Batavia (0-1) at South Elgin (0-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: Batavia is coming off a 31-28 loss to Glenbard West, just its third ever opening-week loss under coach Dennis Piron, with the only other times happening in 2014 against Oswego and 2019 to East St. Louis. In his first regular season varsity start, quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren completed 16 of 26 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns despite not having two key weapons out wide in Bodi Anderson, who was held to punting duties, and Darin Ashiru, who exited his Bulldogs debut midway through the first quarter. Wide receiver Brett Berggren hauled in a majority of those yards, collecting 126 yards and a touchdown off of nine catches, while fullback Preston Brummel rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown off of 15 carries. Defensively, the big thing to look for is stopping the big plays, as the Bulldogs let up three touchdowns of 65-plus yards, as well as a 58-yard pass play in Week 1. Batavia won the matchup with South Elgin last season 42-14.

About the Storm: South Elgin opened the year with a 48-20 loss to Barrington, allowing 457 total offensive yards in the game. The Storm do have some weapons to work with, with Colorado recruit and St. Francis transfer Gavin Mueller picking up a 66-yard touchdown. Running back Darrion Thurman also rushed for 93 yards and collected two catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. South Elgin has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons.

FND Pick: Batavia

Cary-Grove (0-1) at Burlington Central (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Rockets: Burlington Central had a great start to its season, shutting out host Crystal Lake South 21-0. DT Aidan Nuno was disruptive all night, recording 3 sacks, one TFL and five pressures. Matt Bending also had a sack, and Sam Maglares had four solo tackles. Offensively for BC, Henry Deering rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries. Senior QB Landon Arnold, making his first start since filling in for injured starter Jackson Alcorn two years ago, was 6-of-8 passing for 60 yards, one TD and one interception.

About the Trojans: Cary-Grove opened the season with a 34-21 loss to visiting Prairie Ridge. The Trojans debuted an entirely new offensive backfield from the last time they took the field, in a Class 6A state-semifinal loss at Geneva last fall. Sophomore QB Jackson Berndt, making his first varsity start, rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries and two TDs (7 and 3 yards) and completed 2 of 8 passes for 32 yards. RB Ryan Lummis carried the ball seven times for 79 yards, including a 39-yard TD run. Lummis also had a 24-yard reception. Two-way star Logan Abrams played the entire night at linebacker, but did not play on offense, as coach Brad Seaburg said he wanted Abrams and his defensive teammates to focus on stopping PR QB Luke Vanderwiel. ... C-G beat Burlington Central 27-3 in the teams’ season opener last year. ... This is the seventh meeting between C-G and BC, with the Trojans leading the series 5-1.

FND pick: Burlington Central

— Joe Aguilar

Geneva (1-0) at Oswego (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Vikings: Geneva showed in their Week 1 matchup that just because the offense may lack experience doesn’t mean they can’t score efficiently. The Vikings scored in all seven of their first-half drives en route to a 56-0 victory over Larkin. Quarterback Ben Peterson led that charge in his first varsity game under center, going 8 of 11 for 118 yards and four touchdowns, with two going to Bennett Konkey (four catches for 75 yards) and the other two to Lincoln Mercado (three catches for 28 yards). The Vikings also had two scores outside of the offense, with Tate Beran recording a punt return touchdown and Wyatt Curry recording a 27-yard scoop-and-score. Geneva won the last matchup between the two teams 29-27 back in Week 1 of the 2013 season.

About the Panthers: Once a former rival of Geneva’s in the Little Seven Conference, Oswego has consistently been a playoff staple since the two teams last faced off in 2013. The Panthers have reached the playoffs in 11 of the 12 full seasons under coach Brian Cooney. Star linebacker Carson Cooney has graduated and is now at Iowa, but a high-flying offense could make it so the defense isn’t solely the deciding factor in the game. Junior QB Drew Kleinhans impressed in his varsity debut, completing 9 of 15 passes for 174 yards and touchdowns to Teddy Manikas and Mariano Velasco, while running back Dekker Zelensek rushed for 138 yards and an 85-yard TD in a rather lopsided 31-15 victory over Naperville Central in Week 1, making it 11 consecutive regular-season victories.

FND Pick: Oswego

Lemont (0-1) at Kaneland (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: They dominated last week in a 44-7 win at Rock Island, getting a running clock for the whole second half. Coach Michael Thorgesen said he was happy with special teams play. Not only did they make every extra point, the Knights got a safety on a kickoff. With notably starters just playing a half, Jakson Little led the way with five tackles, three for a loss and a sack. Sam Bergman had an interception. Carter Grabowski had three rushing touchdowns and a kickoff return for a score, rushing for 100 yards on nine carries. Jalen Carter was 7 for 10 for 188 yards and two touchdowns, with Little and Brady Brown catching the touchdowns.

