Joel Castillo has had it written on his bedroom wall since the eve of fall football practice.

August 10, 2025. Conference champions.

Yorkville perhaps has not discussed it as a team goal, but winning a conference championship has been on the mind of its junior receiver/cornerback since the start.

“Seeing it every day on the wall and wanting it, I took that to heart,” Castillo said. “From the get-go, after we saw what we were predicted to do this season, we’ve had a chip on our shoulders. We wanted to prove everybody wrong. We hoped to get to this spot.”

That spot is a matchup Friday at conference co-leader Bolingbrook (6-2, 3-1) for the Southwest Prairie Conference West Division championship.

The Foxes (7-1, 3-1), with a win, can wrap up their second league championship and first outright title since joining the Southwest Prairie in 2019.

Yorkville coach Dan McGuire, nose to the grindstone, didn’t really wish to dwell on the implications of this particular game.

“We will worry about looking back on things later,” McGuire said. “It’s another challenge that our kids have done a good job handling, taking it week by week. There is not a game this year that we have not been challenged, had things go wrong, and responded every game to some adversity. Proud of our kids for that.”

The matchup pits a Bolingbrook offense that has scored a league-best 311 points this season against a Yorkville defense that’s allowed the second-fewest, 99.

The headliner for a Bolingbrook offense that’s topped 30 points in six of eight games is junior running back TJ Lewis, who holds Big Ten offers from Indiana, Wisconsin and Purdue.

Last week, with Minooka keying on Lewis, junior quarterback Tyson Ward rushed for 186 yards and four TDs.

Defensively, sophomore edge Darieon Prescott has offers from the likes of Notre Dame and Ohio State.

“Offensively, they’ve got some guys that can change the game; defensively we have to make sure we can limit those big plays,” McGuire said. “They have some explosive kids that will capitalize when they seed blood in the water. We can’t let them happen. Limit our mistakes, penalties. We have to stay in 50/50 downs.”

Yorkville sophomore lineman Bryce Baxa is confident in his defense that’s been the backbone of the Foxes’ success.

“I just see it as another game,” Baxa said. “They have some athletes but I have trust in our coaches and our discipline. We have athletes, we have great coaching, a great game plan. I think we’ll be just fine.”

Offensively, the biggest question for Yorkville is the status of leading rusher T.J. Harland, who missed the Week 8 game with what McGuire called a “lower body injury.”

“Good question. We do not know,” McGuire said. “Play it by ear, hope that we get him back.”

McGuire, though, will ride with who he has.

Junior Gavin Geegan has rushed for 322 yards and four TDs as Harland’s understudy. Senior QB Jack Beetham has completed 57% of his passes for 1,260 yards and 10 TDs with just two interceptions.

“We feel like we have some good players on offense; looking at stats Jack has done a good job distributing things evenly, taking what the defense gives us,” McGuire said. “You never know who will step up in a particular game. Hopefully T.J. can be a big part of it, Gavin if not.”

Castillo, with 17 catches for 344 yards, is one of four Yorkville receivers with double-digit receptions.

“I feel like I’m more of a playmaker receiver for sure; I’m one of those guys that can get the ball in space and trust that you can get the job done,” Castillo said. “My goal is to make something happen with the ball in my hands.

“When I see [Bolingbrook], I think we are a well-matched opponent for sure. I see a lot of athleticism, guys flying around to make plays. I think it will be a good game for sure.”

Oswego offense’s bounce-back

Oswego’s offense, held to a combined nine points in recent losses to Yorkville and Minooka, bounced back in a big way last Friday, a 33-21 win over Oswego East.

But the rebound started in practice the prior Monday, following the 10-3 loss to Minooka.

“I’m a firm believer that at some point throughout the course of a week you either win or lose a game,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “Monday, our offense, coming off a tough loss, Monday morning no school the defense was hooting and hollering and the offense was very baseline at best. Coach [Ben] Kleinhans read them the riot act. After that it was go, go, go all week.”

Mariano Velasco continues to go, go, go.

Oswego’s two-way standout continued his penchant for big plays. Velasco turned a short crossing pass into a 94-yard go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

“That play was not intended to go the distance, especially because it was thrown on his back hip,” Cooney said. “He made a good adjustment, broke two tackles and outran the defense.

“The majority of the games this year that kid has done something. I continue to be not surprised. He is a competitor, he has the ability to do some things on both sides of the ball. It’s fun to watch.”

Wolves’ fantastic play

It was ultimately in defeat, but Oswego East senior quarterback Niko Villacci turned in perhaps the play of last Friday’s crosstown game.

Flushed out of the pocket in the final minute of the first half, Villacci looked about to go down with a sack. He eluded a diving tackler, spun away and fired a perfect strike to Donavin Eason for a 36-yard TD.

“He got flushed out of the pocket, but Niko is a great athlete,” Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc said. “He was able to shake off a tackler, spin around and find Donavin.”

Eason, who like fellow receiver Lincoln Ijams missed time earlier in the season with an injury, had a huge game Friday, seven catches for 106 yards.

“He makes it harder for teams to focus on Lincoln,” LeBlanc said. “He is a good player with the ball in his hands.”

Plano gets a win

Plano found itself on the short end of some games that could have gone the other way, three one-score losses in the season’s first six weeks.

It finally went the Reapers’ way.

Plano, in a matchup of winless teams last Friday, beat Harvard 21-8 for its first win of the season.

“This time luck was on our side, but we created luck with how we played,” Plano coach Kyle Tutt said. “When you work hard, do the little things right, the ball bounces your way once or twice. It’s multiple weeks of fighting through adversity. We had a good week of practice and were locked in.”

The Reapers also had the benefit of better health. Kolten Schimandle was back healthy after missing a game. James Smithey, injured in Week 1, scored a touchdown.

“It added to our depth,” Tutt said. “Depth played a role as well.”

Plano concludes its season Friday at home against Richmond-Burton, undefeated and ranked No. 5 in Class 3A.

A huge challenge, sure, but one Tutt’s group looks forward to.

“This is our playoff game against a team that will go really deep,” Tutt said. “It’s a litmus test for where we are now and where we want to be.”