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West Suburban Silver
Lyons (6-0, 4-0) at Downers Grove North (6-0, 4-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Lions: Lyons is 6-0 for the first time since 2016 after its 49-14 win over Oak Park-River Forest last Friday. Now the Lions pay a visit to Downers Grove for a meeting between the two lone unbeatens remaining in the West Suburban Silver. Lyons is ranked sixth in the latest Class 8A poll. Senior Mack Long scored three TDs in the win over OPRF. He caught a 62-yard TD pass from Dom Pisciotti, had a 20-yard fumble return for a TD and 42-yard interception return for a score. Danny Carroll rushed for 135 yards and a 24-yard TD on 14 carries and Travis Stamm caught a 52-yard TD pass from Pisciotti, who was 10-of-15 passing for 209 yards. Lyons has won the last five meetings with Downers Grove North, including 17-7 last season.
About the Trojans: Downers Grove North ascended to No. 1 in the latest Class 7A statewide poll by the Associated Press following a resounding 35-14 win at previously unbeaten York. Downers Grove North is 6-0 for the first time since 2003. Linebacker Jake Gregorio and defensive lineman Joe Edwards are leaders of a defense that has allowed just 28 points this season and last week forced three turnovers and held York to fewer than 100 yards rushing. Junior QB and Minnesota recruit Owen Lansu makes the offense go as one of the state’s top players at his position. He threw for 246 yards and TDs to Will Vala and Max Troha last week. Gregorio, for his part, rushed for three TDs. Downers Grove North last beat Lyons in 2018.
FND Pick: Downers Grove North
York (5-1, 2-1) at Glenbard West (2-4, 1-2)
When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
About the Dukes: York comes in off a tough 35-14 loss to Downers Grove North, the Dukes’ first defeat of the season. A matchup with another unbeaten, Lyons, looms in Week 8, but first up the Dukes get a tricky road matchup at Duchon Field against a Glenbard West team desperate for wins to make a playoff run. Senior QB Bruno Massel left the game last week in the second half after taking a big hit, but York coach Don Gelsomino said he should be OK. First order of business for the Dukes is to get its running game with Massel and Henry Duda back on track.
About the Hilltoppers: Glenbard West, after an 0-4 start to the season, has momentum and renewed optimism for a late-season run following its 35-14 win over Hinsdale Central last week. Just as encouraging is the return of senior running back Teyion Oriental. After missing four games with injury, Oriental returned to rush for 63 yards and a TD and threw a 41-yard TD to Dillon Platten in the win over Hinsdale Central and adds an element of big-play ability to a Hilltoppers’ offense that has struggled at times this year. JaMarcus Kelly rushed for 92 yards and TDs of 6 and 10 yards as the Hilltoppers rushed for 254 yards. A couple Division I recruits up front in this one, Northwestern commit Michael O’Connell for Glenbard West and Notre Dame commit Joe Reiff for York. Glenbard West beat York 28-7 last year after York won down-to-the-wire games in 2021 and 2022.
FND Pick: York
Proviso West (2-4, 0-3) at Hinsdale Central (2-4, 0-3)
When: 7:30 p.m.
About the Panthers: Proviso West comes in off a 28-8 loss to Addison Trail. It was the Panthers’ fourth straight loss after a 2-0 start, but their most competitive. In three West Suburban Silver losses, Proviso West has been outscored by a combined 162-0 margin.
About the Red Devils: Hinsdale Central’s playoff hopes took a hit with a 35-14 loss to Glenbard West last week. It was the most points given up by the Red Devils’ defense this season. James Skokna had five catches for 77 yards and a 48-yard TD catch from Riley Contreras in the loss, and also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a TD. Contreras threw for 174 yards and a TD and interception. Kelan McInerney added five catches for 46 yards. Hinsdale Central beat Proviso West 62-0 last year.
FND Pick: Hinsdale Central
West Suburban Gold
Downers Grove South (4-2, 3-0) at Leyden (4-2, 2-1)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
About the Mustangs: Downers Grove South held on to the Rebel Cannon trophy – barely – with its 31-28 win over Hinsdale South last week. A field goal in the final minutes helped the Mustangs run their win streak to three. QB Dominic West threw for three TDs and ran for one in the win. Downers Grove South beat Leyden 33-14 last season.
About the Eagles: Leyden comes in off a 25-14 win over Morton. The Eagles on the surface look on track for the program’s first winning season since 2017 and first playoff appearance since 2016. That said, with games remaining against arguably the top three teams in the Gold – Downers Grove South, Addison Trail and Willowbrook, and a dearth of playoff points, right now 19, it won’t be easy.
