Game of the Week

Herscher (1-1) at Manteno (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Tigers: For the better part of three quarters, Herscher had a real shot at its first 2-0 start in four years before Bishop McNamara pulled away late. Going from one rivalry game to another, the Tigers are now strolling into Manteno for their most fierce Illinois Central Eight Conference rivalry game. They flexed their muscle early on, finding chunk plays on the ground from Alek Draper, Jaxon Sukely and Mason Roberts behind one of the biggest, strongest offensive lines in the area. Four quarters of that consistent ground game will be key.

About the Panthers: Manteno quarterback Connor Harrod has picked up right where he left off each of the previous two seasons, totaling 254 passing yards, 261 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns. He’s got speedy weapons like Briggs Cann, who caught a touchdown in last week’s home win over Plano, and after seeing how the Fightin’ Irish used their speed last week, could look to do the same themselves. For young groups of offensive and defensive linemen, Friday’s challenge of the Tigers’ front will be their biggest challenge yet.

FND pick: Manteno

Southwest Valley Red Conference

Waubonsie Valley (0-2) at Bradley-Bourbonnais (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: The 0-2 record Waubonsie Valley brings to Bradley is probably a bit deceptive, as the Warriors have played traditionally strong programs Neuqua Valley and New Trier to a combined 45-27 margin. And with a 0-2 mark as conference play unfolds, they also know that while it’s not must-win time quite yet as far as playoff aspirations go, a 0-3 start would start to sound that alarm. Quarterback Colin Ford will be just as much a part of a rushing attack that eclipsed 200 yards at New Trier last week as he will be the pass game.

About the Boilermakers: As antsy as Bradley-Bourbonnais was to start the season, even the biggest Boilermaker fans couldn’t have envisioned quite this excellent a start, winning their first two games by a combined 83-7 tally. They held a potent Crete-Monee offense in check last week, with the experienced defensive line play of Tye Thurmond, Dareon Warren, Khalan Clemens and Braden O’Connor bringing the heat up front. They’ll look to stuff the run game this week and give their own electric offense good field position to go for 40-plus points for the third straight week.

FND pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais

Southland Athletic Conference

Kankakee (0-2) at Thornridge (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Kays: Speaking of 0-2 records, the Kays opened their season with a pair of defending state champions in Nazareth and Lincoln-Way East, who are currently fifth and second in the Friday Night Drive Power Rankings. Falling behind 41-0 in the first half at Lincoln-Way East obviously isn’t ideal, but the Griffins seem on their way to season-long dominance, and the Kays gave Nazareth a fight for three quarters. They remain the favorites in the Southland, and they’ll look to show that’s still the case with a dominant effort Friday.

About the Falcons: After a heartbreaking 27-26 season-opening loss to Joliet Central, the Falcons struggled in their home opener, a 47-6 loss to Oak Lawn last Friday. Since moving to the Southland in 2019, the Kays have been an extra prickly thorn in the Falcons’ side, with Thornridge losing four meetings by a combined 212-0 margin.

FND pick: Kankakee

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Christ the King (0-2) at Bishop McNamara (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Gladiators: After a 3-0 start last season, this year’s 0-2 start gives Christ the King an eight-game losing streak as they come to Kankakee this week, falling to Proviso West and Aurora Central Catholic by a combined 10 points. It’s the first conference game of the year for a young Gladiators team quarterbacked by freshman Zylin Lewis, who makes his Chicagoland Christian Conference debut at a McNamara team that’s forced six turnovers through two weeks.

About the Fightin’ Irish: Bishop McNamara is enjoying its most momentous two-week span in four years and first 2-0 start since a run to the 2018 Class 4A State championship game after pulling away at Herscher last week. Their triple option offense and an impressive first two weeks of offensive line play have opened things up for senior running back Julius May, who’s totaled 334 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He might hit double digits by the end of Friday’s game.

