Scouting the Illinois Central Eight: 2023 IHSA football season preview

Coal City

2022 record: 7-4

Coach: Francis Loughran

Worth noting: The Coalers are aiming for a 12th consecutive playoff appearance coming off a 2022 season that saw them score their first postseason victory since making the Class 4A semifinals in 2019. The quantity and quality of returning skill players make it a good bet both of those streaks will continue this fall. Seniors such as WR/DB TJ Babcock, RB/LB Tanner Phillips, RB/LB Gavin Carpenter, RB/DB Creide Skubic, WR/DB Jim Feeney, OL Lucas Nolan and RB/LB Austin Davy, as well as junior all-conference RB/DB Landin Benson, will be bolstered by key additions including QB Zander Meents and linemen Will Johnke and Cade Poyner. “We return many skill positions on both sides of the ball ...” Loughgran said, “[but need to] rebuild the offensive line and defensive line.” History suggests Coal City, as it usually does, will find a way. Weeks 4-7 vs. Lisle, Peotone, Reed-Custer and Wilmington likely will be the key stretch for the Coalers.

Herscher

2022 record: 1-8

Coach: Mike Mosier

Worth noting: The Tigers suffered through their third consecutive losing season in campaigns not shortened because of COVID-19, scoring their only victory in Week 1 against Charleston and then losing their last eight. Close losses to Streator, Lisle and Manteno, the return of standouts including RB/LB Kenneth Royal, C/DL Jack Feth, WR/DB Jaxon Ruder and WR/DB Conner Massie-Devore, along with what Mosier believes is a much-improved line, suggest Herscher could be a team on the rise this fall. “We are strong up front,” Mosier said. “The line really worked hard this year.” CB Mason Roberts, LB Logan Morrow and OL/DL Gavin Hull also figure to be strong additions to a young defense that may have to learn on the job early in the season, but has talent.

Lisle

2022 record: 5-5

Coach: Cory Dillard

Worth noting: The Lions made the Class 3A playoffs in 2022 for the fourth consecutive full season and fifth time during former head coach Paul Parpet’s seven full seasons at the helm. New head coach Cory Dillard – the son of retired longtime Lisle AD Dan Dillard and a former Lisle football standout himself – looks to extend the hall of fame coach’s run of success. Cory Dillard previously was an assistant at Lockport. Two key weapons from last season’s Lions, RB/DBs Drew Nigro and Antonio Nicholas, return and will be backed by additional returnees along with notable newcomers such as OL/DL Ty Russell, WR/DB Asher Carson, TE/LB Eli Candler and RB/LB David Skonieczny. “We are young overall and need to continue to increase numbers throughout the program,” Cory Dillard said. “We have some skilled athletes with good speed and ball skills, and our line will have decent size.”

Manteno

2022 record: 2-7

Coach: RJ Haines

Worth noting: The Panthers are coming off a second consecutive 2-7 season. Last year’s struggles could lead to this year’s successes, however, as Manteno’s 2022 roster had only six seniors, leading to a roster brimming with experienced returners including 13 seniors this fall. Among those returning are a pair of big-play senior receivers – physical 6-foot-3 WR/LB Porter Chandler and speedy WR/CB Ashton Brazeau – as well as DB Josh Crane, WR/LB Aidan Dotson, OL/DL Cooper Munk and last year’s starting QB, Niko Akiyama, who’s converting to a RB/LB role and handing the quarterback responsibilities to sophomore Connor Harrod. The schedule is back-loaded, with an opportunity for a good start against teams that went a combined 6-21 last season (with Sandwich not fielding a varsity team) over the opening four weeks. “Our numbers are up, we have a good core of juniors and seniors, and our expectations are to get back to playoff football,” Haines said. “It’s get back to the playoffs for us. That is our goal.”

Peotone

2022 record: 5-5

Coach: Apostolos Tsiamas

Worth noting: The Blue Devils return standouts such as RB/FS Chase Rivera, WR/LB Rorey Hart and All-ICE Conference OL/DL Landen Hamm from the 2022 team that captured Peotone’s third consecutive playoff berth in full seasons played and fourth postseason appearance in Tsiamas’ eight seasons (seven full) leading the program. The additions of FB/LB Jayden Rodriguez and new starting QB Ruben Velasco have the Blue Devils excited about their backfield and hopeful Hamm can help a new crop of linemen get ready for varsity football. “We feel our backfield is as strong as it’s been in a long, long time,” Tsiamas said. “We actually have decent depth at our skill positions for a change. We have a lot of new faces up front. How quickly we can get them up to speed will determine a lot for us.” Neither of Peotone’s first two opponents, Rantoul and Sandwich (which did not field a varsity team in 2022), won a varsity game last season.

Reed-Custer

2022 record: 11-1

Coach: Gavin Johnston

Worth noting: The past couple of seasons have been magical in Comets Country, with Reed-Custer snapping a 10-full-season playoff drought and going a combined 21-3, including claiming last season’s Illinois Central Eight championship thanks to a 50-5 smashing of runner-up Wilmington. But with almost the entire starting offense gone to graduation with the exception of senior OL/DL Matt Gereaux and the injured Peyton Bradley, the Comets are turning to players who still received significant varsity time last season with Reed-Custer well ahead and its starters on the bench. “Although we graduated nearly everyone off last year’s team, many received plenty of playing time last year still,” Johnston said. “However, big moments will be something many of our guys have not had experience with at the varsity level. How will we respond with a young team in clutch moments?” RB/LB Rex Pfeifer, WR/DB Travis Bohac, QB Jacob Reardon, WR/DB Landen Robinson, WR/DB Joe Bembenek and OL/DL Dominic Alaimo will be stepping into featured roles.