FND Pick: Downers Grove South
Addison Trail (5-1, 2-1) at Morton (2-4, 1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Blazers: Addison Trail won its third straight game last week, beating Proviso West 28-8. Coincidentally, the Blazers have scored exactly 28 points in four of their five wins. Meanwhile, their defense has held teams to one score or fewer in four of six games. Addison Trail looks in good shape already, but a sixth win would clinch their second consecutive playoff appearance after a nearly decade-long drought.
About the Mustangs: The flip side to Addison Trail, Morton comes into this week’s action on a three-game losing streak after a 25-14 loss to Leyden last week. On a positive note, the Mustangs were able to put up some points after back-to-back shutout losses. Addison Trail won last year’s meeting 32-20.
FND Pick: Addison Trail
Proviso East (0-6, 0-4) at Hinsdale South (2-4, 1-3)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Pirates: Proviso East remained winless with its 51-0 loss to Willowbrook last week. It was the second time the Pirates have been shut out and the second time they’ve allowed an opponent to top 50 points this season. Proviso East has been outscored by a combined margin of 229-38.
About the Hornets: Hinsdale South dropped its third straight game last week, and it was a tough one, 31-28 to Downers Grove South in a game decided by a late field goal. Junior QB Langston Love was 20 for 28 for 272 yards and three TDs in the loss. The Hornets’ playoff hopes have little margin for error at this point, and with a Week 8 game at No. 1-ranked Downers Grove North looming this amounts to a must-have. Hinsdale South beat Proviso East 52-0 last year.
FND Pick: Hinsdale South
West Suburban Conference crossover
Willowbrook (3-3) at Oak Park-River Forest (1-5)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Warriors: Willowbrook beat Proviso East 51-0 last week for its second straight win. The Warriors have scored a total of 135 points in their three wins. They’re in a stretch of four consecutive games against teams currently with losing records. Willowbrook beat OPRF 35-14 last season.
About the Huskies: OPRF lost to Lyons 49-14 last week, its third straight loss. It’s been another tough year for the Huskies, 1-8 in 2023. Their lone win came over Proviso West in Week 3.
FND Pick: Willowbrook
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CCL/ESCC crossover
Fenwick (5-1) at Benet (5-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Friars: Fenwick comes in off an impressive 37-15 win over St. Laurence, which at the time was the CCL/ESCC’s lone remaining unbeaten and Class 4A’s No. 1-ranked team. After a 4-5 2023, the Friars look headed back to the playoffs and are ranked sixth in the Class 6A poll. Fenwick has stacked together some quality wins over St. Ignatius, Montini and now St. Laurence with the lone loss by one point to Joliet Catholic. It doesn’t get any easier the next two weeks against another good CCL/ESCC success story, Benet, followed by Mount Carmel.
About the Redwings: Benet, like Fenwick, has perhaps under the radar put together a strong season that looks headed to the playoffs. The Redwings beat St. Patrick 49-30 last week. Ryan Kubacki threw for five TDs, three to Luke Wildes, and Martin Radgowski returned after missing Week 5 to run for two TDs. A challenging final third of the season has home games with Fenwick and DePaul Prep sandwiched around a game at Nazareth, all three of them currently 5-1 clubs like Benet.
FND Pick: Benet
St. Francis (4-2) at Marian Catholic (2-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
About St. Francis: St. Francis recovered from its 27-25 last-second loss to Providence with last weekend’s 21-13 victory over IC Catholic Prep, snapping a two-game losing streak. Sophomore tailback Tivias Caldwell rushed for 141 yards on 27 carries in the absence of injured senior starter Tyvonn Ransom. Junior quarterback Brady Palmer completed 17 of 26 for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns — to Zach Washington (four catches, 120 yards) and Gavin Mueller, while junior wideout Dario Milivojevic added six receptions for 96 yards. The Spartans will become playoff-eligible with a victory.
About Marian Catholic: Marian slipped to 2-4 following last weekend’s 21-7 loss to Marmion. Junior running back Kyle Scott is the Spartans’ leading ball carrier, averaging 93 yards per game. Scott tallied the team’s lone touchdown against Marmion. Senior two-way player Tremayne Cheers had four catches and eight tackles last week, while 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker Ronnie Gordon recorded a team-high nine tackles. Gordon averages 11.3 tackles per contest. Senior defensive end Joaquin Mendez leads the team with five sacks.
