Rockford Lutheran scored on its opening drive, and that proved to be all the scoring it needed in a 7-2 win over Dixon in the Big Northern Conference on Saturday.

Dixon saw a 14-0 halftime lead turn into a 19-14 loss to Winnebago in its season opener last Friday, and hopes to finish better this weekend against Rockford Lutheran.

Mistakes catch up to Dukes after they build halftime lead

To say this has been an offseason like no other for the Dixon High School football team would be an understatement.

The Big Northern Conference isn't starting until Week 2. Byron, Genoa-Kingston and Stillman Valley all finished with eight conference wins in 2019.

It's seven months later than usual, but Sauk Valley's high school football teams were back on the field Wednesday for the first day of practice.

Local footballers hit the field for the first time since 2019.