Streator

2022 record: 2-7

Coach: Kyle Tutt

Worth noting: There only being a half dozen seniors in the program is a concern, but strong numbers in the other three classes and the fact that one of those seniors is QB Christian Benning – already the program’s all-time leading passer – have Tutt excited about the level his Bulldogs potentially can play at. Joining the ultra-athletic Benning as key returning players are WRs Matt Williamson and Anthony Mohr, C Anthony Dominic, DB Collin Jeffries, RB Isaiah Brown and DLs Eric Moton and Aidan Stevens. Varsity newcomers such as LB Isaiah Weibel, DB Jaiandre Williams, WR Jake Hagie and OLs Luke Gebhardt and Malachi Hankins will bolster a Bulldogs roster trying to transition to a philosophy of loading up with as many one-way starters as possible. “Coming back from last year, we have lots of returners, but we’re still pretty young,” Tutt said. “I think we have six seniors, but we feel pretty good with the guys we have out there.” A 2-0 start against East Peoria and Ottawa, the latter the state’s third-oldest rivalry, looks like a must for the Bulldogs to entertain realistic playoff hopes.

Wilmington

2022 record: 9-2

Coach: Jeff Reents

Worth noting: The aforementioned lopsided loss to Reed-Custer and a second-round Class 2A playoff defeat aside, the Wildcats put together another in a long line of strong seasons, making it to Week 10 for the 26th consecutive season in which a postseason was held. The quantity and quality of Wilmington’s returning players has to make the Wildcats the favorites in the ICE this year, with stalwarts such as LB Brendan Moran (leading tackler, All-ICE), OL/LB Joe Allgood (All-ICE), Reid Juster (TE/K), Kyle Farrell (RB/DB, All-ICE after rushing for 726 yards as a sophomore last fall), OL/Brody Benson (three-year starter), LB Ryan Nelson (led team in TFLs), DB Cade McCubbin and OL Pete Rampa all back. Reents names RB/DB Jake Castle, OL/LB Zach Ohlund and TE/DE Joe Cortese as newcomers to keep an eye on, but the strength of the Wildcats will be their returners. “We do have more experience back than normal years,” he said. “We need to be able to run the ball and stop the run. It looks as though we will have decent team speed. ... I think the conference is very good top to bottom. I really do not see a top contender as the season starts, but hopefully we are in the mix at the end of the season.”

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Brendan Moran, Wilmington, LB: The returning leading tackler for the stingy Wildcats defense is a year stronger and will be a third-year varsity starter after earning All-ICE accolades a year ago.

• Chase Rivera, Peotone, RB/DB/K: Coach Tsiamas feels his backfield is absolutely loaded, and with Rivera returning to lead the way, it’s understandable why. If a young O-line can acclimate quickly, look for some monster nights from Rivera.

• Christian Benning, Streator, QB: Arguably the top all-around athlete in the conference, if things go according to plan the Bulldogs quarterback will be concentrating entirely on his offensive responsibilities this fall instead of playing both ways.

• Landin Benson, Coal City, RB/DB: Benson had a strong enough sophomore season to earn All-ICE honors, and should only be better his junior campaign as one of multiple experienced skill-position players on the Coalers roster.

• Antonio DeWald, Lisle, RB/DB: Quite simply a playmaker, be it on offense or defense, the Lions’ standout earned all-conference accolades as a sophomore playing varsity last season and should be even more explosive as a junior.

SCHEDULES

FIVE CAN’T-MISS MATCHUPS

Week 4 – Wilmington at Peotone: If the Wildcats are going to hold up their end of the league-favorite bargain, they’re going to have to prove it in the second week of the conference season against a Peotone team that looks loaded at the skill spots and positioned to make its presence felt in the ICE. Wilmington may prove to be too much, but a strong showing could go a long way toward propelling Peotone to a strong second half of the season.

Week 5 – Peotone at Coal City: The second of back-to-back opportunities for the Blue Devils – projected by multiple coaches in the conference to finish third behind the Wildcats and Coalers – to interject themselves into the ICE title conversation. This could be a tough test for Coal City’s conference-title hopes, though being at home for this one and again two weeks later against Wilmington will certainly help.

Week 7 – Herscher at Lisle: There’s reason to suspect this could wind up being a must-win for one of these teams’ playoff hopes. It won’t be the ICE game of the week – keep reading for that – but it could wind up deciding one of the spots in the field of 256.

Week 7 – Wilmington at Coal City: A few other teams are talented enough to throw a monkey wrench into the conference title hunt, but at first glance this looks to be the de facto Illinois Central Eight Conference championship game. If so, it promises to be a good one. The last three Wildcats-Coalers showdowns have been won by Wilmington, but only by a combined 16 points.

Week 8 – Streator at Reed-Custer: We’ll know by this point whether either of these teams has succeeded in surprising the rest of the ICE by remaining in the playoff hunt. Both are optimistic they can – Streator because of its depth and quarterback play; Reed-Custer because of its hungry, sneakily experienced group stepping in – and if so, this matchup could be a meaningful game for one or both.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH