Week 6 is a very important week when it comes to high school football.

For some schools, it’s a chance to solidify their spot in the playoffs, while others fight to keep their hopes for November football alive for another week.

But for Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles North and St. Charles East, Week 6 is much more than that.

It’s a battle for bragging rights over a heated rival. And things are sure to be heated in this year’s iteration of rivalry week.

From a homecoming in a crosstown rival’s colors, to two reigning conference champions looking for a crucial victory, here’s a look at how the Tri-City teams stand heading into their rivalry matchups.

St. Charles East gets back in the win column

The start of the 2025 season has been a bit rough for the Saints.

From dealing with some crucial injuries across the board, including to star running back Xander Salazar, to giving up 30 or more points in each of its first four games, it took the team some time to adjust to the drastic changes.

But Week 5 showed some promise for the Saints, as they snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 24-20 victory over Wheaton North for their first win of the season.

And for East coach Nolan Possley, it was the fact that it was a true team effort that stood out to him the most.

“The way these guys have jelled together despite the adversity has been incredible,” Possley said. “Everything came to fruition in that game, and it was really cool to see just an all-around team victory, with every phase contributing in the game.”

Part of the reason for the connection has come with the improved confidence of sophomore quarterback Cruz Herrera. After being held scoreless in a season-opening loss to Lincoln-Way Central, Herrera has put up multi-touchdown performances in the last four games, including three passing scores against the Falcons.

“He’s been pretty fantastic, and the cool thing is just how composed he is as a sophomore,” Possley said. “He really understands the offense and knows how to get guys in the right position, and he does a great job seeing the defense pre-snap and getting the ball to either Sheko (Gjokaj) or Gavin (Matejko), who’ve been amazing in taking him under their wing.”

Possley said that the win comes as a big confidence booster heading into the crosstown rivalry matchup against St. Charles North, where they currently have a five-game losing streak that they’ll definitely be looking to snap.

And with the team very familiar with the opposing team’s starting quarterback, it’s adding even more fuel to the fire.

“This game is always going to give these guys a heightened sense of emotion and a greater level of focus heading into it,” Possley said. “We’ve told them to channel all of that energy into being productive. Our guys have that extra chip on their shoulder and motivation at practice, and I think they’re just going to use any of that fuel that it might bring to win the rep in front of them.”

After monster game with St. Charles North, JT Padron returns to old home

St. Charles North had its homecoming after Week 3 of the football season. St. Charles East had its back in Week 5.

But for St. Charles North quarterback JT Padron, he’ll be having a homecoming of his own in Week 6.

Padron, who started in five games for the Saints last season before going down with an injury, will be heading back to his old stomping grounds on Friday for the first time since transferring across town.

The senior is coming off one of his most impressive starts as a North Star, completing 30 of 56 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns, including one with 0.9 second remaining in the game, and completing a two-point conversion to secure a 43-42 come-from-behind victory over Batavia.

“I don’t think I’ve thrown that many passes, but I was definitely blessed,” Padron said Friday. “Couldn’t thank my O-Line enough, they gave me incredible protection the whole game.”

Padron’s efforts under center have been a crucial part to the North Stars’ success. The senior has put up 12 passing touchdowns on the season, and has helped the team to comeback victories against both Batavia and Minooka.

“JT is a freaking animal, man,” St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak said. “It takes what it takes. You never know where winning is going to show up. That’s why every play matters.”

Despite the pressure of going back to a place he used to go home, Padron is focused on getting the team its first undefeated season since 2022.

“It means so much, but we’ve just got to stay humble and finish the job,” Padron said. “Take it one game at a time.”

Geneva finds its groove on both sides of ball

It was a bit of a slow burn for the Vikings to start the season.

After a 56-0 victory over Larkin, the Vikings suffered back-to-back losses against both Oswego and St. Charles North, putting up just a touchdown in each of those contests.

But in Weeks 4 and 5, it’s been a positive growth for the Vikings, who secured big victories over Wheaton Warrenville South and Lake Park to come into the rivalry game against Batavia with a winning record.

“Just about every position we’ve been improving, not just with the offense but as a team,” Vikings coach Boone Thorgesen said. “It’s very encouraging as a coach to see improvement every week. As you get to this stage of the season, you find out what team you are and become a well-oiled machine, so it’s really encouraging.”

While the offense has come to light in those two victories, it’s been the defense that’s been the highlight so far this season. The Vikings have allowed just 69 points through five games this season, including just 34 points through three DuKane Conference games, which are both far and away the lowest marks in the conference.

“They’ve just been an incredibly aggressive defense,” Thorgesen said. “They’ve got some confidence and have some guys who’ve played a lot of football for us back there.

“We’ve played some pretty good offenses the last couple of weeks, and to limit those points is just a tremendous effort and execution from those guys.”

And while a lot of it has to do with the play of the very experienced defense, which had two interceptions and limited Lake Park to 17 points a week ago, it also has to do with the Vikings’ ability to keep the ball out of the opposing offense’s hands, with the team having three consecutive games where an offensive drive has exceeded seven minutes.

That strategy will be fully put to the test against the Bulldogs, who are coming into the game as the highest-scoring offense in the league. And with a chance for the Vikings to start a winning streak of their own after snapping a 13-game losing streak against Batavia a season ago, Thorgesen is more than ready for the challenge.

“Batavia has a tremendous skill set on offense, so it’s going to be a tremendous challenge,” Thorgesen said. “We’ve just got to go out there and execute against a very good football team. And it’s all going to come down to who executes better. You never know what play’s going to break the game open.”

Batavia offense still flying high despite shocking loss

The Bulldogs have played two different types of games during the 2025 season.

The first type is a blowout victory. The second is a devastating loss decided within the final second of a game.

And unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they’re coming off of a week where they had the second type of game, falling 43-42 to the North Stars just a week ago.

“That was just a brutal ending,” Bulldogs coach Dennis Piron said. “There’s just so many different details in the game that could’ve changed the result.

“It’s really disappointing because we played a really good football game and it was a hell of a game. But this one’s going to sting for a while.”

Despite the loss, it was another great showing from the Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball, with quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns, both season-highs.

Batavia leads the DuKane Conference both in average points per game (36) and yards per game (400) heading into rivalry week, where they’ll not only be looking to avenge their Week 5 loss, but also a 30-7 loss to Geneva a season ago that snapped its 13-game winning streak in the rivalry.