About Lemont: Lemont opened the year with a 24-14 loss to Libertyville and now heads to Maple Park for its first road game. Lemont has qualified for 10 straight postseasons and 19 of the last 20.

FND Pick: Kaneland

— Eddie Carifio

North Lawndale (0-1) at Marmion (0-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cadets: Marmion spotted Oak Forest a 20-7 halftime lead on the way to its 41-28 season-opening loss last weekend. Sophomore QB Roy Magana, Jr., directs the Cadets’ offense.

About the Phoenix: Senior linebacker Caleb Bea provided a game highlight with his 73-yard interception return for North Lawndale’s lone score during its 46-6 season-opening loss to Woodstock.

FND Pick: Marmion

— Craig Brueske, Daily Herald

Niles Notre Dame (1-0) at St. Charles East (0-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Saints: St. Charles East did not have an ideal debut to the 2025 season, falling on the road 63-0 to Lincoln-Way Central. It’s the most points the Saints have given up in a game since the turn of the century. St. Charles East enters Friday’s game on a five-game losing streak against non-conference opponents, with its last win being a 10-7 victory at Waubonsie Valley in Week 2 of the 2022 season.

About the Dons: Much like a few other teams across the state, Niles Notre Dame had a come-from-behind victory in Week 1, with running back Throy Nightingale (22 carries for 124 yards) scoring the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes remaining to secure a 13-12 victory over Washington. It was also the first career win for coach Dan DeFranza, who was promoted over the summer after spending 30 years as the defensive coordinator.

FND Pick: Niles Notre Dame

Homewood-Flossmoor (1-0) at St. Charles North (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the North Stars: St. Charles North had a heart-stopping performance in Week 1, overcoming five turnovers and a 14-point deficit with 11 minutes left in the game to come out with a 36-35 victory over Minooka. Northwestern commit Keaton Reinke was the hero in the contest, scoring the game-winning two-point conversion on a wildcat run. He also added seven receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Jesse Padron, who made his debut with the North Stars, threw for 253 yards and three scores, which included a touchdown throw to Braden Harms before the conversion, and running back Carsen Durante rushed for 89 yards and found the end zone twice.

About the Vikings: Homewood-Flossmoor kicked off their 2025 season winning a back-and-forth contest against Bolingbrook, with a 56-yard touchdown run from Kourtney Smith being the go-ahead score in the 44-30 victory. The Vikings also forced plenty of turnovers in the contest, with sophomore linebacker Ryan Koprowski picking up two fumbles and adding an interception in the contest. The Vikings are coming off a 4-5 season in 2024, missing the playoffs after making it in the two seasons prior.

FND Pick: St. Charles North

Mt. Zion Prep (MD) (0-2) at St. Francis (1-0)

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday @ East St. Louis

About the Spartans: Geneva transfer Brock Phillip enjoyed a superb debut at St. Francis, completing 18 of 24 passes for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns during the Spartans’ 38-34, come-from-behind win over Kenwood Academy last Thursday. Phillip connected with Dario Milivojevic on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Receivers Tanner Glock (8 catches, 137 yards, 1 TD), Milivojevic (6 catches, 114 yards, 2 TDs), and Zach Washington (23-yard TD catch) give Phillip plenty of options.

About the Warriors: The Maryland-based Prep Academy is coming off a tough 14-7 loss to Mount St. Joseph last weekend. Two weeks ago, the 40th-ranked team in the state dropped a 34-0 decision to Cincinnati-based Elder.

FND Pick: St. Francis

— Craig Brueske, Daily Herald

Crane Medical (0-1) at Aurora Christian (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Eagles: Senior quarterback Asa Johnson enjoyed a solid season debut, throwing for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns while rushing for another score, during the Eagles’ 43-22 win over Ottawa Marquette. Sophomore Jalen Callaway displayed his all-around ability, catching 3 passes for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, rushing for 42 yards and a TD, and adding an interception in Week 1. Aurora Christian won the matchup last year 62-6.

About the Cougars: Crane attempts to snap a losing streak that reached 9 following last weekend’s heartbreaking 18-14 loss to Lake View. The Cougars led 14-12 until giving up a 6-yard TD run in the final minute.

FND Pick: Aurora Christian

— Craig Brueske, Daily Herald

Christ the King (0-1) at Aurora Central Catholic (1-0)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Chargers: Trey Seifrid helped the Chargers to get off to a fast start with touchdown runs covering 26, 40, and 35 yards during their 36-0 season-opening victory over St. Edward last weekend. Grant Bohr also scored 2 touchdowns for ACC, which recorded its first shutout since a 2-0 forfeit win over Westmont in 2021.

About the Gladiators: The Gladiators look to rebound from last weekend’s 16-12 loss to Proviso West. Juniors Lavante Windfield (QB-SS) and Jeremy Robinson (WR-LB) are players to watch. Christ the King won the matchup last season 16-6.

FND Pick: Aurora Central Catholic

— Craig Brueske, Daily Herald