FND pick: Bishop McNamara

Illinois Central Eight Conference

Streator (1-1, 0-0) at Reed-Custer (1-1, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: After rolling to an easy win in its opener against Decatur Eisenhower, Streator came crashing back to reality as it was overwhelmed by long-time rival Ottawa in Week 2. The Bulldogs struggled to get much of a foothold in the trenches, and despite running the ball quite a lot, only mustered about four yards a carry in the process.

About the Comets: Reed-Custer captured just one victory last season, but the Comets didn’t waste much time putting one on the board this season, earning new head coach Joe Turek his first varsity coaching victory in the process. Although the Week 2 opponent, Harvard, wouldn’t be defined as the strongest, the fact that Reed-Custer was able to toss a shutout in the win is a great sign for the squad’s defense moving forward.

FND pick: Reed-Custer

Peotone (1-1, 0-0) at Wilmington (1-1, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Blue Devils: Peotone had no trouble in Week 1, stacking up 60-plus points in its win against Granite City. The tables were turned on them in Week 2 when a rugged Marengo team took Peotone to task. RB Tucker Cain is a bruising runner in the mold that Peotone likes to build around, but for the Blue Devils to get where they want to go, he’ll need a little help.

About the Wildcats: As expected, Wilmington took out its frustrations on Sandwich after suffering an extremely rare regular-season loss to Morris back in Week 1. The Wildcats rushed for well over 400 yards on just 29 carries as both Ryan Kettman and Billy Moore each ran at least 100 yards. Wilmington also held Sandwich to just 115 yards of total offense.

FND pick: Wilmington

Bloom (2-0) at Coal City (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Blazing Trojans: Bloom is off to a 2-0 start as the program tries to rebuild under former Simeon coach Dante Culbreath. And while Bloom is undefeated, the Blazing Trojans’ wins have come over a pair of programs (Argo and Gage Park) with almost no pedigree to speak of. Bloom might have a hard time matching up with Coal City in the trenches, but they do have a few athletes who can provide some difficulties.

About the Coalers: Despite a Week 2 loss to a very solid Richmond-Burton team, Coal City seems to be finding its way post Landin Benson. The Coalers are throwing the ball a little more than they typically do, but QB Connor Henline is a capable pilot of the offense that can stretch the field. Logan Natyshok seems to be filling some of the void in the backfield, and he’s also more than capable of being deployed as a receiver in the passing attack.

FND pick: Coal City

Vermilion Valley Conference

Georgetown-Ridge Farm (1-1) at Clifton Central (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Buffaloes: After a Week 1 upset of Watseka, Georgetown-Ridge Farm ran into an Oakwood team full of momentum and took the brunt of a 51-8 final last week. They now turn their sights on a Clifton Central team that’s as hot as anyone in the VVC. Save for a 27-20 loss two years ago, the Buffaloes haven’t been within 40 points of the Comets since the Vermilion Valley Conference began its current format in 2021.

About the Comets: Brady Shule put himself and Clifton Central back on the statewide map with his six touchdown passes in a five-score win over Momence last week. Evan Cox and the ground game haven’t been asked to do much while the passing game and defense have done so much scoring, but it’s only a matter of time – perhaps as early as Friday – until the ground game proves to be just as lethal as the passing game was last week. Provided they can stay healthy, this Clifton Central squad will have more and more say in the Class 1A conversation.

FND pick: Clifton Central

Momence (0-2) at Westville (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Momence: They knew that there could be some growing pains with a lot of holes left to graduation, but Momence now sits at 0-2 with a trip to a Westville team that’s just as hot as the Clifton Central team they fell to last week. Momence is always going to have a chance with Erick Castillo at quarterback, but he needs to have time for his receivers to get open or holes when he tucks it and runs. They figure to find themselves with a good shot at the Class 1A postseason field regardless of this week’s outcome, but a road upset would ease a lot of stress from Kankakee County’s eastern edge.

