Scouting the Big Northern Conference

Byron

2019 record: 12-2, 8-1

Coach: Jeff Boyer

Worth noting: The team that made the Class 3A state championship game in 2019 – a 46-42 shootout loss to Williamsville – was senior-heavy. Junior Chandler Binkley and senior Aydin Coffey will handle duties in the backfield, while 5-foot-6, 210-pound senior Louie Crestinger will anchor the offensive line and also see time at linebacker. Boyer said he also expects contributions out of 6-foot-3, 170-pound tight end and linebacker Max Connell, senior offensive and defensive lineman Josh Johnson and kicker Aydin Lambert. They’ll only be playing four games this year, as the opener against Dixon was canceled.

Genoa-Kingston

2019 record: 9-2, 8-1

Coach: Chad Wilmarth

Worth noting: The team returns only seven seniors, but Wilmarth said most of the players this year have game experience, even if they weren’t starters last year. “We’ve got a few guys with big-time game experience,” Wilmarth said. “Maybe they weren’t the guys starting every single game, but got some quality reps in. I’m excited to see them step up to the plate.” The five-game schedule for the Cogs features only one playoff team from a year ago, but it’s a big one. They’ll face Byron, which the Cogs were co-champs with and made the state title game.

Stillman Valley

2019 record: 9-2, 8-1

Coach: Mike Lalor

Worth noting: Lalor said he expects big things out of seniors Brandt King and Aiden Orlando along the offensive line, plus Adam Roganowitz on the defensive line. Jacob Sigwards will handle fullback duties, while Joe Kuthe could be an impact player at wide receiver. All are seniors. Lalor said he’s ready for an interesting season: “I hope more than anything teams are able to complete a full season and we can give kids a good experience. It’s very hard to predict success or failures this year, as every school has been in a very different spot as far as in-person, hybrid, remote learning, so the preparation for the season has been very different. The season will be a success for everyone if we can have everyone do their part and get these young men out onto the field and have a season.”

Dixon

2019 record: 5-5, 5-4

Coach: Jared Shaner

Worth noting: Shaner takes over as the Dukes’ coach after the retirement of Dave Smith after nine years leading Dixon. Shaner has been Dixon’s athletic director since 2016, and before taking that role he coached football at Lincoln and Mount Vernon. ... In 2019, Jacob Shafer threw for 1,492 yards and 19 touchdowns, Nate Long was on the receiving end of 650 of those yards and 10 touchdowns, and Sebastian Quintana gained 930 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns. But all of them have graduated. Stepping in at quarterback is Jacob Gusse, who saw limited action backing up Shafer and played late in a couple of blowouts. Jacob Gaither is the top returning receiver, after reeling in 27 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns last season. … Jericho Kirby played strong safety, middle linebacker and wide receiver for the Dukes in 2019 and garnered all-conference honors as a defensive back. Against some of the league’s run-first teams, he showed an ability to step up and support the run defense, and against the passing-oriented teams, he showed he could step in front of passes or rush the quarterback if needed.

North Boone

2019 record: 5-5, 5-4

Coach: Aaron Sullivan

Worth noting: Logan Emanuel returns at quarterback for the Vikings and has three targets for what could be a dark horse team to win the BNC. Junior Will Doetch joins James Linn and Trey Braun as the guys hauling in the passes from Emanuel. Jeff Beard will be in the backfield and play linebacker as well, with Ty Johnson and Josh Bryan leading the offensive line. The Vikings don’t play a 2019 playoff team until their second-to-last game when they host Stillman Valley, and the only other playoff team from 2019 they face is Dixon, also at home in the finale. The other three teams they play won a combined four games in 2019.

Rockford Lutheran

2019 record: 4-5, 4-5

Coach: Tony Ambrogio

Worth noting: Ambrogio said he expects big things out of senior running back and linebacker Tag Habedank this year. He also said senior quarterback and free safety Josy Oetting will have an impact, as will senior lineman Josh Lepak, on both sides of the ball. Grant Lawson should see some carries as well, and the senior also will play linebacker. The schedule does no favors for the Crusaders, as they are one of two teams in the conference to play all three co-champions from 2019. Winnebago is the other.

