Northwest Herald area preview capsules for Week 1

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central (3-6, 3-6) at Hampshire (5-5, 5-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Burlington Central won last year’s season opener, 28-25, over Hampshire.

About the Rockets: Former assistant coach Brian Iossi takes over for Brian Melvin, who took an assistant coaching position with NAIA Judson University. … RB Joey Kowall (329 yards) is the Rockets’ returning rushing leader and RB Michael Ganziano ran for 180. WR Jake Herman is the leading returning receiver with 14 receptions. … DL James Muetterties was an All-FVC player on the line. … Burlington Central won two of its first three games last season, but got only one more win after that.

About the Whip-Purs: Hampshire made the postseason for the first time since 2015 and lost a close game to Moline, 48-42, in the first round of the playoffs. … QB Tyler Fikis moved to South Carolina and was a huge loss after accounting for almost 2,700 yards from scrimmage. Fikis started for two years. … RB Tristan Villarreal returns in the backfield after getting some work there last year. … TE-LB Gage Homola and OL-DL Josh Rojas return on both offense and defense. … Hampshire ended a 24-game winning streak in Week 8 of the 2019 season and is 11-6 since that point.

FND pick: Hampshire.

Cary-Grove (14-0, 9-0) at Dundee-Crown (0-9, 0-9)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: C-G beat D-C, 51-10, in last year’s season opener.

About the Trojans: C-G is the defending Class 6A state champion after a scintillating 37-36 victory over East St. Louis. The Trojans, who open the season tied at No. 4 in The Associated Press Class 6A poll, graduated most of their starters, but this is a program looking for its 18th consecutive playoff appearance with two state championships in the last four years. … FB Colin Desmet switches from linebacker and will see a lot of carries in the Trojans’ triple-option. QB Gavin Henriques, who saw a lot of second-half action in blowout victories, takes over running the offense. … DL Thomas Burton and LB Connor Anderson are two other returning starters. … Also of note is that C-G’s junior varsity and freshman-sophomore groups were undefeated last season.

About the Chargers: D-C has some players to be excited about, starting with RB Keegan Otte, who was among the area rushing leaders with 1,064 yards on 211 carries. … WR-DB Henry Kennedy led the Chargers in tackles and turnovers on defense and will be one of the fastest players in the FVC. … OL-LB Porter Leith is one of the best athletes in the school and returns on both sides.

FND pick: Cary-Grove.

Jacobs (8-4, 6-3) at Crystal Lake South (5-5, 5-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Jacobs defeated South, 42-38, in last year’s opener.

About the Golden Eagles: Jacobs had one of its best seasons in school history, advancing to the Class 7A quarterfinals where it lost to Prospect, 35-21. … The Eagles, No. 7 in the first Class 7A poll, return 16 starters off of that team, with TEs Grant Stec (6-6, 230) and Nick True (6-5, 220) as two of the key players. … RBs Ben Ludlum (1,732 rushing yards) and Nasir Canty (1,366) finished first and fourth in area rushing and are graduated. RB-LB Antonio Brown will move to the backfield and is expected to get a lot of work carrying the ball. … Junior QB Max Benner returns to run the offense again. … DB Ashton Niehaus and LBs Paulie Rudolph and Joey Scrivani are three key returning players for the defense.

About the Gators: South lost to Harlem in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. … The Gators will miss graduated QB Justin Kowalak, a three-year starter who led the area with 2,276 passing yards last season. But they have RB Nate Van Witzenburg (1,182 rushing yards) and WR Michael Prokos (54 receptions) returning. … OL Nate Compere and DL Andy Burburija are returning starters on the line. … Brady Schroeder and Caden Casimino (a transfer from Crystal Lake Central) were vying for the QB spot.

FND pick: Jacobs.

Huntley (3-6, 3-6) at Crystal Lake Central (8-4, 6-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Crystal Lake Central beat Huntley, 32-21, in the season opener last year.

About the Red Raiders: Huntley had a string of six consecutive playoff appearances stopped last season. … Former assistant Mike Naymola takes over after Matt Zimolzak resigned as head coach. The Raiders made the playoffs in Zimolzak’s first four seasons. … OL Luke Griskey (6-5, 260) and Eric Bower (6-6, 265) give the Raiders two big tackles and lead an offense that wants to get back on track. … QB Sam Deligio returns for a second season as starter. RBs Haiden Janke and Zach Rios will both see time in the backfield. … LBs Dashaun Manning and Joey Arvidson and DL Ben Wiley return to lead a defense that was No. 2 in the FVC in fewest points allowed.

