Southwest Valley Red

Andrew (1-1, 0-0) at Lincoln-Way West (2-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: Lincoln-Way West showed a flair for the dramatic in Week 2, engineering a drive in less than three minutes that ended with Jahan Abubakar scoring with just under 12 seconds remaining, allowing the Warriors to edge Lockport. The Warriors continue to get strong play from Abubakar, as he rushed for 140 yards against Lockport, but the Lincoln-Way defensive unit also continues to earn its stripes. DB Chase Markowitz, an Illinois State recruit, pulls double duty, but he is just one of a number of standouts for the Warriors on that side of the ball.

About the T-Bolts: Andrew regrouped nicely from a shaky opening loss to Sandburg in putting up 44 points in a win over Plainfield South in Week 2. That offensive surge has been paced by the efforts of RB/WR Landon Paredes, who notched three touchdowns in the Plainfield South win and must be accounted for.

Friday Night Drive pick: Lincoln-Way West

Stagg (0-2, 0-0) at Lincoln-Way Central (2-0, 0-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Chargers: Things haven’t started swimmingly for the Chargers, as after getting clipped by one point in their season opener against Romeoville, Oak Forest drubbed them in Week 2, 42-0. The schedule-maker hasn’t been very kind. This marks the third consecutive game on Stagg’s schedule against an opponent without a loss.

About the Knights: Lincoln-Way Central amassed about 500 yards of total offense in its win over Providence, but it may have come at a cost. RB Luke Tingley, who had run for well over 100 yards early in the game, was lost with what appeared to be a serious injury. The Knights soldiered on, however, and got a nice performance from RB Justin Cobbs, who ran for nearly 200 yards after Tingley’s departure. Lincoln-Way Central also showed a variety of offensive success paths, as QB Drew Woodburn and WR Lucas Andresen hooked up for a pair of touchdowns.

FND pick: Lincoln-Way Central

Southwest Valley Blue

Neuqua Valley (1-1, 0-0) at Lincoln-Way East (2-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Griffins: Another week, another easy win for Lincoln-Way East, which sent the running clock in motion for the entire second half of a Week 2 win over Kankakee. QB Jonas Williams tacked on another three touchdown passes to his ever-growing total, but yet another tip of the cap needs to be directed in the path of the Griffins’ defense, which tossed its second consecutive shutout and added a few takeaways to its impressive efforts thus far.

About the Wildcats: For the second consecutive season, Neuqua Valley came up short in a Week 2 nonconference game against Minooka. The Wildcats fell by two points for the second consecutive year. If Neuqua Valley wants to avoid slipping under the .500 mark, the offense is going to need to crank it up several notches behind QB Drake Mennecke, which seems like a tall task against a Lincoln-Way East defensive unit that has yet to surrender a point.

FND pick: Lincoln-Way East

Homewood-Flossmoor (1-1, 0-0) at Lockport (1-1, 0-0)

When: 6:15 p.m. Friday

About the Porters: Lockport was one defensive stop away from moving to 2-0 on the season, but the Porters surrendered a late score to Lincoln-Way West. Even with the loss, it appears the Porters have a pretty good blueprint for how they plan to attack opponents, leaning on a good defense and coupling that with a heavy workload for bruising RB Chris Miller, who put forth another 100-plus yard effort in the Lincoln-Way West loss.

About the Vikings: Homewood-Flossmoor has clearly made a few strides under new coach Troy McCallister, but its offense hit a little bit of a roadblock in a loss to St. Charles North in Week 2. The Vikings did post 44 points in a season-opening win over Bolingbrook, but might be hard-pressed to stack points against a Lockport defensive front that has proved to be stingy thus far.

FND pick: Lockport

Southwest Prairie East

Plainfield East (2-0, 0-0) at Joliet Central (1-1, 0-0)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Bengals: Plainfield East hasn’t made a playoff appearance since 2021, but it seems well on its way to doing so, taking into account what it has done so far. The Bengals have stacked up 110 points through two games while allowing just two, and while it seems silly to think they could keep up this pace for the entire season, progress has clearly been made. QB Brody Cloherty and RB David Croom have emerged as quite the one-two punch.

About the Steelmen: Joliet Central didn’t have to wait long to get back in the win column, as it toppled Thornridge in Week 1, but the Steelmen’s long-standing bugaboo – keeping opponents off the scoreboard in bunches – re-emerged in Week 2 in a loss to West Chicago, where they surrendered 64 points. In order for Joliet Central to make any real strides toward stringing wins together, major defensive improvements are going to have to be made.

