Here’s more from the Times area’s sidelines in Week 8 of the IHSA high school football season.

This time, Fighting Irish prevail in clash of styles

For a second consecutive regular season, Seneca got a different type of late-season test than what it was used to seeing.

Last season, Seneca failed that test in a Week 9 home loss to pass-heavy Durand-Pecatonica, the Irish’s only loss of the regular season.

This time, they passed – ironically by not passing – in a 39-36 victory over St. Joe-Ogden’s fast-paced, wide-open offense.

Key defensive stops sparked by a Rayce Aukland open-field tackle on fourth down, a Brady Sheedy quarterback sack, Wyatt Biffany’s forced fumble recovered by Ethan Othon and fourth-quarter tackles for loss by Zeb Maxwell, Cam Shriey and Othon overcame SJO QB Kodey McKinney and his array of weapons despite the fact the Spartans threw for 234 yards and finished with 385 yards from scrimmage.

“It’s what we talked about all week: Play our style, play our game, one play at a time, and we’re just going to do what we do and not worry about what they do,” Irish coach Terry Maxwell said. “They’re going to hit their plays. They’re great athletes, and they’ve got guys all over the place who can make plays.

“We just needed to hang in there one play at a time, move on to the next one and try to make a play on D.”

The last stop, at the Seneca 22-yard line with 7:02 remaining and the Irish clinging to a three-point lead, set up the run-heavy Irish offense to run out the clock.

“Our style kind of worked to our favor there,” Coach Maxwell said.

FCW going back-to-back-to-back

Friday night’s 42-30 win at Peoria Heights didn’t turn out to be an easy one, but it was a big one for the Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland co-op.

The Falcons seemed likely to make the 16-team Illinois 8-Man Football Association playoff bracket even before the victory, as the I8FA playoff cutoff historically has been kinder to 4-5 teams than the IHSA selection process, and FCW has a respectable if not overwhelming number of playoff points (combined opponents’ wins).

The Week 8 win all but clinched a spot for the Falcons, though, giving FCW three consecutive playoff appearances for just the third time in program history (including Flanagan, Woodland and the co-op). The last time FCW made the postseason three straight years was the first nine years of the co-op from 2006-2014, under four different head coaches.

Ottawa’s Farabaugh kicks to top of record book

Pirates senior Lucas Farabaugh kicked a 47-yard field goal at Rochelle last Friday which not only broke his own previous record but also put him second all-time in longest field goals in program history.

Here is a list of the longest field goals in Ottawa history.

49 Yards - Brad Chalus, 1987 vs Metamora

47 Yards - Lucas Farabaugh, 2025 vs Rochelle

44 Yards - Brett Lockas, 2001 vs Morton

44 Yards - Richard Klunder, 1984 vs La Salle-Peru

41 Yards - Lucas Farabaugh, 2024 vs Rochelle

38 Yards - Tristan Cunha, 2014 vs Chicago Leo

37 Yards - Tristan Cunha, 2013 vs La Salle-Peru

37 Yards - Harold Woodward, 1919 vs Princeton

36 Yards - Jack Miller, 2016 vs Kaneland

36 Yards - Tristan Cunha, 2013 vs Yorkville

35 Yards - Cam Loomis, 2023 vs Harvard

35 Yards - Harold Woodward, 1919 vs LP

33 Yards - Tristan Cunha, 2012 vs Normal

33 Yards - Cam Loomis, 2021 vs Streator