Nonconference

Thornridge (2-7 in 2024) at Joliet Central (1-8)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Steelmen: The vibes in the Joliet Central camp are surprisingly strong for a program that finished with one win last season. That victory, 37-17 over Plainfield Central, snapped a 40-game losing streak for the Steelmen, and even though they weren’t able to turn that momentum into another win over the second half of the season, the improvement was noticeable. The Steelmen graduated 27 players from their program, and for a unit that has struggled with numbers for a long time, that could be an issue. Still, summer turnout numbers have been better for the program, and some of the underclassmen coming up to the varsity did have success at lower levels that the Steelmen are hoping translates.

About the Falcons: Thornridge has struggled in recent years to get any momentum going, having not one more than two games since 2017. Last year’s two victories came over teams that collectively won one game and ended a string of back-to-back winless seasons in 2022 and 2023. Thornridge’s returning experience is largely amassed on its offensive line, but the biggest need for the Falcons is clearly defensive upgrades, considering they allowed 234 points in their final four games last season.

Friday Night Drive Pick: Joliet Central

Plainfield North (4-5) at Lockport (4-5)

When: 6:15 p.m. Friday

About the Tigers: Plainfield North enters the season as something of a wild card, considering the lion’s share of its contributing members were seniors. The Tigers will once again look to anchor their efforts in defense (Plainfield North allowed just three opponents to score more than three touchdowns in a game last season) and will lean heavily on DB Mariell Macon, who holds offers from Western Kentucky and Southern Mississippi, to help lead the way for a unit with some talented but largely inexperienced defensive running mates. Offensively, new QB Easton Isaacson might allow Plainfield North to be a bit more vertical than it has been in recent seasons.

About the Porters: Lockport missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 last year, and veteran coach George Czart feels his team has the components in place to get his program back into that fray. Eleven starters return, and the defensive side of the ball looks to have the capabilities to provide a sound foundation. DL Mike Pratt and S Colton Benaitis look to be the leaders of that group. Lockport’s offensive attack has a few more questions to be answered. QB Brendan Mecher showed some big-time flashes in a limited role last season when thrust into the lineup because of injury and might be ready to take the next step.

FND Pick: Lockport

Oswego East (4-5) at Joliet West (5-5)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Tigers: If Joliet West is going to make it three consecutive playoff appearances, it is going to have to do it with a largely different cast of characters. New faces man most of the Tigers’ key positions, but some stability has been developed in the program in recent years, and the hope is that the transition will go a bit smoother because of it. QB Landon Mars is a bit of an unknown heading into the season, but he’ll be leaned on to spark an offensive attack that was a bit up and down last year. Defensively, Joliet West also graduated some impact players, but LB Sedrick Love looks poised to fill at least some of that void.

About the Wolves: Oswego East seems set on putting its best foot forward on defense. Last year’s team gave up more than 21 points to just one opponent last year (23 against Oswego). Several of the team’s key returners are on that side of the football, including DE Lamari Hall and CB Jamari McKay. This could be a pretty pivotal game for Oswego East regarding its hopes of getting back into the postseason mix, as the SPC West looks pretty rugged and deep this season, and wins might be difficult to come by in divisional play.

FND Pick: Oswego East

Blue Island Eisenhower (4-5) at Lincoln-Way West (7-4)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Cardinals: Eisenhower took a small step back in 2024 after stacking up playoff appearances in each of the previous four seasons. The Cardinals have always seemingly had the ability to post points with regularity, but have also had difficulty keeping opponents from doing the same. If this year’s version of Eisenhower holds that mold, at least offensively, two-way performer Damian Lewis (RB/LB) will probably have something to do with it.

About the Warriors: Lincoln-Way West is still trying to get the bitter taste of its loss to Batavia in the second round of the 7A playoffs out of its mouth and has several key players to make a better end to this chapter. South Dakota commit RB Jahan Abubakar looks primed to have a mammoth season for the Warriors, while Illinois State recruit Chase Markowicz seems to be ready to fill whatever voids Lincoln-Way West has to fill on either side of the football.

FND Pick: Lincoln-Way West

Plainfield East (2-7) at Argo (5-5)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Bengals: Plainfield East will start this season with its third head coach in the last four campaigns, so early in the season will be a bit of a learning experience as to what to expect from the Bengals. Plainfield East did lose most of its experienced players at the offensive skill position, but does return a trio of veteran offensive linemen in Sebastian Sanchez, Jaden Pringle and Ryan Sizemore to provide a foundation. The coaching transition does give the Bengals a chance to try something new defensively, as last year’s unit gave up 28 or more points in all but two of its games.

