Thornton at Lyons Twp.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. at Bennett Field, 4900 Willow Springs Rd., Western Springs.
What to watch: No. 2, QB Marcus Randle El, No. 4 WR Antonio Tribble, No. 7 WR Brandon Tobias. These Thornton (6-3) game-breakers are a threat to score each time they touch the ball in this Class 8A opener. Randle El is the younger brother of ex-Thornton star and current Pittsburgh Steeler WR Antwaan Randle El. Two other big-play athletes are RBs Martell Frazier and Demetrius Rudd. Lyons (7-2) can prevail if the Lions’ offense can dominate time of possession and relegate Thornton’s explosive attack to a view from the sideline. Lyons will need big games from QB Chris Farnsworth, RB Brian Davis and an offensive line featuring 6-foot-3-inch, 320-pound Mark Yena, Rick Mazur (6-2, 300), Bryan Lipinski (6-4, 280) and Scott Hinton (6-2, 286).
Bob Sakamoto’s pick: Thornton