Winnebago

2019 record: 3-6, 3-6

Coach: Mark Helm

Worth noting: Helm said he expects Micah Gearhart to spark the offense this year. The senior fullback also will spend time at linebacker. Seniors Cole Schrank and Sam Rummel anchor the offensive line, while senior Eric Scheiss will see time at running back and linebacker. They face, at least in the preseason, the toughest schedule in the conference, with four games against 2019 playoff teams, including the three co-champs. Their only game against a nonplayoff team comes in the final week of the season against Rock Falls.

Oregon

2019 record: 2-7, 2-7

Coach: Nick Schneiderman

Worth noting: In 2019, the Hawks allowed a total of 20 points in their two wins, over Rock Falls and Mendota, and 35 or more points in each of their seven losses. Both of those wins were by a single score, with the win over Rock Falls secured by a late defensive stand after the Rockets took over possession near midfield with more than two minutes to go. Nolan Thomas came away with a deflection on a fourth-down pass, and Oregon was able to come away with a win. … As a junior in 2019, Breccan Berns split time at quarterback with Ryker Finch and, when he wasn’t the signal-caller, lined up at running back. All told, he gained 903 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns in 2019 and put up 293 passing yards. He will play at North Central College in the fall. … When Finch wasn’t playing quarterback in 2019, he lined up at wide receiver, and along with Jacob Milliman, became one of the Hawks’ top weapons in the passing game. Both Milliman and Finch have graduated, so Berns has to find a new favorite target. He might have one in Andrew Herbst, who had eight catches for 75 yards last year.

Mendota

2019 record: 1-8, 1-8

Coach: Keegan Hill

Worth noting: The Trojans, who have gone 4-41 the past five seasons and haven’t had a season with more than one win since 2014, were incredibly young in 2019, starting 10 sophomores on the varsity. However, Hill’s team was playing its best ball at the end of last season by snapping a 20-game losing streak with its Week 8 win at Rock Falls, and in a 20-12 loss to Oregon in the finale. Ted Landgraf, one of those sophs now a junior, returns at quarterback with three solid targets to shoot for: Andrew Castenada, the team’s only senior, and juniors Damien Magallanes and Emilio Perez. Also back are three juniors who were starters in the offensive line: Omar Gonzalez (5-11, 205), Andy Rivera (6-0, 250) and Christian Tellez (5-10, 195). “We’re not a physically intimidating group by size, so being quick, being in the right spot and being able to move to the ball will be very important for us,” Hill said. “We need execution on a down-by-down basis, to be able to make positive plays and then build on them.”

Rock Falls

2019 record: 1-8, 1-8

Coach: Kevin Parker

Worth noting: A new coach in 2019 brought with him a new offense. The Rockets’ spread look with plenty of passing in years past gave way to a power run, often out of tight wishbone sets. Things got set back a bit because of injuries, but the Rockets still spent more time as a running team, with quarterback Evan Laws attempting only 83 passes all season compared to the 137 his predecessor Cade Nailor attempted in 2018 despite Nailor missing several games that year because of injury. … The Rockets’ 35-13 win over Dixon in Week 2 in 2019 was their first win over the Dukes since 2003. … Booker Cross is the Rockets’ top returning rusher, having toted the ball to the tune of 54 carries for 253 yards in 2019. In fall 2020, with the football season on hold, Cross still was able to do some running: He joined the Rock Falls cross country team. ... Ben Blackburn was a second-team all-conference pick on the defensive line and was a key component of the Rockets’ offensive line.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • Jacob Gaither, Dixon, sr., WR: Gaither is probably the most familiar skill player back for the Dukes. Second in receiving yards last year, he’ll add some experience for Dixon.
  • Tag Hadebank, Rockford Lutheran, sr., RB/LB: The speedy senior can be a force on both sides of the ball, getting to the quarterback as a linebacker and running over other teams’ defenders.
  • Chad Gerig, Stillman Valley, sr., QB: The first-team all-conference quarterback is back or the Cardinals. He not only features a strong arm, but can take off and make plays with his feet when needed.
  • Logan Emanuel, North Boone, sr., QB: Emanuel threw for 2,617 yards last year and added another 553 on the ground. He has a strong arm and can air it out deep for the Vikings.
  • Connor Schwitchenberg, Genoa-Kingston, sr., LB/QB: The senior shined on the outside for the Cogs’ defense, tracking down runners all over the field. He also started at quarterback last year, though the position is unsettled for the ground-it-out Cogs this year.