About the Argonauts: Argo has slowly climbed the ladder in the South Suburban Conference. The Argonauts were once one of the least effective programs in the south suburbs, but over the past few seasons, Argo have turned a corner and have advanced to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, finishing 5-5 in each of those campaigns.

FND Pick: Argo

Wilmington (12-1) at Morris (8-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Wildcats: Frequent difficulties with finding willing nonconference opponents led to Wilmington being forced to go significantly above its weight class for a foe. That doesn’t mean Wilmington is poised to just roll over for the bigger opponent, as the gritty Wildcats will certainly be prepped and ready for Morris, the alma mater of head coach Jeff Reents. Wilmington’s ground-based attack will be keyed by Ryan Kettman, who seems to be set up for a massive senior season. Kettman has a few returning linemen to pave his path always a key for Wilmington’s success ratio, particularly early in the season.

About Morris: Morris has 14 returning starters from a team that played very well in the second half of the season before Joliet Catholic bested it in the Class 5A semifinals. The Morris offense could be potent with returning QB Brady Varner, who threw for nearly 2,000 yards a year ago, coupled with a stable of running backs that could be productive. A trio of linebackers – Caedan Curran, Logan Sparrow and Owen Olson – should key a salty defense.

FND Pick: Morris

Bolingbrook (3-6) at Homewood-Flossmoor (4-5)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: Bolingbrook is looking to regroup this season after finding the sledding difficult in its first year in the Southwest Prairie Conference. This long-standing rivalry is known as the Alec Anderson Cup, honoring the memory of a former administrator at both schools. Bolingbrook hopes to get off on the right foot this season and will look to RB TJ Lewis to spark the offense. The junior speedster already holds offers from multiple Big Ten Schools. The defense will be anchored by Minnesota recruit Jordan Lampkins, a defensive back.

About the Vikings: It’s possible that Homewood-Flossmoor‘s biggest offseason move came in the form of a coaching change. The Vikings filled their vacancy with Troy McCallister, who guided Phillips to a pair of state championships in 2015 and 2017. McCallister inherits a roster that has had some talent in recent seasons but hasn’t quite been able to put it all together. Leading the way this season should be North Dakota State commit wide receiver Myles Ellis and offensive lineman Keller Gamble, a Northern Illinois commit.

FND Pick: Homewood-Flossmoor

Lyons (11-1) at Joliet Catholic (10-4)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Lions: Lyons broke through last season, collecting 11 victories to establish a new program standard in that category. The question now: Is that sustainable over a string of seasons? Nine returning starters make for a solid foundation to make a run at it. Productive running back Patrick Cheney, who also doubles as a linebacker, holds an offer from Toledo and should steady the offensive attack, while lineman Roman Sosnovyy is entering his third year as a starter and has offers from multiple Ivy League programs as well as Army and Navy. Lyons will once again look to its defense to set the tone as it allowed a touchdown or less to opponents in half of its games last season.

About the Hilltoppers: Joliet Catholic isn’t a program that really uses the word “rebuild,” but the Hilltoppers – who advanced to the Class 5A state championship last year, where they fell to Nazareth – certainly do need to do some retooling after losing the services of a lot of excellent seniors to graduation. The cupboard isn’t entirely bare, though, especially considering the presence of defensive wrecking ball DE Ian Campbell. Joliet Catholic has a good group of underclass talent that has been waiting in the wings. How quickly those players adapt to the varsity level will be key.

FND Pick: Lyons

St. Charles North (9-2) at Minooka (8-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Stars: St. Charles North has a strong foundation to build upon with 17 returners starters back from a second-round playoff qualifier in 7A. The North Stars have a couple of options to sort through to replace standout quarterback Ethan Plumb, but whoever gets the job will have a virtual army of top-flight receivers to choose from, led by Northwestern recruit Keaton Reinke. Central Michigan recruit Matthew Plumb anchors a very experienced defensive unit.

About the Indians: Minooka has become a playoff regular over the past few years, but has yet to make a dent in terms of making a deep postseason run. This might be the group that could do that, and right away, the Indians get a good measuring stick game. Offensively, Minooka looks like they could be potent with QB Zane Caves at the controls and viable weapons such as RB Chase Nurczyk and TE Jackson Miranda creating opportunities for the offense. Defensively, Minooka was a strong unit last season, and with players such as Brody Kozlowski and Nathan Gonzalez set to return, there’s little reason to believe in a step back there.

FND Pick: St. Charles North

Romeoville (4-5) at Stagg (3-6)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Chargers: It has now been back-to-back 3-6 seasons for the Chargers in a program that hasn’t won more than three games since 2017 (4-5). Stagg’s biggest challenge moving forward is figuring out a way to get some consistent offense. The Chargers scored 77 points in their first two games last season (wins over Joliet Central and Oak Lawn), but only 51 points over the final seven.

