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DeKalb lost a close one. Sycamore won a close one.
Week 2 followed a similar script for the Barbs and Spartans as it did in Week 1 when Sycamore opened the season with a 35-28 win at Huskies Stadium over the Barbs.
DeKalb (0-2) once again lost late, 17-14 to Plainfield South. Sycamore (2-0) once again trailed in the fourth quarter only to pull out a 15-9 victory.
Kaneland and Genoa-Kingston followed similar patterns to last week with the Knights winning a tough one against a 2023 playoff team and the Cogs rolling at home.
Plainfield South 17, DeKalb 14: The Barbs led 14-7 in the final 3 minutes but fell on the road.
The Barbs (0-2) received the second-half kickoff and marched downfield, using the combination of quarterback Cole Latimer and receiver Davon Grant. The pair connected three times for 52 yards on the 71-yard drive before Grant started in motion, stopped under center and took the snap for a 1-yard TD plunge. Latimer ran in the 2-point conversion and gave the Barbs a 14-7 lead midway through the third. Latimer finished 14 of 31 for 126 yards, while Grant caught five passes for 57.
“We made some adjustments and had a good drive to start the second half,” DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said. “In the first half, we had too many mistakes. We missed some assignments and dropped some passes. We just didn’t execute well.”
The game was tied in the final 2 minutes, but Latimer was intercepted and it was returned 35 yards to the DeKalb 40. The Cougars faced a third and 12 and ran for the first to get into field goal range in the closing seconds.
“But, you have to give a lot of credit to Plainfield South. They had a good game plan. They milked every second they could off the clock and their defense was very tough. We also had a couple of turnovers late that hurt us.”
Sycamore 15, Oswego East 9: Sycamore lost three fumbles and was trailing 9-7 entering the fourth quarter. Thatcher Friedrichs attempted a 45-yard field goal but instead had to chase after a bad snap. But he got to the ball, scooped it up, and saw Jack Block open downfield for a 27-yard gain.
Kevin Lee punched it in from a yard out on the next play to put Sycamore ahead 13-9.
“It’s huge because it won us the game, right? It won us the game,” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said. “We were down there in a different situation but it won us the game. Senior kid, didn’t panic. The good thing was it wasn’t like a punt and you’re trying to throw it down there because you have people covered. When it’s field goal, extra point, those guys are just holding. They’re thinking the ball’s going to be kicked so they don’t have to cover. So we didn’t have anybody downfield, or I don’t think we did.”
The Wolves went three-and-out on both possessions, but their defense kept the Spartans from scoring as well. The Spartans started a long drive with 4:52 left, but Oswego East stopped Josiah Mitchell on a reverse on a fourth-and-3 from the Wolves’ 10 to take control with a minute left and a chance to win.
But on the first play from the Wolves’ 6, the snap went over the head of quarterback Niko Villacci for a safety. Two kneel downs later and the Spartans escaped with the win.
“We came out very strong and just fell off,” said Sycamore running back Dylan Hodges, who had 123 yards on 26 carries. “But one thing about this team that we saw last year as well is we never give up and we always fight to the end. I really appreciate every single one of us fighting as hard as we can.”
Kaneland 16, Wauconda 7: After scoring a touchdown on its opening possession, Kaneland didn’t find the end zone again the rest of the game.
It didn’t matter.
Samuel Bruno kicked three field goals, the Knights’ defense held Wauconda to a single score and Kaneland held on for a 16-7 nonconference win.
Carter Grabowski scored that first touchdown a little less than 5 minutes into the game. He finished with 130 yards on the ground as the Knights controlled most of the game. But they couldn’t dent the end zone again.
Bruno made his last field goal with just under a minute left to make it a two-score game. He has made five on the young season.
“That was one of the biggest kicks of my career, probably, to ice the game,” he said. “It felt really nice to hit that kick.”
Genoa Kingston 34, North Boone 0: Cody Cravatta had two interceptions as the Cogs blanked the Vikings.
In the first BNC game for the Cogs (2-0, 1-0), Peyton Meyer started the scoring with a 6-yard run with 6:50 left in the first.
Patrick Young added a 1-yard score later in the first, then the interceptions started. Owen Zaccard got the first, giving the Cogs a short field. Nolan Kline punched in a 9-yard run for a 21-0 lead against the Vikings (1-1, 1-1).
Cravatta then got his picks on consecutive drives in the second quarter, with quarterback Nathan Kleba ripping off a 19-yard run for a 28-0 lead just before halftime.
“He did a good job, coming in as an outside backer, coming in and making plays,” G-K coach Cam Davekos said. “He kind of played a drop-back nickel defender. He did some studying on film what North Boone ran and had some nice reads. He took advantage of some big opportunities.”
Zaccard got a touchdown with 1:48 left in the third from 9 out for a 34-0 lead.
It was the first shutout for the Cogs since Sept. 30, 2022, in a 19-0 win against Oregon, and the first home shutout since they had four of them in the spring 2021 season – the last of which was a 59-0 playoff win against Chicago Bogan.
“It was great,” Davekos said. “That was probably the best part about tonight. Defensively we just flew around, played fast and played physical. It was fun to watch.”
West Carroll 54, Hiawatha 0: The Hawks fell to 1-1 in the eight-man North game.
• More information about these games is online at Friday Night Drive.