SCHEDULES

ByronGenoa-KingstonStillman ValleyDixonNorth BooneRockford LutheranWinnebagoOregonMendotaRock Falls
Week 2@ Dixon 7 p.m. March 27 (CANCELED)@ Rock Falls, 2 p.m. March 27@ Winnebago, 7 p.m. March 26vs. Byron, 7 p.m. March 27 (CANCELED)vs. Mendota, 2 p.m. March 27vs. Oregon, 2 p.m. March 27vs. Stillman Valley, 7 p.m. March 26@ Rockford Lutheran, 2 p.m., March 27@North Boone, 2 p.m. March 27vs. G-K, 2 p.m. March 27
Week 3vs. G-K, 7 p.m. April 2@ Byron 7 p.m. April 2vs. Rockford Lutheran, 7 p.m. April 2vs. Winnebago, 6 p.m. April 2@ Rock Falls, 2 p.m. April 3@ Stillman Valley, 7 p.m. April 2@ Dixon, 6 p.m. April 2@ Mendota, 7 p.m. April 2vs. Oregon, 7 p.m. April 2vs. North Boone, 2 p.m. April 3
Week 4@ Stillman Valley, 7 p.m. April 9vs. Winnebago, 7 p.m. April 9vs. Byron, 7 p.m. April 9@ Rockford Lutheran, 7 p.m. April 9@ Oregon, 7 p.m. April 9vs. Dixon, 7 p.m. April 9@ G-K, 7 p.m. April 9vs. North Boone, 7 p.m. April 9vs. Rock Falls, 7:15 p.m. April 9@ Mendota, 7:15 p.m. April 9
Week 5@ Winnebago, 7 p.m. April 16vs. Rockford Lutheran, 2 p.m. April 17@ North Boone, 7 p.m. April 16@ Mendota, 7 p.m. April 16vs. Stillman Valley, 7 p.m. April 16@ G-K, 2 p.m. April 17vs. Byron, 7 p.m. April 16@ Rock Falls, 2 p.m. April 17vs. Dixon, 7 p.m. April 16vs. Oregon, 2 p.m. April 17
Week 6vs. Rockford Lutheran, 7 p.m. April 23@ Mendota, 7 p.m. April 23@ Oregon, 7 p.m. April 23@ North Boone, 7 p.m. April 23vs. Dixon, 7 p.m. April 23@ Byron, 7 p.m. April 23vs. Rock Falls, 7 p.m. April 23vs. Stillman Valley, 7 p.m. April 23vs. G-K, 7 p.m. April 23@ Winnebago, 7 p.m. April 23

FIVE CAN’T MISS MATCHUPS

Week 2: Stillman Valley at Winnebago: With Dixon-Byron canceled, this becomes the most intriguing opener in the conference. If Winnebago is looking to get back to where it was as a program before under Mark Helm - 29-7 between 2011 and 2013 - this could be a statement game for the team, hosting a co-champ of the conference from 2019.

Week 3: Genoa-Kingston at Byron: The Cogs face just one 2019 playoff team, and it’s the Tigers. It’s also a stretch for the Tigers of two games to start this season against playoff teams from last year, including the G-K and Stillman Valley – teams the Tigers shared the conference title with last year. The Cogs lost 42-13 last year.

Week 3: Rockford Lutheran at Stillman Valley: If the Crusaders are seeking a return to their dominance of the middle of the last decade, a win against the Cardinals will go a long way toward that. Stillman Valley was a 35-14 winner a year ago. The game is also in the middle of a tough stretch for the Crusaders, as they face four playoff teams to close the year, including the three 2019 co-champions of the BNC.

Week 4: Byron at Stillman Valley: This is probably the most high-profile BNC game of the season, with a rematch of the Cardinals’ 18-16 win in Week 2 last year. Byron wouldn’t lose again until the state title game against Williamsville.

Week 6: Dixon at North Boone: The other contest for the Dukes against a 2019 playoff team, it’s a rematch of a 26-18 Dixon win in 2019.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH

TeamRecord
Stillman Valley5-0
Byron4-0
Genoa-Kingston4-1
North Boone4-1
Dixon3-1
Oregon2-3
Rockford Lurtheran1-4
Winnebago1-4
Mendota0-5
Rock Falls0-5