About the Tigers: Central, which was two spots outside the Top 10 in the first Class 6A rankings, had one of its best seasons in school history with a trip to the Class 6A playoff quarterfinals, where it lost to eventual state champion Cary-Grove. … QB Colton Madura was selected as FVC Offensive Player of the Year and has graduated, but Jason Penza, who filled in for three games when Madura was injured and played WR the rest of the time, will take over. Madura’s playmaking will be hard to replicate, but Penza showed great speed at receiver. …WR George Dimopoulos (32 receptions) and OL Hunter Doppke and Tommy McNeil are other key returners on offense. … LB Jack Blum and DT Leo Diaz are two of the top defensive players who are back.

FND pick: Crystal Lake Central.

Prairie Ridge (9-3, 7-2) at McHenry (1-8, 1-8)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Prairie Ridge beat McHenry, 41-31, in the season opener last year.

About the Wolves: Prairie Ridge, No. 2 in Class 6A, fell just short of the Class 6A semifinals when Lake Forest rallied for a late drive and a 22-21 victory. … FB Nathan Greetham ran for 1,207 yards and 14 touchdowns to lead the team. QB Tyler Vasey suffered an elbow injury before the season and missed six games, yet still ran for 745 yards from the running back position in the final six games. Vasey will be one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league. … OL Henrick Nystrom, Ethan Goudschaal and John Fallow return. … Dom Creatore, Victor Ebirim, Ryan Koelblinger, Logan Harlow and Ben Eschman return for the defense. … The Wolves won Class 6A state titles in 2016 and 2017 and were runners-up in 2019.

About the Warriors: McHenry looked more competitive than its record last year, as it played several teams to close games with nothing to show for it in the win column. … New athletic director Joel Beard has taken over as interim head coach after Jon Niemic resigned following last season. Beard will coach this season, then hire a new coach. … WR Zack Maness had the most receptions (26) of any returning player. The Warriors must replace graduated QB Andrew Hoffman (1,655 passing yards), WR Kyle Kaempf (57 receptions) and RB Brody Hallin (551 rushing yards). … Dom Caruso will be the starting quarterback.

FND pick: Prairie Ridge.

Nonconference

Harvard (2-7) at Lisle (7-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Lisle defeated Harvard, 26-16, in last year’s season opener.

About the Hornets: Harvard lost two of its games by forfeit because of COVID-19 protocols last season. … Landon Barrett will move from running back to quarterback for the Hornets, replacing Lee Galarza, who graduated. … Hornets coach Sean Saylor hopes Wyatt Lamz, Lucas Waldo, Jacob Krass, Brian Cordova and Sean Ritschke will take on big roles for a team that graduated a substantial number of starters.

About the Lions: Lisle defeated Chicago Carver in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, then fell to eventual state champion Byron in the second round. It was the Lions’ third consecutive playoff trip. … Lisle did graduate a lot of last year’s top performers. Some of its top returning players are OL-DL Chris Farrell, OL-LB Joe Raineri and RB-DB Dominic Nigro, all third-year starters.

FND pick: Lisle.

Woodstock North (0-9) at Johnsburg (3-6)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Johnsburg defeated North, 38-6, in Week 8 last season.

About the Thunder: Matt Polnow becomes the second coach in Woodstock North history as he takes over for Jeff Schroeder. Polnow was on Schroeder’s staff for 12 seasons. … QB-LB Jay Zinnen, C-DT Kyle Freeman, FB-LB Kaden Combs, G-DE Scott Bauer and G-DT RIley Colwell return for the Thunder.

About the Skyhawks: Johnsburg closed strong last season, winning three of its last four games and taking Class 4A semifinalist Richmond-Burton right to the end in a 23-20 loss. … OL-DL Jacob Welch is a four-year starter who committed to Northern Illinois University. … RB Jake Metze gained 1,220 yards from scrimmage last season, rushing for 646 and catching 49 passes for 574. … WRs Cade Piggott and Ian Boal are both back for sophomore QB A.J. Bravieri, who takes over as starter.

FND pick: Johnsburg.

Woodstock (4-5) at Rochelle (5-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Rochelle beat Woodstock, 60-22, in last year’s season opener.