FND Pick: St. Francis
-- Craig Brueske, Daily Herald Media Group
IC Catholic Prep (2-4) at Marmion (4-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Knights: After two straight wins to start the season, IC Catholic has lost four and a row and will be looking to get a much-needed win to keep their playoff hopes alive. In their most recent game, the Knights pulled within a point of St. Francis, but couldn’t get the extra play needed in a 21-13 loss to their rivals. Will Bryk threw for 138 yards and ran for 43 more, and Foley Calcagno ran for a TD against St. Francis.
About the Cadets: Marmion put up a strong showing at home after allowing just 38 yards of offense after allowing an early score from Marian Catholic. Their four wins under first-year coach Adam Guerra is already double of last year’s total wins. Wide receiver Bryan Scales has been a huge asset for the Cadets, picking up seven of freshman quarterback Roy Magana’s eight passes for 163 yards in their Week 6 victory.
FND Pick: IC Catholic Prep
-- Joel Boenitz
Montini (4-2) at St. Viator (3-3)
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
About the Broncos: Montini has now won two straight games, 34-16 over Carmel last week, and is appearing to find its stride offensively in the season’s stretch run. Sophomore QB Israel Abrams, in particular, is coming on. He was 18 for 25 for 271 yards and three TDs to CJ Harkins, Nico Castaldo and Santino Florio. On the season, Abrams has completed 64% of his passes for 814 yards and 11 TDs while sharing time with Gaetano Carbonara. Jeremiah Peterson ran for 66 yards and a TD in the Carmel game. Defensively, Jaxon Lane was in on 10 tackles and is up to 52 for the season. Montini is up to No. 4 in the Class 3A rankings.
About the Lions: In a see-saw season, St. Viator has dropped three consecutive games since a 3-0 start, losing 39-23 to DePaul Prep last week. Lions’ QB Cooper Kmet threw for 338 yards and two TDs to Damacio Ortegon, but also threw two interceptions and a pick-six in the loss to DePaul Prep.
FND Pick: Montini
DuKane Conference
Wheaton North (3-3, 1-3) at Geneva (6-0, 4-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Falcons: After picking up three come-from-behind wins in their first four games of the season, Wheaton North has hit a rough patch on offense over the past two games, putting up only six points over the last two games against Batavia and Wheaton Warrenville South in one of their lowest point stretches since only managing 10 points in their first two games of DuKane conference play against St. Charles North and Lake Park in 2018. Despite this, the Falcons saw themselves in a similar situation a season ago, and managed to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Vikings 25-24 at home. It will be more difficult to achieve the feat this time, especially after losing some key contributors in that win to graduation.
About the Vikings: Geneva has been rolling throughout 2024, and they showed it again with a 30-7 victory over Batavia for their first win in the rivalry since 2010. A lot of their success has been thanks to the play of quarterback Tony Chahino, who currently leads the conference with 1,412 passing yards and has thrown four or more touchdowns in all but one game this season, while only throwing one interception back in Week 2. While wide receiver and Georgia commit Talyn Taylor has been the main target for Chahino, wide receivers Finnegan Weppner, Bennett Konkey and running back Michael Rumoro have seen plenty of action, especially in last week’s win. Along with this, their defense stepped up in a big way against the Bulldogs, allowing only 213 yards of offense, including just 74 rushing yards and seven points to a team averaging nearly 44 points and 386 yards per game heading into it.
FND Pick: Geneva
-- Joel Boenitz
Lake Park (3-3, 1-3) at Wheaton Warrenville South (3-3, 2-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Lancers: Lake Park snapped a three-game losing streak with a 29-21 win over Glenbard North last week. In the game Lancers’ receiver Niko Menos had six catches for 132 yards and three TDs. Menos also had 14 catches in an overtime Week 5 loss to St. Charles East.
About the Tigers: WW South got back on track in a big way last week, beating crosstown rival Wheaton North 31-6. That sets up this Week 7 matchup with major playoff implications, two of the three 3-3 teams in the DuKane. Kirby Christensen caught a 47-yard TD pass from Luca Carbonaro last week, and also had seven tackles and two sacks defensively. Owen Yorke ran for 121 yards and two TDs and also caught a TD. WW South beat Lake Park 31-8 last year.