FND pick: Plainfield East

Plainfield South (0-2, 0-0) at Joliet West (0-2, 0-0)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Cougars: Plainfield South leaned heavily on its defense last season during a run to a divisional title, but so far the Cougars haven’t had nearly that level of success. Granted, two playoff regulars – Pekin and Andrew – made up the nonconference schedule, but giving up 72 points to those two teams gives Plainfield South reason for some pause.

About the Tigers: Joliet West made a lot of progress from Week 1 to Week 2, but still has some work to do. That’s to be expected from a team that had over half of its roster making their first varsity appearances over the last two games, but the quick learning curve seems to be acceptable to a few Tigers, most notably QB Landon Mars, who tossed a pair of touchdowns in the Week 2 loss to Yorkville.

FND pick: Plainfield South

Romeoville (2-0, 0-0) at Plainfield Central (1-1, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Spartans: Romeoville is already in relative rarified air after improving to 2-0 with a win over Tinley Park in Week 2. A win here would put the Spartans well on the path to their first playoff berth since 2013. The Spartans are going to be careful not to put the cart before the horse, though, especially after falling one game short of reaching the playoffs after finishing 4-5 a year ago, Romeoville’s first season with more than two wins since 2016.

About the Wildcats: Plainfield Central snapped a season-plus losing streak with a win over Waukegan in Week 1, but everything went wrong in Week 2, as it found itself down 34-0 at halftime before eventually succumbing 49-7 to Metea Valley. A lot of Plainfield Central’s defensive problems resurfaced in the Week 2 loss.

FND pick: Romeoville

Southwest Prairie West

Minooka (1-1, 0-0) at Yorkville (2-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Indians: Minooka squeaked out a 16-14 win over Neuqua Valley in Week 2, a much-needed win for the Indians after a tough last-minute loss to St. Charles North in the opener. Minooka has gotten bursts of offense from QB Zane Caves and RB Chase Nurczyk, but some more consistency would be welcomed. Minooka’s defense has been fairly solid, as witnessed by containing Neuqua Valley rather well in Week 2.

About the Foxes: Yorkville continues to use defense as a foundation. The Foxes have held their first two opponents (St. Patrick and Joliet West) to a combined 20 points. Yorkville hasn’t been prolific on offense, but QB Jack Beetham and crew seem to be doing just enough to get by thus far. That might get put to the test here.

FND pick: Minooka

Bolingbrook (1-1, 0-0) at Oswego (2-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: Bolingbrook has had little trouble posting points in the early going, as the Raiders stacked up 44 of them in a Week 2 win over Chicago Simeon. The Raiders have also given up more than their fair share of points, and odds are they will need to become a bit more defensive-minded in the Southwest Prairie.

About the Panthers: Oswego has been one of the surprises from the early season. Last year’s team rolled through the regular season with a 9-0 record, but it was believed the Panthers would take a step back with substantial losses to graduation. But if anything, Oswego has been even more impressive, stacking up relatively easy wins over both Naperville Central and Geneva. QB Drew Kleinhans has been sound to start the year, and that, coupled with a good defense, could be dangerous.

FND pick: Oswego

Oswego East (2-0, 0-0) at Plainfield North (0-2, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Wolves: Oswego East was a bit of a wild card opening the season, but it is starting to look like the Wolves are going to be a problem for the opposition if they can duplicate early-season performances. RB Jasiah Watson has become something of a menace for opponents to stop and rushed for over 200 yards in a Week 2 win over Willowbrook. Both of Oswego East’s wins have come over playoff qualifiers from last season.

About the Tigers: Plainfield North expected some early growing pains with an extremely youthful roster. However, the Tigers will probably admit that the sting is lingering a bit longer than they had hoped. Plainfield North has scored just three points in its first two games, both losses to strong opponents (Lockport and York), and the hope is the unit can slowly start piecing some more productivity together as its defense tries to get a tighter handle on things.

FND pick: Oswego East

CCL/ESCC crossover

Providence (1-1) at Carmel (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Celtics: Providence dropped its Week 2 matchup with Lincoln-Way Central, starting strong with a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes. But things went downhill from there on the offensive side, and they weren’t able to offset significant problems on the defensive side, where they surrendered nearly 500 yards of total offense.

About the Corsairs: Carmel has been clicking on all cylinders through the first two weeks, throttling Lake Forest in Week 2. Nebraska commit QB Trae Taylor was particularly sharp in the win, throwing for 300-plus yards with four passing touchdowns and two rushing scores. Taylor can extend plays, and that’s going to be a big issue for Providence, which struggled to get Lincoln-Way Central off the field in Week 2.

