Oswego, St. Charles North, Yorkville, Marmion and Jacobs are the picks to click for Week 2.
Oswego (1-0) at Geneva (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: For the second week in a row, a big-play receiver — in this case, Illinois recruit Bennett Konkey for Geneva – will test Oswego’s defense, which gave up 174 yards receiving to Neuqua Valley’s Will Kalish in a 44-22 win for the Panthers.
“Watching video at halftime, you pause it and everything looks good,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “You hit play and they catch it and keep running. We need to work on our tackling. Offense carried us. Defense and special teams need to pick it up.”
Konkey had three TDs, including a 100-yard kick return, in the first eight-plus minutes of a 28-14 win over Libertyville. But the Vikings’ defense under coach Boone Thorgesen faces a challenge too in junior running back Ammar Banire, who totaled 276 yards in Week 1 for Oswego.
X-factor: Quinten Jackson Jr., Oswego, senior, cornerback.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Oswego.
St. Charles North (1-0) at South Elgin (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: It will be a short week for the Storm, who are coming off a road trip to Orlando, Florida, for a 21-6 win over Oak Ridge that included visits to theme parks.
Also having a short week? The North Stars were delayed by storms that pushed back their Friday night opener to Saturday afternoon, resulting in a 28-7 win at home over Minooka.
Both teams utilized a pair of quarterbacks. The Storm went with senior Carter McDonald and sophomore Oliver Johnston, while the North Stars used senior Landon Conroy and sophomore Dashel Von Qualen.
“We had two fumbles that put us back a little bit or we might have had a couple more touchdowns,” South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio said. “Our defense played really well.”
X-factor: Tommy Vendl, St. Charles North, senior, running back.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: St. Charles North.
Yorkville (1-0) at Joliet West (0-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The Foxes travel to Joliet West for a Southwest Prairie Conference crossover against the Tigers, who dropped a 28-14 decision in the opener to Owego East.
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Junior Maximus Delgado and senior Quintin Rink both saw action behind center for Yorkville in a 25-15 win over Crete-Monee. Delgado completed 6 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a TD and ran eight times for 70 yards and two TDs.
The Foxes’ defense was led by a trio of linebackers in Benjamin Wade, Will Freeman and Dillon Viscogliosi who combined for 30 tackles. Wade made 11 stops, while Freeman followed with 10.
X-factor: Gavin Geegan, Yorkville, senior, running back.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Yorkville.
Lincoln Park (1-0) at Marmion (0-1)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: Senior running back Henry Miller, returning from a Week 4 injury that ended his season last year, produced 231 yards and two TDs on 26 carries but the Cadets came up short in a 23-21 loss to Racine Lutheran of Wisconsin.
Last season as a two-way starter, Miller finished with 355 yards rushing while adding two interceptions at safety.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Saltijeral directed Marmion’s offense, taking the reins following the transfer of Roy Magana Jr., last year’s starter.
Lincoln Park, a Class 7A state playoff qualifier last fall, is coming off a 28-0 win over North Lawndale.
X-factor: Colin McEniry, Marmion, senior, wide receiver.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Marmion.
Hampshire (0-1, 0-1) at Jacobs (1-0, 1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The Whip-Purs and first-year coach Braden Foster will look to quickly regroup after a 49-0 setback to Fox Valley Conference powerhouse Huntley.
Three turnovers and an errant punt snap gave the Red Raiders a short field on multiple occasions.
Junior linebackers Jack Coates and Aiden Brunner made 15 and nine tackles, respectively, as Jacobs rolled to a 20-7 win at Cary-Grove. Brunner had a night to remember, scoring every point for the Golden Eagles with a 23-yard fumble return for a TD, plus 15 carries for 131 yards and two TDs along with a 2-point conversion run.
X-factor: Austin Stennett, Jacobs, junior, quarterback.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Jacobs.
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