildcats Plainfield Central Wildcats Plainfield East Bengals Plainfield North Tigers Plainfield South Cougars Plano Reapers Polo Marcos Prairie Ridge Wolves Princeton Tigers Prospect Knights Providence Catholic Celtics Reed-Custer Comets Richmond Burton Rockets Riverside Brookfield Bulldogs Rock Falls Rockets Rolling Meadows Mustangs Romeoville Spartans Round Lake Panthers Sandwich Indians Schaumburg Saxons Seneca Fighting Irish Simeon Wolverines St Anne Cardinals St Bede Bruins St Charles East Saints St Charles North North Stars St Edward Green Wave St Francis Spartans St Patrick Shamrocks St Rita Mustangs St Viator Lions Sterling Golden Warriors Stevenson Patriots Streator Bulldogs Sycamore Spartans Vernon Hills Cougars Warren Township Blue Devils Waubonsie Valley Warriors Wauconda Bulldogs West Aurora Blackhawks Westmont Sentinels Wheaton North Falcons Wheaton Academy Wheeling Wildcats Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers Willowbrook Warriors Wilmington Wildcats Woodstock Blue Streaks Woodstock North Thunder York Dukes Yorkville Foxes

NewsTribune preview capsules for Week 8 of the 2023 season

L-P, Hall, Bureau Valley, Fieldcrest looking to stay in playoff hunt

By Kevin Chlum
L-P's Brady Romagnoli sprints down the field to score a touchdown over Ottawa's 2 on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023 at Howard Fellows Stadium.

L-P's Brady Romagnoli sprints down the field to score a touchdown over Ottawa's 2 on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023 at Howard Fellows Stadium. (Scott Anderson)

Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White

La Salle-Peru (4-3, 2-2) at Sycamore (7-0, 4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: 28-0 Sycamore (2022)

About the Cavaliers: L-P is one win from playoff eligibility after beating rival Ottawa 24-19 last week. The Cavs have made the postseason three consecutive seasons. Last week, Brady Romagnoli ran for 192 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Brendan Boudreau threw TD passes to Seth Adams and Mason Pangrcic and Adams booted a 40-yard field goal. The L-P defense intercepted four passes with two by Mikey Hartman and one each from Danny Beavers and Kaleb Kennedy. L-P is 0-5 against Sycamore since the teams joined the same conference and the Cavaliers have not scored in the last three meetings between the teams, losing by a combined 96-0.

About the Spartans: Sycamore stayed undefeated with a 42-6 win over Woodstock North on Saturday. QB Burke Gautcher, who also plays safety, completed 4-of-9 passes for 89 yards and a TD and ran for 63 yards and a score. Gautcher has several Division I offers, including from Illinois and Iowa. Diego Garcia scored on runs of 4 and 3 yards, while Dylan Hodges added a 7-yard TD run. Tight end/linebacker Kyle Prebil scored on both sides of the ball, catching a 35-yard TD pass and returning an interception 45 yards for a score. Colton Sharpness also intercepted a pass for Sycamore. The Spartans are averaging 35 points per game while allowing 6.6 points per game. Sycamore has only allowed one team to score more than one TD in a game.

Friday Night Drive pick: Sycamore

Chicagoland Prairie

St. Bede (5-2, 4-1) at Marquette (5-2, 4-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: 40-14 St. Bede (2011)

About the Bruins: St. Bede travels to Ottawa to renew the rivalry with the Crusaders after a 12-year hiatus. Marquette and St. Bede were long-time rivals in the Big Rivers Conference before Marquette left after the 2011 season to join the Northeastern Athletic Conference. St. Bede coach Jim Eustice played for the Crusaders, leading them to a runner-up finish in Class 3A as the team’s quarterback in 1984, and coaching Marquette from 2005-09. St. Bede is coming off a 31-28 victory over Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington that made the Bruins playoff eligible. QB Max Bray threw for 100 yards and ran for 190 yards and four touchdowns. He came up big on defense as well with two interceptions, including one in the end zone on the final play of the game. On the season, Bray has completed 62-of-109 passes for 727 yards and four TDs with seven interceptions while rushing for 900 yards and 18 TDs on 125 carries.

About the Crusaders: Marquette lost 28-6 to Seneca last week, snapping a five-game winning streak. The six points were the Crusaders’ lowest offensive output of the season since a 42-0 loss in the opener. Marquette averaged 48.8 points in its previous four games. The Crusaders scored on their first drive against Seneca, driving 85 yards with Pete McGrath scoring on a 5-yard run. McGrath ran for 47 yards on 10 carries, Jacob Smith had 59 yards on 15 attempts and Payton Gutierrez had 52 yards on 12 carries. The Crusaders are allowing 20.3 points per game.

FND pick: Marquette

Three Rivers crossover

Rockridge (6-1) at Hall-Putnam County (3-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: 56-31 Rockridge (spring 2021)

About the Rockets: Rockridge scored two touchdowns in the final 2:14 last week to beat Morrison 14-7. It was Morrison’s first loss of the season. Alex Zarlantanes ran for 174 yards on 22 carries, scoring with 2:14 left to pull the Rockets within 7-6. Cullen Schwigen threw a TD pass to Landon Wheatley with 18 seconds left and Liam Steele scored the two-point conversion. The Rockets started the winning drive with 1:48 left and no timeouts. Trevor Dye intercepted a pass with five seconds left to seal the win for Rockridge. The Rockets kept Morrison off the scoreboard until there was 9:50 left in the game.

