2022 season preview: Scouting the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference

Dakota

2021 record: 2-7

Coach: Daniel Sheets

Worth noting: The Indians enter a new era under first-year head coach Daniel Sheets. ... Top returning players include RB/LB Adrian Arellano, a two-time all-state track and field runner, who compiled over 600 all-purpose yards and more than 100 tackles, and Thomas Bowman, who will be moving to fullback after playing quarterback last year. As a defensive end, Bowman racked up more than 50 tackles in 2021. ... OL/DL Noah Wenzel, DB Phoenix Blakely and WR/DB Nolan Mayberry are a few newcomers expected to play significant roles this year. “This is the best small school conference in the state of Illinois, and week in and week out, the teams will be tested. We are going to take it one week at a time and keep working to improve each day,” Sheets said. “We have a good group of running backs this year with more depth. Also, the defensive line will be much improved this season with a couple of additions. We are bringing in an entirely new staff with one exception. We have changed our offensive and defensive schemes this year to better fit our kids in the program.”

Durand-Pecatonica

2021 record: 9-2

Coach: Tyler Hoffman

Worth noting: Senior RB/S AJ Mulcahy was an all-conference honorable mention on both sides of the ball last season, as he led the Rivermen with 87 tackles and rushed for 553 yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries. Senior OL/DL Briaun Green is another top returning player, having earned first team all-conference honors on both sides of the ball in 2021. Senior OL/LB Kaden Degner could also be poised for a big year with a sizable graduating class to replace and an uptick in playing time. ... A few newcomers poised to play major roles this year are WR/S Jaylen Noud, WR/DB Drew Williams and H/LB Brayden Hughes. “We have to replace a lot of guys from last season. The success of our season will depend on how well those younger players can step in and fill those roles,” Hoffman said. “We have some nice depth at some key spots, which should allow us to have some great competition throughout the season. As always, Lena is who we believe to be the best team in the conference, but I believe others like Forreston and Fulton will be in the mix.”

Eastland-Pearl City

2021 record: 1-8

Coach: Jared McNutt

Worth noting: The Wildcatz return a trio of two-way playmakers as they look to improve on a one-win season. Senior QB/LB Carsen Heeren will captain the team on both sides of the ball after playing wide receiver last year. Senior RB/LB Maddux Hayden is a fast and physical player with a chance at a breakout season. Junior WR/RB/DB Brady Sweitzer started last year as a defensive back, and is a Swiss Army knife on offense with the ability to run, throw and catch. ... Senior guard/nose tackle Cade Monks will be counted to start this season after serving as a rotational player last year. “I think our defense will be the strength of our team this year. We have a lot of guys who love to fly around and make plays,” McNutt said. “We are not very big but we have had a great summer, and I believe that our defense will set the tone for our season. Le-Win and Du-Pec will be the best two teams we play this year.”

Forreston

2021 record: 8-3

Coach: Keynon Janicke

Worth noting: The Cardinals bring back a wealth of experience on both sides of the line, led by senior OL/DL Johnny Kobler, an all-conference honorable mention in 2021, senior OL/DL Casey DeVries and Drew Dieterman, and junior OL/DL Ethan Bocker. DeVries piled up 48 tackles, two sacks and one tackle for loss last season ... Senior TE/LB Kyler Ganz is also expected to be a difference-maker this season. Ganz registered 45 tackles, including three for a loss in 2021. ... Forreston did lose First Team IHSFCA All-State RB Matthew Beltran, but junior Kaleb Sanders returns to bolster the backfield. Sanders accounted for 378 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 60 carries in 2021, good for a robust 6.3 yards per carry. ... Ball-hawking senior DB Payton Encheff is back as well, after tallying four interceptions, three pass breakups and 40 tackles a season ago ... Senior QB/DB Brock Smith returns from a back injury, and junior RB/DB Alex Ryia is on the mend after suffering a broken wrist over the summer. ... Seniors Alex Milnes and Colin Kuhn and juniors Grant Johnson and Zac Schuman are newcomers competing for playing time on both sides of the line. Senior Jace Engbert and junior Owen Mulder add to a crowded backfield.

“Losing 13 seniors from last year, there will definitely be holes to fill with some players who have limited varsity experience,” Janicke said. “Despite this, I believe three areas we will strive in is playing as a complete team, limiting mistakes, and being aggressive on defense. It is no secret that Lena-Winslow has cemented themselves as the top team each year in what is arguably the toughest 1A conference in the state. We look forward to competing with each team.”

Fulton

2021 record: 9-3

Coach: Patrick Lower

Worth noting: Reached the Class 1A quarterfinals in 2021. ... Senior-heavy roster this year. ... Senior OL/DL Braiden Damhoff, senior TE Ethan Price, senior RB/DB Ryan Eads, junior WR/LB Baylen Damhoff, senior DL Zane Pannell, senior DB Conner Sheridan and senior K Endi Qunaj are returning starters. ... The Steamers lost IHSFCA All-State First Team RB/LB Keegan VanKampen. ... Senior quarterback Brayden Dykstra will lead aerial assault. ... Senior Robbie Scheckler, senior Joel Ford and junior Chris Carroll step in to fortify the offensive line as newcomers. ... Seniors Lukas Schroeder and Ben Fosdick add to a talented backfield. “I believe our greatest team strength this season will be our ability to rely on our seniors for leadership. We have 19 seniors and they have all played for many years together,” Lower said. “We will need strong leadership since the rest of our team is fairly inexperienced, as far as varsity football. Our conference is loaded with quality football programs. During this 2022 season, we will play seven teams that have won state championships over the years. Six of those teams have won multiple state championships. Our goal with Steamer football is to work as hard as we can to get better each and every day. We want to be competitive with every team we play.”