About the Blue Streaks: Woodstock returns 28 seniors to this year’s team, including five starters on both the offensive and defensive lines. … QB Jackson Lyons will start after Liam Mickle graduated. Mickle threw for 1,641 yards. … RBs Adrian Perry and Aiden Johnson will get most of the carries, and WRs Caden Monti and Jared Kniola are also back.

About the Hubs: The Hubs lost to St. Patrick in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs last season. … Rochelle coach Kyle Kissack feels the offensive line, led by Jaden Cook and Kaiden Morris, will be a strong point for the Hubs. … RB Garrett Gensler ran for 968 yards and 22 touchdowns and returns after a season in which he was an Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 5A All-Stater.

FND pick: Rochelle.

Urban Prep-Bronzeville (4-5) at Richmond-Burton (12-1)

When: 6 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: R-B won last year’s season opener over Bronzeville, 69-0.

About the Lions: Bronzeville made the Class 4A playoffs in 2017-19 and was knocked out each time by a Kishwaukee River Conference school. R-B beat the Lions in the first round of 2017 and 2019, Marengo defeated them in the second round of 2018.

About the Rockets: R-B opens the season at No. 5 in the Class 4A poll. The Rockets are 43-3 in four seasons under coach Mike Noll and have won 32 of their last 33 games. The Rockets have been to the Class 4A semifinals in three consecutive seasons. … R-B has six starters back on each side. RB Steven Siegel ran for 774 yards and 15 touchdowns. … QB Joe Miller returns after completing 68.7% of his passes for 1,001 yards and 15 touchdowns. … LB-TE Zach Smith, WR-DB Nick Falasca, OL-DL Jacob Gray and OL-LB Nate Komar are other returning starters.

FND pick: Richmond-Burton.

Marengo (5-5) at Wilmington (14-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Wilmington beat Marengo, 23-0, in last season’s opener.

About the Indians: Marengo lost in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs to eventual state champion Joliet Catholic. … QB Josh Holst is a dangerous double threat running and throwing. He threw for 2,005 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and has drawn NCAA Division I interest. … WR Logan Miller caught 41 passes, and WRs Greg Baker, Owen Frederick and TE Brennen Kentgen will get their opportunities as well. … LB-OL Hunter Smith is the Indians’ top returner on defense.

About the Wildcats: The Wildcats, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, won the Class 2A state championship with a senior-heavy group. But Wilmington coach Jeff Reents is 251-61 in 28 seasons at the school. … Kade Hopwood and Brody Benson will anchor the Wildcats’ offensive line and RB-DB Colin James, who rushed for 1,361 yards, returns.

FND pick: Wilmington.

Marian Central (4-5) at Wheaton Academy (8-3)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: Marian Central defeated Wheaton Academy, 63-20, in the regular-season finale in 2013.

About the Hurricanes: Marian came up one win short of being playoff-eligible the last two seasons and could benefit from getting out of the CCL/ESCC schedule, although the independent slate is still tough. … WR Christian Bentancur (49 receptions, 1,020 yards, 11 TDs) has caught more balls than any other area player over the last two seasons. He has close to 25 NCAA D-I offers as a tight end. … QB Cale McThenia takes over for three-year starter Brendan Hernon. … DBs Jackson Jakubowicz and Joey Simon and DL Hunter Birckoff and Ryder Schingoethe return for the defense.

About the Warriors: The Warriors open the season at No. 10 in Class 4A after their best season in school history. They were knocked out in the Class 4A playoffs second round by eventual state champion Joliet Catholic, 48-14. … Wheaton Academy has made the playoffs four of the last six seasons. … QB Belay Brummel is one of four starters returning on offense and threw for 918 yards with 12 touchdowns. … The Warriors will have to replace four of their top five receivers.

FND pick: Wheaton Academy.

Illinois 8-Man Football

Parkview Christian (0-0) at Alden-Hebron (2-7)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last matchup: This is the first matchup between the two teams.

About the Falcons: Parkview Christian is in its first year of playing eight-man football. The school has an enrollment of 65 students.

About the Giants: A-H is an original member of the Illinois 8-Man Football Association, which starts its fifth season. … The Giants graduated only two seniors and has a lot of experience returning, led by QB Ben Vole. … RB-DB Nik Rapa, OL-DL David Torres, Braydin Winn and Jared Cunningham are all returning as well. … Coach Tim Oman said the players desperately want to get into the 16-team playoff field for the I8FA.

FND pick: Alden-Hebron.