About the Spartans: Romeoville continues to make strides forward, falling one win short of getting the school’s first playoff qualification since 2013. If the Spartans are going to secure a slot this year, games like this one will be pivotal toward that goal. QB Richard Conley, the SPC East Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, returns and should anchor Romeoville’s offense nicely along with RB Bryce Brown. However, the defense has to do a better job of putting the clamps down on opponents. The Spartans allowed 30-plus points per game on average to foes last season.

FND Pick: Romeoville

Pekin (7-3) at Plainfield South (7-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cougars: Plainfield South had a very nice bounce-back season last year and now goes about the business of trying to make it more than just a one-year blip. Graduation took a healthy chunk out of its roster, but there are still some key cogs from which they can build. RB Chase Pierceall seems poised for a big campaign, and he does have a pair of experienced linemen leading the way for him up front. But continued solid defensive play is likely the key to Plainfield South’s success.

About the Dragons: It looks like Pekin has a potentially potent offensive attack with several experienced commodities leading them into battle. QB Brogan Benassi tossed 23 touchdown passes against just four interceptions and has two viable options to get the ball to – senior running back Ty Jackson (1,260 yards, 10 TDs in 2024) and wide receiver Dylan Anderson (32 catches, 719 yards, 14 TDs).

FND Pick: Pekin

Wheaton Academy (9-2) at Providence (4-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: Wheaton Academy has been a powerhouse over the past few years, advancing deep into the 4A playoffs and putting together a collective record of 36-9 over the last four years. But the Warriors will move up to 5A due to multiplier adjustments and will have to undertake a bit of a rebuilding process if they want to return to their most recent status, as they graduated 24 seniors and return just four starters from last year’s crew.

About the Celtics: Providence missed the playoffs last season. There were a lot of close calls, with three of its five losses coming by a field goal or less. Perhaps a year more experience under the belt of the returning Celtics helps prevent that from happening. One of the biggest needs is a little more continuity on offense and some stability at the quarterback position. There’s definitely talent on the Providence roster. It comes down to finding the right fit and placement of it.

FND Pick: Providence

Plainfield Central (0-9) at Waukegan (1-8)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Wildcats: Plainfield Central is attempting to put a difficult 2024 season behind it as quickly as possible. A great start to do that would be figuring out a way to topple the only opponent it was truly competitive against last season. The Wildcats scored just 57 points last year, but have hopes that sophomore quarterback Tommy Morrissette and wide receivers Torrance Freeman and Stephon Griffin are ready to make a substantial step forward to improve that cause.

About the Bulldogs: Waukegan started the 2024 season with a two-point win over Plainfield Central, and it all went downhill from there. The Bulldogs scored more than two touchdowns just once (a 51-22 loss to Zion-Benton) and lost all eight of their remaining games by at least 26 points.

FND Pick: Waukegan

Libertyville (9-2) at Lemont (6-4)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Wildcats: Libertyville took a substantial step forward last season, but will now need to see if that can be duplicated under a new head coach, former defensive coordinator Tim Budge. Budge does have some things to work with from last year’s squadron, most notably offensive lineman Myles Batesky, a Harvard commit, and junior tight end Brock Williams, who is drawing significant interest from power conferences. The Wildcats look fairly stocked in the trenches, which could make this Week 1 matchup intriguing with Lemont, as that seems to be a source of strength for it as well.

About Lemont: Lemont was strong in the second half of the season after a shaky start and really found its bearings on defense. Six starters return on that side of the ball, a unit that severely stifled opposition down the stretch. Linebacker Jackson Dybcio should be a key performer for the unit and also may factor into the backfield mix at times.

FND Pick: Libertyville

St. Charles East (2-7) at Lincoln-Way Central (9-4)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: Lincoln-Way Central isn’t all that interested in being flashy, but the Knights have established that their grind-it-out mentality can work, as proven by their spotless conference record a year ago. The Knights hope to be more explosive on offense with Drew Woodburn back under center and capable receivers such as Lucas Andresen capable of stretching the field. The defense does have a few gaps to fill, but not in the secondary, where three returners led by all-conference performer Nolan Morrill have that on lockdown.

About the Saints: St. Charles East has been spinning its wheels for several seasons, as the Saints finished with two wins for the fourth time in five seasons. But there’s plenty of experience back for St. Charles East in the hopes it will be able to break through that roadblock. Even with a lot of experience coming back, improvement has to happen on defense first. The Saints surrendered 300-plus points in 2024.