FND Pick: WW South
South Suburban Crossover
Richards (5-1) at Lemont (4-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Bulldogs: After a couple of non-conference games that garnered mixed results (one-point win over Crete-Monee and a 33-point loss to an undefeated Libertyville squad), Richards has really caught its footing rolling to multiple lopsided wins during a four-game winning streak. This appears to be a matchup of the best two teams on each side of the South Suburban Conference.
About Lemont: Lemont looked to be in a bad place after its first two games of the season with lopsided nonconference losses to Libertyville and Geneva, but as expected the South Suburban Conference has allowed them to cure what ailed them in those games as they’ve strung together four relatively lopsided wins in conference play. Lemont looks well positioned to repeat as conference champions, but this stretch of schedule should provide a few more challenges then the last few weeks have.
FND Pick: Richards
– Steve Soucie
Upstate Eight East
Riverside-Brookfield (3-3, 1-2) at Elmwood Park (0-6, 0-4)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Bulldogs: R-B had the surprise result in the Upstate Eight last week, as the newcomers to the league knocked off defending tri-champion Glenbard South 26-21. R-B sophomore quarterback Giancarlo Garcia was 15-for-24 passing for 282 yards and two TD passes to junior Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus, who had eight catches for 198 yards The win very much kept alive the Bulldogs’ drive for their fifth straight playoff appearance.
About the Tigers: Elmwood Park lost to West Chicago 52-14 last week. The Tigers have been outscored 347-108 on the season, with five of six opponents topping 50 points and the sixth opponent putting up 49 points.
FND Pick: Riverside-Brookfield
Glenbard South (4-2, 3-1) at Ridgewood (3-3, 1-3)
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
About the Raiders: How will the Raiders respond following last weekend’s tough 26-21 loss to Riverside-Brookfield? That defeat knocked Glenbard South from a virtual first-place tie with Glenbard East. The Raiders were their own worst enemy against R-B, throwing a pair of interceptions and having a punt blocked. After averaging 52 points during their four-game winning streak, the Raiders were held to three touchdowns last weekend. In addition, their defense allowed 282 passing yards to R-B, including 198 yards and two TDs to receiver Xavier Mrozik-Dejesus.
About the Rebels: Since their 3-0 start, the Rebels have fallen on tough times with three straight losses, punctuated by last weekend’s 51-0 defeat at the hands of unbeaten West Aurora.
FND Pick: Glenbard South
-- Craig Brueske, Daily Herald Media Group
West Chicago (4-2, 2-1) at Glenbard East (5-1, 3-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
About the Wildcats: Senior tailbacks Tommy Doyle and Robert Lee accounted for five touchdowns during the Wildcats’ 52-14 victory over Elmwood Park last weekend. Lee rushed for 217 yards on 24 carries, while Doyle added 133 yards on just six carries. Junior quarterback Carter Naranjo, who added 75 rushing yards and a TD last weekend, directs the Wildcats’ offense. With a win, West Chicago will become playoff-eligible for the second consecutive year.
About the Rams: Since their 45-20 Week 2 loss to West Aurora, the Rams have averaged 50 points per contest during their four-game winning streak. Glenbard’s offense has many weapons, led by quarterback Michael Nee, speedster WR/RB Amonte Cook, and WR Chris Renford. Glenbard East is aiming to lock down a state playoff berth for the sixth consecutive season. The Rams need a win to help set up their UEC East showdown with Glenbard South.
FND Pick: Glenbard East
-- Craig Brueske, Daily Herald Media Group
Chicagoland Christian Conference
Wheaton Academy (5-1, 4-0) at Christ the King (3-3, 1-3)
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
About the Warriors: Wheaton Academy excelled in all three phases last weekend, scoring on offense and special teams, while the defense allowed just two rushing yards during a 41-0 shutout of Bishop McNamara. On the second play from scrimmage, senior linebacker Jeremy Johanik had an interception and returned the ball to the 5-yard line, setting up the Warriors’ first score. Gino Spinelli and Jake Weston both returned punts for touchdowns, covering 64 and 50 yards, respectively. Brandon Kiebles added two rushing TDs, and Zach Moravec caught a pair of touchdown passes from QB Nathan Downey. The Warriors haven’t allowed a point since Week 4.
About the Gladiators: Since winning their first three games, the Gladiators have dropped three straight contests to Aurora Christian (55-16), Kankakee McNamara (29-22) and Marian Central Catholic (42-8). Sophomore two-way player Lavante Windfield has a team-high four interceptions and a pair of receiving touchdowns.
FND Pick: Wheaton Academy
-- Craig Brueske, Daily Herald Media Group