About the Red Devils: Hall struggled to get its offense going Saturday in a 28-7 loss to Newman. The Red Devils finished with 121 yards after having negative-15 yards at halftime. Hall turned the ball over four times with two interceptions and two fumbles. Nate Lankford came in at quarterback in the fourth quarter after Gianni Guerrini was injured. He completed his first two passes for 51 yards. He also scored Hall’s lone touchdown on a 16-yard run with 29 seconds left. Joseph Bacidore added 32 rushing yards for Hall. The Red Devils’ defense allowed 189 yards on 34 carries (5.6 yards per attempt) and 98 passing yards. Hall forced three turnovers in the first half, including an interception by Braden Curran.

FND pick: Rockridge

Three Rivers Mississippi

Mendota (1-6, 0-3) at Princeton (6-1, 3-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: 70-21 Princeton (2022)

About the Trojans: After earning its first win in Week 6, Mendota suffered a 63-6 loss to Geneseo in Week 7. The Maple Leafs returned the opening kickoff for a TD, but the Trojans responded with a scoring drive on their first possession with Justin Randolph throwing an 8-yard TD pass to Rhett Watson. The Trojans finished with 172 passing yards and 4 rushing yards. Geneseo ran for 251 yards and threw for 128 yards. The Trojans trailed 28-6 after the first quarter and 56-6 at halftime.

About the Tigers: Princeton continues to roll since its 22-21 loss to Morrison in Week 2. The Tigers have won five in a row by a combined 169-20, including 42-0 last week against Bureau Valley. Casey Etheridge ran for 212 yards and three TDs against the Storm. He now has 1,275 yards and 20 TDs this season. He’s scored multiple TDs in six of seven games, including four games with three or more TDs. Princeton held Bureau Valley to 102 yards (75 rushing, 27 passing). The Tigers have recorded four shutouts and only allowed two opponents to score more than six points.

FND pick: Princeton

Nonconference

Aurora Central Catholic (3-4) at Bureau Valley (3-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Storm: Bureau Valley has lost two games in a row, including a 42-0 loss to Princeton last week. The Storm were held to 102 yards last week (75 rushing, 27 passing). Bureau Valley is averaging 207.3 rushing yards per game but did not reach 100 in either of the last two games. The Storm have two running backs with over 500 yards rushing as Elijah Endress had 588 yards and 11 TDs and Cameron Lemons has 536 yards and a TD. The Storm have not thrown for more than 80 yards in a game. BV allowed Princeton to rush for 277 yards last week. The Storm have not allowed any other team to reach 200 rushing yards.

About the Chargers: ACC traveled out of state Saturday and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 35-14 victory over Assumption in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. The Chargers had only scored 35 points combined during the three-game skid. The 14 points allowed Saturday was the best defensive effort for the Chargers this season. ACC is allowing 39.6 points per game and has allowed 40 points or more four times.

FND pick: Bureau Valley

Fieldcrest (3-4) at Alton Marquette (1-6)

When: Noon Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Knights: Fieldcrest will make the 362-mile, 3 1/2 hour round trip to Alton in search of its fourth win of the season. The Knights are coming off a 40-0 victory over LeRoy on Friday. It was the first time Fieldcrest scored 40 points in a game since a 51-40 loss to Fisher on Sept. 10, 2021. Eddie Lorton carried the load for Fieldcrest, rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns. He has 759 yards and 10 TDs on 148 carries this fall. Aydin Stimpert and Jackson Hakes had six tackles each as the Knights recorded their first shutout since a 17-0 win over Deer Creek-Mackinaw on March 27, 2021. Fieldcrest is averaging 22.9 points per game and allowing 28.4 points per game.

About the Explorers: Marquette has lost its last four games, including 21-0 to St. Louis Priory in Missouri on Saturday. Marquette trailed 14-0 at halftime against Priory, but on the first possession of the second half got a 47-yard run from Alex McCloud to get to the Priory 5-yard line. However, the Explorers lost a fumble on second down and the Ravens then marched for a touchdown. The Explorers were shut out Saturday for the third time in the last four games. Marquette is averaging 15.1 points per game. The Explorers are allowing 39.6 points per game and have allowed more than 40 points five times this season. Marquette has won just one of its last 27 games.

FND pick: Fieldcrest

Illinois 8-Man

Orangeville (4-3) at Amboy co-op (7-0)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: 44-0 Amboy (2022)

About the Clippers: Amboy blanked Ashton-Franklin Center 46-0 last week to stay undefeated. The Clippers have scored 46 points or more in five of the six games they’ve played. Amboy is averaging 52 points per game. Amboy has shut out three teams this season while holding two others to eight points. The Clippers are allowing 13 points per game.

About the Broncos: Orangeville has won three games in a row, including a 56-18 win over Rockford Christian Life last week. The Broncos are averaging 57.3 points per game during the streak. Orangeville’s three losses were to Polo (50-6), River Ridge (43-40) and Milledgeville (50-24). Amboy beat River Ridge (80-8) and Milledgeville (32-20) but has not played Polo.

FND pick: Amboy