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Metamora (1-0) at La Salle-Peru (1-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last meeting: Metamora 47, L-P 12 (1996, Class 4A playoffs, first round)
About the Cavaliers: L-P beat another Mid-Illini Conference foe in Week 1 with a 28-21 victory over Morton. … The Cavaliers racked up 293 yards on the ground in the opener but did not complete a pass in five attempts. Fullback Matt Carrico ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Sean Whitfield rushed for 96 yards and a pair of scores and Tre’von Hunter scored on a 16-yard run. … L-P held Morton to six points through 3 ½ quarters before the Potters scored two TDs in the final 4:52. … The Cavs forced four turnovers in the opener, recovering three fumbles and Whitfield intercepting a pass. … L-P’s defense bottled up Morton star RB Seth Glatz, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the spring, for most of the game. He finished with 141 with 53 coming on Morton’s last play.
About the Redbirds: Connor Willerton and Solomon Schwarz battled for the Metamora staring quarterback job this summer. Willerton earned the spot but both had an impact in the Redbirds’ 28-15 win over Peoria Notre Dame in the opener. Willerton passed for 85 yards and two touchdowns – one to Schwarz, who now plays slot receiver – and ran for 49 yards and a score. … Garrett Taylor ran for 119 yards on 14 carries against Notre Dame, while Kam Davis scored on a 19-yard run. … The Redbirds finished with 291 total yards in Week 1 with 206 on the ground and 85 in the air. “They are a very successful program that plays power football,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “They are big up front on the offensive side and have some good size running backs who like running downhill. Defensively, they are quick and will bring pressure with blitzing linebackers.”
FND pick: La Salle-Peru
St. Bede (1-0) at Erie-Prophetstown (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last matchup: St. Bede 24, Erie-Prophetstown 21 (spring 2021)
About the Bruins: St. Bede and E-P have played tight games in recent years. In the spring, the Bruins won by three points and the previous three meetings were decided by one point. … St. Bede beat Sherrard 53-0 in the opener for the Bruins’ first 50-point game since beating Erie-Propehtstown 56-7 on Sept. 30, 2016 and their first win by more than 50 points since defeating River Valley 54-0 in Week 7 of the 2005 season. … Tyreke Fortney, the Friday Night Drive Week 1 MVP, racked up 286 yards and four touchdowns on just six touches in Week 1. … Ethan Sramek ran for 56 yards and a TD in Week 1, while Callan Hueneburg rushed for 42 yards and a score. … The Bruins held Sherrard to 147 yards and forced five turnovers – four interceptions and a fumble recovery. … Jayce Ladzinski led the St. Bede defense with eight tackles against Sherrard.
About the Panthers: Dual-threat quarterback Kolby Franks led the Panthers in their 24-14 loss to Mendota in Week 1, running for 72 yards and a touchdown. …. E-P’s first touchdown came on a 78-yard punt return by Trevor Cobb. … The Panthers managed 130 offensive yards against MHS and turned the ball over three times, including an interception that was returned 85 yards for a TD. … E-P surrendered 221 yards to the Trojans. “They have some speed in the skill spots,” St. Bede coach Jim Eustice said. “They’re very big up front offensively and defensively. That’s certainly concerning to us. Franks is elusive. He’s a heck of a player. Franks and (Connor Sibley) will be a big test for us defensively. It should be a heck of a battle.”
FND pick: St. Bede
Hall (0-1) at Monmouth-Roseville (0-1)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Last matchup: Hall 35, M-R 12 (2019)
About the Red Devils: Hall had success running the ball in its 26-15 loss to Orion in Week 1, rushing for 267 yards on 51 attempts. Caleb Savitch led the way with 130 yards on 17 carries, Dominic Guerrini ran for 46 yards and a pair of TDs and Mac Resetich rushed eight times for 51 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards. … The Red Devils committed 14 penalties for a loss of 88 yards and had an interception returned for a touchdown in the opener. … Hall allowed 271 yards to Orion with 241 coming on the ground.
About the Titans: Monmouth-Roseville, which went 0-5 in the spring, lost 42-8 to Kewanee in its opener. … The Titans turned the ball over five times against Kewanee, throwing three interceptions and losing a pair of fumbles. … M-R running back Derek Chandler ran for 119 yards on 15 carries in Week 1, while quarterback Silas Bruan competed 12-of-34 for 127 yards and carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards and scored the Titans’ lone TD. … The Titans recorded a safety in the second quarter for their only points of the first half. … M-R trailed 27-2 at halftime. “Defensively, they bring the pressure,” Hall coach Nick Guerrini said. “They have a couple athletes who are quick to the ball. Offensively, they spread the filed. They use lots of four-receiver looks and they favor the pass. We’re focusing on our pass protection and making sure we’re solid across the line. We’re preparing for a physical game.”
FND pick: Hall
Mendota (1-0) at Riverdale (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last matchup: First meeting
About the Trojans: Mendota beat Erie-Prophetstown 24-14 it in its Three Rivers Conference debut and now look to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2013. … Mendota relied on the running game in Week 1, running for 193 yards while only attempting five passes. Uzi Angulo ran 13 times for 62 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, while Damien Magallanes had 16 carries for 59 yards. … Defensively, the Trojans limited E-P to 130 total yards – 108 rushing, 22 passing – and forced three turnovers, including an interception by Magallanes he returned 85 yards for a TD. … Emilio Perez booted a 24-yard field goal and made all three extra point attempts for MHS.