FND Pick: Lincoln-Way Central

Lincoln-Way East (12-1) at Maine South (8-4)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Hawks: Maine South has an intriguing squad. Most of the attention on the Hawks centers around Indiana-bound quarterback Jameson Purcell, who threw for 2,600 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. But the Hawks also return seven players on the defensive side of the ball, including linebackers Gavin Smith, Jake Cantal and Nick Hachigan. That defensive foundation should give Maine South at least the opportunity to make life a little challenging for Lincoln-Way East’s explosive offense.

About the Griffins: Lincoln-Way East was rolling along last season, but ran into the one program that seems to have its number, Loyola, in the semifinals. The Griffins have their eyes on rectifying that this season and will once again be led into the fire by standout quarterback Jonas Williams, a USC recruit. Williams has pretty much every IHSA career statistical record within his reach, with even an average season, and with weapons like RB Brody Gish and WR Blaise Lavista and Jay Cawthon all helping that cause, it is hard to envision a scenario where Lincoln-Way East isn’t extremely dynamic on offense. Defensively, the Griffins’ line tandem of Jacob Alexander (Illinois) and Gage LeDere is hard to top.

FND Pick: Lincoln-Way East

Peotone (6-4) at Granite City (0-9)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Blue Devils: Peotone hopes it can run its string of consecutive playoff appearances to six with a strong season, but if that’s going to happen, it will happen with a largely new cast of characters. Senior Tucker Cain will likely assume the role of primary ballcarrier for Peotone’s run-heavy offense, but he, along with lineman Evan Pane, accounts for much of Peotone’s senior experience. Junior Alex Chenoweth is one of multiple underclassmen expected to step into a much larger role.

About the Warriors: Granite City hasn’t won a game since 2022 and is currently in the midst of a 23-game losing streak. The Warriors really struggled last season, outscored 503-50 during a 0-9 campaign. Granite City is a significantly larger school than Peotone, but its program doesn’t have the depth you’d expect from that disparity.

FND Pick: Peotone

Pontiac (1-8) at Coal City (10-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Indians: The days of Pontiac being a middle-classification powerhouse seem like a distant memory. The Indians have found themselves at or near the bottom of their conference for several years now. Pontiac hasn’t won more than two games since 2019, and the former playoff regular has made just five appearances since 2010.

About the Coalers: Coal City has a big question to answer right out of the gate: What does life look like without Landin Benson seemingly doing just about everything the program needed? The school’s all-time leading rusher has graduated, but whoever replaces him has most of the offensive line intact from last season to open up holes. The Coalers’ typical run-heavy offense might be altered at least a little bit with capable junior quarterback Connor Henline taking over.

FND Pick: Coal City

Reed-Custer (1-8) at El Paso-Gridley (6-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Titans: El-Paso Gridley has turned things around over the past few years and has strung together four consecutive playoff appearances after several years of less-than-stellar results. The Titans have quite a bit returning at the skill positions, with junior Owen Adams getting six starts at the end of the season, while the wide receiving corps looks dangerous with both Jayvion and Chavon Maxson.

About the Comets: Reed-Custer isn’t that far removed from a high-octane squad that reached the 3A quarterfinals, but things haven’t gone very smoothly at all since. Former head coach Gavin Johnston has departed the program, and taking over the reins is Joe Turek, previously a Lincoln-Way East assistant. There’s not a lot of significant experience on the Reed-Custer roster, but returning RB/DL Dominic Alaimo will be leaned on heavily.

FND Pick: El Paso-Gridley

Chicago Christian (13-1) at Seneca (9-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: Chicago Christian rambled to the school’s first football state title, in 2A, but did so with an almost entirely senior-based lineup. Just two starters return from that team, and if the Knights are to maintain that high standard they have set, they will have to do so with an almost entirely different lineup on both sides of the football. RB/LB Josh Crawford probably has the biggest shoes to fill, as he’s the likely replacement for Chicago Christian’s battering ram of a running back, Kenny Jager.

About the Fighting Irish: Seneca has lost one regular-season game in the last three years, but will put that glowing resume to the test with an opener against last year’s 2A state champions. Seneca has some pieces back from that skilled team, but its vaunted backfield attack will need some players to take on larger roles than in previous years. Cam Shriey will likely lead those efforts, especially in the early going. Defensively, Seneca has several players returning set to lead the charge, most notably S Gunner Varland, who will also move under center as the quarterback, and DL Landen Venecia.

FND Pick: Seneca

Dwight 1, Lisle 0 (forfeit)

About the forfeit: The Trojans picked up the Week 1 win when Lisle announced this summer it would only be fielding a JV team. Dwight – coming off an 8-4 season and Class 2A quarterfinal appearance – will be 1-0 when it visits Rock Island Alleman in Week 2 and will not play at home until Week 4’s visit from Marquette.