About the Tigers: Westville was the second team in as many weeks to earn a statement win against defending VVC champion Bismarck-Henning last week and has outscored opponents 103-21 through two games. They were on the wrong side of a 15-14 meeting at Momence last year, leaving this Friday circled on their calendar. There’s no doubt the Tigers have seen the 2-0 starts that Oakwood and Clifton Central have gotten off to, and winning at home is something they’ll need to do to keep pace atop the conference.

FND pick: Westville

Watseka (1-1) at Oakwood (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: Following their Week 1 stumble to Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Watseka will certainly take a 1-1 record after a 7-6 win over rival Iroquois West last week. The defense was phenomenal last week and solid in Week 1, a theme that will need to remain against a Comets offense that’s already tallied 78 points. Running back Dennis Goodman went over 100 yards last week, and if he can add a touchdown or two, the Warriors could find enough juice to keep stride.

About the Comets: The arrow has been pointing up in Oakwood last year, and that’s continued early into 2025. Junior quarterback Alex Wallace threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win over Georgetown-Ridge Farm, while the rushing attack also totaled over 200 yards in a balanced offensive display. The Watseka defense will presumably provide a stiffer challenge, but this offense can gain yards in bunches.

FND pick: Oakwood

Salt Fork (1-1) at Iroquois West (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Storm: It’s been a tale of two weeks for Salt Fork, which rallied from a 54-13 throttling from Westville with a 41-0 blowout of Hoopeston in Week 2. At a young, energetic and improved Raiders team Friday, things are more likely to fall somewhere in the middle. Save for a 23-20 loss to the Raiders in 2022, the Storm have won the other three meetings since the Sangamon Valley Conference merged with the VVC in 2021.

About the Raiders: After one win in 2023 and 2024 combined, Iroquois West had a very real chance of a 2-0 start before falling by a point to Watseka last week. The upperclassmen may be few and far between, but seniors like speedster running back Christian Gaytan would love to bring the Raiders back to relevance this fall. An upset of the Storm would certainly help that case, but that largely youngwhich offense will have to keep maturing to take down a perennial playoff program.

FND pick: Salt Fork

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

Hutsonville/Palestine (0-2) at St. Anne (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Hutsonville/Palestine: It’s been a tough start for Hutsonville/Palestine, which has been outscored 112-8 on the season. That’s coming on the heels of a winless 2024 debut season in the I8FA. The remaining two-thirds of a co-op that used to include Oblong, the program last won a game in 2021.

About the Cardinals: St. Anne quarterback Grant Pomaranski completed all seven of his passes last week, including three for touchdowns, in a no-doubter against Meridian. They’ve been one of the most dominant 8-Man teams through the early chunk of the schedule, unbeaten with a 71-6 scoring margin. They’ve found the end zone multiple times through both the air and ground in each of their first two games, and as some of the younger contributors catch up to speed around their solid three-year core, the Cardinals can only expect to improve as the year goes on.

FND pick: St. Anne

Oblong (1-1) at Milford/Cissna Park (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Panthers: After a brief co-op with Hutsonville/Palestine, the Panthers are in year two of their solo excursion through the I8FA. They had a relatively successful 3-6 venture a year ago, but in year two, they’ve got eyes on their first playoff appearance of any kind in nine years and just their third in school history. A trip to one of the most consistent 8-Man programs in the state would give them a chance to earn a statement-making upset.

About the Bearcats: Dierks Neukomm has developed into the latest of a string of dual-threat quarterbacks to excel in the Bearcats’ quarterback-friendly system. The third-year starter already was just that before this year, but with 342 passing yards and five touchdowns and 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns already this fall, his 2025 may be one for the ages. He’s far from the only explosive talent with the ball in their hands, as Mario Martinez, Skylar Estay, Braydon Forbes, Jace Comstock and Jream Renteria have all found the end zone this year.

FND pick: Milford/Cissna Park