After Bishop McNamara and Herscher traded leads on five straight possessions to open the half, Julius May scored two of his four touchdowns in the final frame as the Fightin Irish ran for over 400 yards and topped the Tigers 45-28.

Join hosts Mason Schweizer and Steve Soucie as they break down what happened in Week 1 in Kankakee County high school football and look ahead to Week 2

Bishop McNamara visits Herscher, Kankakee has a second straight state champion on the docket and Bradley-Bourbonnais welcomes an explosive offense to town. Those games and more in the Daily Journal's Week 2 football previews.

Mason Schweizer looks back at Week 1 of the Daily Journal area football season.

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The Bishop McNamara football team kicked off the season with a 58-0 win over Lawrenceville at home Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025.

Julius May ran three touchdowns, Micah Lee ran for a touchdown and threw two more, including one to Coen Demack, who also had a pair of interceptions in the Fightin' Irish's Week 1 blowout of Lawrenceville.

After the Fightin' Irish made it a program-long three-year playoff drought in 2024, optimism is high for a proud program full of change this fall.

Kankakee hosts Nazareth for the first of two games with state champions to open the season while Bradley-Bourbonnais and Bishop McNamara also start their seasons at home. Check out previews on those games, as well as the rest of the Week 1 slate for the Daily Journal area.

Join hosts Mason Schweizer and Steve Soucie as they preview Week 1 in Illinois high school football for Kankakee County on the Friday Night Drive podcast