Southwest Valley Red

Andrew (4-3, 2-2) at DeKalb (2-5, 1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Thunderbolts: They lost to Lincoln-Way Central 28-21 last week and need a win to likely secure a playoff berth. They face Bradley-Bourbonnais (6-1) in Week 9. Linebacker Grant Ruppert had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the loss. Quarterback Camden Maniatis caught a touchdown pass from running back Landon Paredes on a trick play and threw one to Jameson O’Reilly.

[ 2025 IHSA playoff outlook for Week 8: What do DeKalb County teams need to do to make the field of 256? ]

About the Barbs: With their playoff hopes all but ended, they have the perfect chance to spoil Andrew’s quest to make the postseason. DeKalb lost 54-21 at home to the Thunderbolts last year. Over the past two weeks, wide receiver Davon Grant became the Barbs’ career leader in receptions and receiving yards. The Barbs lost to Bradley-Bourbonnais last week, 48-19. Coach Derek Schneeman said he liked how the running game, led by Travis Moore, performed early. He said Andrew has been susceptible to the run this year and hopes the Barbs can sustain a ground attack. Schneeman said it’s about the basics for the Barbs - tackling and blocking. He said the competition has been tough the last three weeks, with the Barbs losing to Lincoln-Way Central (6-1) 45-7 and Lincoln-Way West (7-0) 52-21. He said some of the struggles have been inflicted by the opposition, but some are self-inflicted.

Friday Night Drive pick: Andrew

Interstate 8

Sycamore (4-3, 3-1) at Morris (7-0, 4-0)

When: 7 p.m.

About the Spartans: Vasilios Arhos has been surging at running back for the Spartans, topping 100 yards last week in a 34-28 win against La Salle-Peru. He’s the team’s leading rusher with 384 yards on 48 carries, an average of 8 yards per carry. The team has forced seven interceptions this season, including three by Josiah Mitchell. Coach Joe Ryan said he expects the Spartans to have their hands full against a Morris team he believes is undefeated for a reason. He said the team needs to tackle better than it did against the Cavaliers and will need to score every opportunity it gets to keep pace with a Morris team scoring almost 38 points per game. A win would give the Spartans a share of the Interstate 8 title.

About Morris: Morris continued to roll through the regular season even though it was without the services of leading rusher Caeden Curran, out in a lopsided win over Ottawa. RB Mick Smith had another strong performance, this time leading the way in the rushing game. The somewhat unheralded piece in this attack is a strong defensive unit, one that has allowed just 35 points in four league games to date. A win here would lock up the Interstate 8 Conference crown for Morris before it wraps up the regular season with an out-of-state opponent, Byron Center.

Friday Night Drive pick: Morris

Kaneland (5-2, 2-2) at La Salle-Peru (2-5, 1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: They dropped a 21-20 game to Rochelle last week, keeping them from notching an automatic playoff bid. Coach Michael Thogresen said the defense just couldn’t get the Hubs off the field. Rochelle controlled the ball for 32:41 and had 19 first downs. He said he liked how the offense moved the ball aside from the last drive, when a turnover sealed the Rochelle win. The extra time on the field for the defense led to some big numbers, including 17 tackles for Brady Alstott and 10 for Jackson Slifka. Jackson Little and Luke Gadomski had eight tackles, and they each had one of the team’s two tackles for a loss.

About the Cavaliers: Marion Persich helped spark a comeback last week against Sycamore. With his team down 27-7, he ended up running for 208 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries and threw for 76 yards. The rally fell short in the 34-28 loss. L-P has still only defeated Ottawa this year, with a 41-24 win in Week 3 and a 28-14 victory in Week 6.

Friday Night Drive pick: Kaneland

Big Northern Conference

Genoa-Kingston (3-4, 3-3) at Rock Falls (0-7, 0-6)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cogs: Genoa-Kingston needs this one to keep its postseason hopes alive with Dixon (6-1) lurking in Week 9. They’re fresh off a 55-7 loss to an undefeated Byron team that hasn’t won a game by less than three touchdowns this year. Coach Cam Davekos said the Rockets had some chunk plays against IVC last week, so the defense will have to play physical. Quarterback Cody Cravatta had the lone touchdown last week, a pass to Blake Ides. He’s also had big plays at linebacker and on special teams, with multiple blocked kicks this year.

About the Rockets: The Rockets fell to IVC (1-6) 28-0 last week to stay winless. They dominated time of possession in the first half, but struggled in the second half. Logan Thome led the Rockets on the ground and also had a fumble recovery. Peighton Ashford recovered a first-half fumble as well.

Friday Night Drive pick: Genoa-Kingston

Eight-man

Polo (6-1) at Hiawatha (5-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Marcos: They’ve been an 8-man power, winning the state title in 2021 and reaching the semis every year since. After a 28-6 loss to Milledgeville, they’ve won their last three games by a combined 156-22, including 50-8 against River Ridge. It was the 100th career win for coach Ted Alston.

About the Hawks: The Hawks rolled to a 54-6 win against Rockford Christian Life. Mason Alm had a blocked punt, and Alex Panzer had a fumble recovery in the win. Coach Kenny McPeek said he feels the Hawks are ready for the challenge of facing Polo, and he’s hoping to see some smart football from his Hawks.

Friday Night Drive pick: Polo