Week 2 of the prep football season provided the Daily Journal area with three of the area’s most heated rivalry matchups: the battle for the Comahawk Trophy between Momence and Clifton Central, Year 3 of the renewed gridiron rivalry between Bishop McNamara and Herscher, and the matchup between Watseka and Iroquois West.

Sure, these rivalries can get quite argumentative, something that has only grown alongside social media use being at an all-time high.

But it’s not all bitterness.

A McNamara graduate myself, I remember the back-and-forth chants hurled during volleyball games, but I also remember the fun times with the friends I made out west of town.

One of the very first people I saw when I entered the press box at Seebach Stadium Friday night was an old Herscher friend, Ty Harris, who, after seeing almost every weekend 12-15 years ago, I’ve hardly seen since.

As we started chatting and catching up on each other’s lives, I began thinking back to all the nights when I’d join my friends on the excursion a few miles west of Herscher to visit our Tiger pals at the Hogan family farm.

It can often get lost in the heat of the battle, but what these rivalry games provide are opportunities for neighboring communities, and for some Fightin’ Irish families in the Herscher area, the same community, to come together, both creating new memories and reminiscing on old ones. The players may be bitter enemies for 48 minutes, but before and after, they’re spending their weekends together.

The current leaders of those two schools, Herscher principal Brad Elliot and Bishop McNamara principal/president Kaelyn Bess, exemplified what these games should be about. Their friendly wager, which required the principal of the losing school to don the other team’s jersey at their boys basketball game in November, was awesome.

And to photo editor Tiffany Blanchette, a Herscher graduate, I’ll gladly accept a burger at Bradley-Bourbonnais on Friday night in lieu of our annual pork chop sandwich that rests on our alma maters.

Quick recap

Here are the area’s scores from Week 2:

• (3A-RV)Bishop McNamara 45, Herscher 28
• (7A-10)Bradley-Bourbonnais 41, (6A-8)Crete-Monee 7
• (8A-1)Lincoln-Way East 41, (5A-8)Kankakee 0
• (3A-5)Wilmington 49, Sandwich 6
• (3A-8)Richmond-Burton 24, (4A-5)Coal City 20
• Manteno 28, Plano 14
• Marengo 41, (2A-RV)Peotone 21
• Reed-Custer 34, Harvard 0
• (1A-6)Clifton Central 48, (1A-RV)Momence 14
• Watseka 7, Iroquois West 6
• Milford/Cissna Park 40, St. Thomas More 28
• St. Anne 41, Meridian 6

Fightin’ Irish, Tigers show improvements

Not only did the McNamara-Herscher game pack the house once again, but it also provided what was quite convincingly the best game since the rivalry reunion in 2023. Sure, the first two games were both decided by a touchdown, but with tons of three-year seniors on both sides, the talent was at its highest by a good amount.

And the 17-point final margin doesn’t show how back-and-forth the game was. The Tigers held a 14-12 lead at the half, and the first five possessions of the second half all led to lead changes. Both sides had several skill players making electric plays all night, and although Herscher’s talented bunch of linemen were stout all night, the Fightin’ Irish defense was able to withstand it and pounce on a pair of late Herscher fumbles to seal the deal.

With the season just two weeks old, both of these teams have the opportunity to continue showing how much they’ve improved.

Boilermakers make another two-way statement

As Friday Night Drive editor Steve Soucie has now mentioned on each of the first two Live with Friday Night Drive shows this year, not only has Bradley-Bourbonnais’ offense proven to be as high-powered as it promised through two weeks, but the defense has been as good as any.

After allowing just two first downs in the first three quarters of their 42-0 win over TF North in Week 1, the Boilermakers made an even bigger statement last Friday in their 41-7 win over Crete-Monee.

The Warriors boast an offense that includes All-State quarterback Derrin Couch, wide receiver Dorian Patterson, and blue-chip running back Jeremiah Stonewall, but didn’t find the scoreboard until Stonewall’s late touchdown. As the Boilers rev up for play in the Southwest Valley Conference, this kind of dominance could allow them to pile up some wins and perhaps solid positioning in either the IHSA Class 6A or 7A Playoffs.

Here comes the Central Comets

With every starter back besides the do-it-all Aidan Podowicz, new Clifton Central coach Jeff Perzee and his staff knew they’d have solid potential this fall, but not even the biggest Comets fan could have seen such a dominant first two weeks coming.

After throttling defending Vermilion Valley Conference champion and Class 2A quarterfinalist Bismarck-Henning 34-13 in Week 1, the Comets showed that performance was no fluke with an even bigger win over rival Momence to bring the Comahawk Trophy back to Clifton for the first time since 2022.

Brady Shule flung half a dozen touchdowns as the defense made life uncomfortable for Momence star quarterback Erick Castillo all night, leading to a running-clock win and a jubilant night in southern Kankakee County.

With wins over the top two teams in the conference last year by a combined 82-28 margin, the Comets have been the head of the conference class through two weeks. While the VVC’s status as a locked conference – each of the 10 teams’ schedules filled with games against the other nine schools – it can be a bit of a mystery as to how fruitful of a postseason teams in the VVC could have.

But ask any coach in Class 1A if they’d want to run into the Comets, and they’re lying if they say they wouldn’t mind.

Weekend’s Best

Here are the area’s passing, rushing and receiving leaders from Week 2:

PASSING

• Brady Shule, Cen: 15 for 21, 260 yards, 6 TDs
• Dierks Neukomm, MCP: 8 for 14, 230 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 86 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
• Connor Harrod, Man: 17 for 24, 201 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 65 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
• Connor Henline, CC: 10 for 18, 188 yards, 2 TDs
• Ellis Johnson, BB: 12 for 20, 164 yards, 3 TDs; rushing TD

RUSHING

• Julius May, Mac: 15 rushes, 237 yards, 4 TDs
• Ryan Kettman, Wil: 7 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TDs
• Mario Martinez, MCP: 15 carries, 133 yards, TD; 100 receiving yards, receiving TD
• Dennis Goodman, Wat: 11 carries, 126 yards; INT
• Malachi Lee, Mac: 7 rushes, 106 yards, TD

RECEIVING

• Derek Meier, Cen: 6 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs
• Gavin Berger, CC: 4 catches, 103 yards, TD
• Kaden Neveu, Cen: 4 catches, 84 yards, 2 TDs
• Briggs Cann, Man: 5 catches, 67 yards, TD
• Matthew Langellier, SA: 4 catches, 67 yards, TD