About the Rams: Riverdale struggled in its opener, losing 47-12 to Bureau Valley on Saturday. It was the Rams’ fifth consecutive loss after going 0-4 in the spring season. … Riverdale managed just 68 rushing yards and 140 passing yards in Week 1. Trent Doty led the Rams with 23 rushing yards and a TD. QB Gage Hugart completed 7-of-14 passes for 140 yards and a TD … The Rams’ two touchdowns came toward the end of each half as they scored with 30 seconds left in the second quarter and 28 seconds left in the game. … Riverdale allowed Bureau Valley to run for 334 yards and score seven touchdowns on the ground.
FND pick: Mendota
Princeton (1-0) at Orion (1-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last matchup: Princeton 48, Orion 7 (spring 2021)
About the Tigers: The Tigers got off to a roaring start with a 48-7 thrashing of No. 2 2A ranked Rockridge last week. ... Junior QB Teegan Davis accounted for four touchdowns, three by rushing and another by passing. He rushed for 223 yards. ... The Tigers beat the Chargers 48-7 in Week 4 of the 2021 spring season. Two years ago, also at Orion, the Tigers ran over the Chargers 44-0. The Chargers, however, hold a 7-3 series edge over the Tigers.
About the Chargers: The Chargers, like Princeton, opened the season with a victory in TRAC crossover play, defeating Hall 26-15. ... Orion’s Cole Kratzberg intercepted a pass against Hall and returned it 55 yards to the end zone, one of his three touchdowns on the night. Kratzberg finished the night with 146 rushing yards on 20 carries and shared the team lead in tackles (seven). ... “Orion is very quick and has some veteran skill guys returning,” Pearson said. “Much like last week, we have to tackle well and not let their athletes break any big plays. We did a great job of limiting penalties and didn’t turn the ball over last week. ... We need to continue that trend if we want to sustain success.”
FND pick: Princeton
Bureau Valley (1-0) at Sherrard (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last meeting: BV 34, Sherrard 21 (2016)
About the Storm: The Storm beat Riverdale 47-12 Saturday. A win never felt so good as the Storm snapped a 13-game skid dating back to Week 9 of the 2018 season. They led 34-6 at the half and never looked back. Logan Hardy (13-65) and Layton Britt (5-137) each rushed for two touchdowns. ... With that win behind, the Storm set their sites on starting a streak in the opposite direction. ... The Storm have won both previous meetings with Sherrard, the last in 2016 at home, 34-21.
About the Tigers: The Tigers are under the direction of new head coach Brandon Johnston, who had a highly successful stint at Annawan-Wethersfield from 2019-18 (85-27). They are coming off a 3-1 spring season, their first winning season since 2009, but was hit heavy by graduation losses.
FND pick: Bureau Valley
Fieldcrest (0-1) at El Paso-Gridley (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last matchup: Fieldcrest 45, El Paso-Gridley 14 (spring 2021)
About the Knights: Fieldcrest had a tough opener, losing 56-8 at Aurora Christian. … Freshman Eddie Lorton led the Knights with 44 rushing yards, while Carson Mahan scored Fieldcrest’s lone touchdown on a 7-yard run. … Fieldcrest QB Koltin Krasfott completed 7-of-11 passes for 48 yards. Landon Modro caught three passes for 19 yards. … Defensively, Lorton led the Knights with seven tackles while Ethan Stoeger recorded six.
About the Titans: El Paso-Gridley lost its opener 16-7 to Macon Meridian in a non-conference game. … The Titans have lost nine games in a row as they dropped the final four of 2019 and went 0-4 in the spring. … EPG is looking for its first win under new coach Tanner Benedict. The 23-year-old is an El Paso-Gridley alumnus. … The Titans have lost four straight games against Fieldcrest.
FND pick: Fieldcrest.
Amboy-LaMoille (1-0) at Milledgeville (0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Last matchup: Milledgeville 60, A-L 14 (spring 2021)
About the Clippers: Amboy cruised to victory in its first 8-man game, routing Peoria Heights 52-0. … Amboy racked up 345 rushing yards with QB Tucker Lindebmeyer leading the way with 91 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Quest added 60 yards and a pair of scores. … Lindenmeyer also completed 2-of-4 passes for 44 yards and a TD. … The Clippers limited Peoria Heights to 105 total yards – 63 passing and 42 rushing.
About the Missiles: While Milledgeville lost 40-38 to Polo in its 8-man debut on Friday, it was a strong showing as the Marcos are the defending 8-man state champions. … Missile QB Connor Nye threw for 201 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 75 yards and a TD. He connected with Bryce Aude for a pair of TDs – one from 54 yards and the other a 49-yarder. Aude finished with 108 receiving yards. … The Missiles led 38-32 with 1:38 left in the third quarter before Polo scored in the fourth to pull out the win.
FND pick: Milledgeville