Game of the week

Bishop McNamara (4-0) at Aurora Christian (3-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Fightin’ Irish: Bishop McNamara’s offense scored more points in the first quarter of last week’s 75-0 win against Chicago Christian (42) than the Fightin’ Irish defense has allowed all season (34). Julius May has had three games of three or more rushing touchdowns, but he’s far from their lone weapon. Malachi Lee caught, ran and returned a punt for a touchdown, as May and Lee were two of six players who ran for touchdowns last week. They’re flying high at 4-0, but only Herscher (2-2) is at or above .500 on their early schedule. The slate gets tougher beginning this week.

About the Eagles: Aurora Christian’s offense was on fire last week, too, but the defense came up short in a 61-44 loss to Hope Academy. The Eagles will look to get most of their points via senior signal-caller Asa Johnson and the passing game, but a deep backfield that includes sophomore Jalen Callaway, the younger brother of McNamara’s Jordan Callaway, has some explosiveness too. The Eagles saw this meeting slip away in the form of a 17-14 loss at McNamara last year, one they’re ready to avenge in an attempt to stay in the Chicagoland Christian Conference hunt.

FND pick: Bishop McNamara

Southwest Valley Conference Green Division

Stagg (0-4) at Bradley-Bourbonnais (4-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Chargers: It’s been quite the discouraging start to the season for Stagg. After opening the year with a gut-punch of a 20-19 loss to Romeoville, the Chargers have lost their last three games to Oak Forest, Lincoln-Way Central and DeKalb by a combined 126-0 margin. The Chargers have stumbled in their last nine meetings with the Boilers, last defeating them in 2009.

About the Boilermakers: Bradley-Bourbonnais returns home after a 35-22 win over St. Louis’ St. Mary’s South Side Catholic Prep at Millikin University, looking to stay unbeaten not just in the conference, but on the season. Ellis Johnson has thrown for multiple touchdowns three times this season and has had all day to dissect opposing defenses behind an offensive line led by three-year starting guard Joel Morrical. The Boilers have a pivotal three-game stretch against Lincoln-Way Central, DeKalb and Lincoln-Way West after this, but don’t expect them to look past anyone.

FND pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais

Southland Athletic Conference

Kankakee (2-2) at Thornwood (1-3)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Kays: Not many teams around the state earned as impressive a win in Week 4 as Kankakee, who turned a 10-0 halftime deficit into a 28-17 win at Normal Community last Friday. Senior wide receiver/defensive back Cedric Terrell III is playing some of the best football in the state right now, following up a four-touchdown game in Week 3 against Thornridge with two touchdown catches against Normal, including the go-ahead score, and also sealing the deal with a pick six to give him seven total touchdowns the last two weeks.

About the Thunderbirds: Thornridge creamed Corliss 48-14 in Week 2, sandwiched around near upsets of Johnsburg and Rich Township, but in last week’s conference clash with Crete-Monee, the Thunderbirds had some weaknesses exposed in a 41-6 thrashing. Senior running back Antonio Benson Jr. will be their primary offensive focus both on the ground and in the air. If Kankakee’s red-hot defense can contain him, they shouldn’t have much issue getting over .500 for the first time this season.

FND pick: Kankakee

Illinois Central Eight Conference

Manteno (3-1, 1-1) at Wilmington (3-1, 2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Panthers: Manteno has had back-to-back games come down to the wire over the past two weeks, and the Panthers have managed to split those two games. It would be a surprise if the Panthers could extend their close game string to three in a row, as Wilmington may be punching above its weight class right now. QB Connor Harrod is a viable run/pass threat for Manteno, but he’s going to need help to make a real upset bid.

About the Wildcats: Wilmington rushed for about 500 yards in a win over Herscher in Week 4, and it seems almost bizarre to say, but the offense appears to be running better than it has in a while. Ryan Kettman continues to be an explosive offensive threat, and QB Billy Moore seems to want to get into the act as he ran for about 200 yards on six carries in the Herscher win.

FND Pick: Wilmington

Reed-Custer (2-2, 1-1) at Coal City (3-1, 1-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Comets: Reed-Custer is probably not that interested in moral victories, but a Week 4 loss to Manteno that was still up in the air in terms of the outcome is a sign of how far the Comets have already come. This Week 5 matchup is probably a bridge too far to expect the Comets to forge, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make this matchup a little more competitive than it has been recently.

About the Coalers: Is Coal City a passing team now? Week 4’s activity certainly seems to indicate they might be, or at the very least, we are likely to see a little bit more aerial in what has typically been a ground-based attack. It’s hard to argue with the results. QB Connor Henline completed eight first-half passes, and five of them went for scores as the Coalers built up a substantial lead and rolled to 3-1.

FND Pick: Coal City

Streator (1-3, 0-2) at Peotone (2-2, 1-1)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: After breezing to a Week 1 win over Decatur Eisenhower, Streator has found the sledding rather difficult. Streator’s problems are on multiple fronts. Defensively, they are giving up far too many points. And the Bulldogs have struggled to find offensive continuity, utilizing multiple quarterbacks in a loss to Coal City in Week 4 in an attempt to find some sort of spark.

About the Blue Devils: Peotone had a week of rest, but certainly not relaxation, as the Blue Devils try to make some adjustments from their second loss of the season to Wilmington back in Week 3. Peotone dabbled with a spread attack to try to surprise Wilmington in the loss, and it will be interesting to see if the diversion was simply a gadget based on the opposition or if it is something that Peotone tries to employ as an option to go along with what typically is a very ground-based attack.

FND Pick: Peotone

Vermilion Valley Conference

Clifton Central (4-0) at Watseka (1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Comets: Whatever talk coach Jeff Perzee gave to Clifton Central during last week’s 40-minute weather delay clearly paid off, as they outscored Oakwood 22-7 after that break just before the half to stay unbeaten and tied with Westville atop the conference. Brady Shule threw for a career-high 333 yards and four touchdowns in that game, giving him 831 yards and 15 touchdowns. Somewhat lost in the offense’s explosiveness is how good the Comets have been defensively. They’ve allowed just 42 points this year, half of them coming last week to an Oakwood offense in its lowest scoring game.

About the Warriors: After allowing just 28 total points through the first two weeks, the Watseka defense has struggled lately, allowing 48 points to Oakwood last week and 47 to Salt Fork last Friday. The offense has found some decent yardage, but has yet to put up more than 13 points in a game. While they’ve had a few one-possession matchups, most recently a 13-12 contest in 2022, the Warriors haven’t been victorious in this rivalry meeting since 2011.

FND pick: Clifton Central

Iroquois West (1-3) at Momence (1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: Following a pair of one-point games that they split, Iroquois West has since suffered back-to-back losses to Salt Fork and Bismarck-Henning by a combined 88-7 margin. But with a roster primarily composed of underclassmen, the middle of the season is where a young team like Iroquois West can start to turn a corner. That will be easier said than done at a Momence team still hungry to claw out from an 0-3 start, but expect the Raiders to find themselves in more competitive situations down the stretch.

About Momence: Finally. After three straight losses to fellow returning postseason qualifiers, Momence finally put one in the W column, getting 352 passing yards and five total touchdowns from four-year senior quarterback Erick Castillo. With some momentum under them, Momence now returns home for a homecoming tilt with a longtime rival as they look to claw back from their sluggish start and to their third straight postseason.

FND pick: Momence

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

South Fork/Edinburg/Morrisonville (4-0) at St. Anne (4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Ponies: Not only do the Ponies come to town with a perfect record, but they’ve yet to have a game decided by less than 20 points. They boast a dangerous offense led by running back George Bailey (472 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) and wide receiver Brody Lush, who has caught 350 of Brady Vanhooser’s 503 passing yards and three of his five touchdowns. The Ponies’ offense reached a season-high in scoring with 52 points against St. Thomas More.

About the Cardinals: St. Anne also enters Friday’s tilt with an undefeated record, getting the week off with a forfeit win over Schlarman last week. Only a bye week has stopped quarterback Grant Pomaranski and the Cardinals offense, as they’ve scored at least 30 points in each of their first three games played. After leaning on All-State star Chris Link and the running game last year, and although the ground game has been excellent again this fall, the passing game has taken the next step with the senior Pomaranski leading the huddle for the third year. He’ll have to be stellar again Friday if the Cardinals want to keep stride with the Ponies.

FND pick: St. Anne

Pawnee/Lincolnwood (4-0) at Milford/Cissna Park (4-0)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About the Indians: The defending I8FA State semifinalists have been running on all cylinders through the early stages of 2025, outscoring opponents 164-37. While the Indians have controlled this matchup as of late, winning the past two meetings by a combined 100-52 margin, the Bearcats had the last laugh in their first two meetings in the I8FA, including handing the Indians a 38-20 loss in the first round of the playoffs in their first meeting in 2021.

About the Bearcats: Senior quarterback Dierks Neukomm turned in one of the best single-game performances in Milford/Cissna Park history last week, running for 243 yards and six touchdowns and throwing for another touchdown and 189 yards in a 46-36 win over Martinsville. For the Bearcats to remain undefeated in this primetime matchup, he doesn’t have to necessarily repeat a performance of that magnitude, but a Milford/Cissna Park win would almost certainly feature Neukomm’s name all over the box score again.

FND pick: Milford/Cissna Park

Editor’s note: Herscher will receive a forfeit victory over Lisle this week and improve to 3-2.