FND pick: Carmel

Joliet Catholic (0-2) at Fenwick (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Hilltoppers: Joliet Catholic dropped to 0-2, and while that’s concerning moving forward, considering the Hilltoppers’ remaining schedule, the quality of competition they faced has a lot to do with the predicament. The Hilltoppers almost pulled a win out of the fire at Glenbard West in Week 2, showcasing a passing attack that is quite the variance from what the Hilltoppers usually feature. QB Lucas Simulick doesn’t lack downfield throwing skill, and WR Jayden Armstrong looks like a legitimate threat to cause all kinds of problems for foes if given the opportunity.

About the Friars: Fenwick is one of four remaining teams on Joliet Catholic’s schedule that doesn’t yet have a loss on its schedule (giving JCA a total of six opponents that are currently 2-0). The Friars were a bit of an unknown as to how they would adjust to life without Nate Marshall, now at Michigan, but the defense doesn’t seem to have missed much of a beat, allowing just 14 points combined in comfortable wins over DePaul Prep and Oak Park-River Forest.

FND pick: Joliet Catholic

South Suburban Blue

Bremen (0-2, 0-0) at Lemont (0-2, 0-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Braves: Bremen is off to a rough start this season with back-to-back losses to Taft and Grayslake Central. Offensively, the Braves got a little bit better in Week 2, but they are still prone to giving up too many points. WR Kishawn Gantt is a playmaker for the Braves and must be attended to.

About Lemont: Lemont once again found its rigorous nonconference schedule, leaving it with a sour taste in its mouth. Although competitive in losses to both Libertyville and Kaneland, Lemont once again finds itself reliant on making some serious damage and gathering momentum in the conference portion of its schedule if it wants to get where it wants to go.

FND pick: Lemont

Illinois Central Eight

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 fully turned in Week 2 when a rugged Marengo team took Peotone to task. RB Tucker Cain is a bruising runner in the mold Peotone likes to build around, but in order for the Blue Devils to get where they want to go, he’ll need help.

About the Wildcats: As expected, Wilmington took out its frustrations on Sandwich after suffering a 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 for 100-plus yards. Wilmington also held Sandwich to 115 yards of total offense.

FND pick: Wilmington

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 longtime 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 4 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 moving forward.

FND pick: Reed-Custer

Nonconference

Morris (2-0) at Peoria High (2-0)

When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday

About Morris: Morris has taken on a workman-like mentality over its first two games, both wins. Instead of opting for a shootout in Week 2 against Mahomet-Seymour, Morris instead leaned on a gritty defensive effort and some power running from Caedan Curran, who ran for 183 yards and two scores.

About the Lions: Peoria High has had Morris’ number over the past few seasons, and the high-octane offense for the Lions seems to be operating at the same level, scoring 100 points in its first two games, both victories. Peoria outdueled Morris last year in a 58-52 clash and also scored at will in a 76-56 win in the 2022 Class 5A semifinals.

FND pick: Peoria High

Seneca (2-0) at Clinton (0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Fighting Irish: Seneca’s high-powered rushing attack was at it again, running for over 300 yards as it dominated Week 2 Sangamon Valley and inflicted the running clock for the entire second half. Seneca’s defense also shone, holding the Storm to just over 100 yards.

About the Maroons: Clinton has had all sorts of problems keeping opponents from scoring thus far this season, which doesn’t bode well heading into this contest. Clinton has given up 91 points in losses to Moweaqua Central A&M and Warrensburg-Latham.

FND pick: Seneca

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 solid Richmond-Burton team, Coal City seems to be finding its way post-Landon Benson. The Coalers are throwing the ball a little more, but QB Connor Henline is a capable pilot who 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

Dwight (2-0) at Shelbyville (1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Trojans: Dwight took a week longer to get on-field action after receiving a forfeit win over Lisle. The Trojans played solidly in Week 2, easily upending Rock Island Alleman, taking advantage of several short-field scoring opportunities while running for nearly 300 yards. The Trojans’ rush defense was also very good, limiting Alleman to a little over a yard per carry on 40 Pioneer rushing attempts.

About the Rams: Shelbyville might bring a little more stern a challenge to Dwight than expected. The Rams enter at 1-1, having just been edged out by Tuscola in Week 1 (16-14) before regrouping last week for a two-touchdown victory over what appears to be a pretty solid Moweaqua Central A&M squad.

FND pick: Dwight