Galena

2021 record: 5-5

Coach: Ed Freed

Worth noting: Lose IHSFCA All-State First Team DB/QB Ethan Hefel and all-conference first team WR Brady Schemehor.n ... Lost one-score games to Fulton and Forreston last year. ... Edged Eastland-Pearl City 41-40 in a double overtime thriller in Week 6 last year.

Lena-Winslow

2021 record: 12-2

Coach: Ric Arand

Worth noting: As the two-time defending Class 1A state champs, expectations are sky-high for the Panthers. ... Finding players to fill the voids left by IHSFCA All-State First Team offense and defense pick, LB/TE Brody Mahon, and all-conference first team offense and defense pick, RB/DB Marey Roby, are storylines to monitor this season. ... Lena-Winslow lost its final regular season game of 2021, 24-18, to Forreston, but bounced back with five straight wins to hoist the state championship trophy. ... Junior DL/FB Gage Dunker returns, fresh off a first team all-conference defense selection last season, along with OL/DL Henry Engel, RB/DB Jake Zeal and OL Jake Tippett. ... Newcomers slated for significant roles this year include TE/OLB Jace Flynn, TE/OLB Ayden Packard and Orangeville transfer, RB/MLB Gunar Lobdell. “I think our expectations are kind of the same every year. Usually, we end up with a good mix of juniors and seniors, and we’re usually fairly senior-dominated, especially to start the season,” Arand said. “We’ve got some seniors coming back that played crucial roles as juniors last year. Our goal is to get better early on and compete for the conference championship, but with teams like Du-Pec, Fulton, Forreston, that’s easier said than done.”

Stockton

2021 record: 3-6

Coach: Matthew Leitzen

Worth noting: Junior OL/DL Michael Haas, an all-conference honorable mention on both sides in 2021, is back to anchor the offensive and defensive lines. Haas recorded 45 tackles last season. ... Jace Phillips and Dustin Oppold will carry much of the load in the backfield and lead the linebacker corps. Phillips rushed for 374 yards on 86 carries and compiled 71 tackles last season, while Oppold ran for 318 yards on 73 carries, and totaled 37 tackles. Senior OL/DL Dawson Broshous and senior WR/DB Noah Hess also return as starters. ... Newcomers expected to play significant roles this year are junior RB/LB Tanner Gile and junior OL/DL Wesley Logemann. “We return key pieces from the offensive line and the secondary on defense. We must replace a lot of our total offensive yards from last season,” Leitzen said. “We expect to compete each week and ultimately be playing our best football at the end of the season. Our keys for success are to play fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and win the turnover margin each week.”

West Carroll

2021 record: No record

Coach: Teo Clark

Worth noting: After playing just three varsity games the last two seasons, the Thunder are back to a full regular season schedule. In 2019, its last full season, West Carroll went 5-5, qualifying for the playoffs for the third time in five years after a seven-year absence. ... West Carroll played an eight-game JV schedule last season due to a low number of upperclassmen. ... This will be the first full varsity season with Clark at the helm. He was hired right before the 2020 COVID-altered season. ... Junior AJ Boardman will play QB for the Thunder, and Clark describes him as having a strong arm and also being a hard runner. He also likes his corps of young, athletic receivers, but with only a few seniors on the roster, knows there will be some growing pains for a young team. ... “We’re very excited. This is the first season to be hosting a home football game for a varsity team in three years for us,” Clark said. “Our numbers have improved, and we’re continuing to grow. But it’s a challenging conference, ... and knowing what we’re up against with these schools, we’re going to have to be creative, we’re going to have to match the speed and intensity. I’m excited as a coach because you always want to go up against the best, because that shows you where you are and where you need to be. So I’m grateful to be able to provide this for our players.”

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• AJ Mulcahy, Durand-Pecatonica, RB/S, sr: An NUIC honorable mention on offense and defense last year, Mulcahy already has an offer from Division II Upper Iowa University.
• Briaun Green, Durand-Pecatonica, OL/DL, sr: Green was a NUIC first-teamer on both sides of the ball in 2021.
• Gage Dunker, Lena-Winslow, DE/LB/FB, jr: Dunker was a first team NUIC pick on the defensive side as a sophomore in 2021.
• Adrian Arellano, Dakota, RB/LB, sr: Arellano is an all-purpose threat and a tackling machine.
• Brayden Dykstra, Fulton, QB, sr: Dykstra took over as starter when Patrick Lower was injured for three weeks in the middle of last season and ran the offense well, completing 27 of 34 passes for 438 yards and four touchdowns.

SCHEDULES

FIVE CAN’T MISS MATCHUPS

• Week 2 - Durand-Pecatonica @ Forreston: The top two teams in the NUIC standings last year square off. The Rivermen won the last meeting in Week 2 of the 2021 season, 28-0.
• Week 5 - Fulton @ Lena-Winslow: Revenge game for the Steamers, who lost 54-28 to the Panthers in the Class 1A quarterfinals.
• Week 5 - Galena @ Forreston: Revenge game for the Pirates, who fell 22-14 to the Cardinals in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.
• Week 7 - Lena-Winslow @ Durand-Pecatonica: Rematch between the 2021 Class 1A state champion Panthers and reigning NUIC champion Rivermen. Durand-Pecatonica handed Lena-Winslow one of its two losses last season, 30-24, in Week 7.
• Week 7 - West Carroll @ Eastland-Pearl City: Rivalry game in the home stretch of the season.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH