St. Charles North, St. Viator, Hope, Sandwich and West Aurora are picks to click for third week of regular season.
Wheaton North (2-0) at St. Charles North (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: DuKane play opens with six of the conference’s eight teams undefeated in nonconference play. This one should be the headliner.
Wheaton North came from behind with late-game heroics to earn one-point wins over Providence and Lockport. The North Stars did the same in beating Palatine 28-27 and then took advantage of five turnovers to beat Crete-Monee.
Ethan Plumb, a four-year starter quarterback for St. Charles North, has passed for 350 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Nick Johnson, a first-year starter at quarterback for the Falcons, has been clutch connecting with junior tight end Shane Diericx.
“This league keeps getting better and better with everybody improving,” St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak said. “I always like to play Wheaton North and Batavia early because it gives you a good barometer of where you’re at.”
X-factor: Aidan McClure, St. Charles North, junior, linebacker.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: St. Charles North.
St. Viator (2-0) at Marmion (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: Outscoring two opponents a combined 103-6, St. Viator certainly hasn’t been tested, but Marmion coach Adam Guerra said the Lions are good. Senior quarterback Cooper Kmet, who threw for 1,970 yards and 21 TDs last season as St. Viator made the playoffs, returns to lead the offense and senior Dayvion Ellis headlines a talented group of receivers.
“Their coach has his program going, and any time you face a playoff team coming out of the Catholic League, you know they’re going to be battle-tested and dangerous,” Guerra said.
Marmion is coming off a blowout win of its own, 56-0 over Noble. Senior quarterback Kamron Tolliver has thrown for three TDs with no interceptions.
X-factor: Michael Roche, Marmion, senior, linebacker.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: St. Viator.
Chicago Hope (0-2) at Aurora Christian (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: These teams, both nicknamed Eagles, open Chicagoland Christian Conference play in a series that has developed into a good rivalry. They met last year twice, both resulting in one-score games at Hope, with Aurora Christian winning the first and Hope the second, the latter in a Class 1A second-round playoff game.
“Two super close games,” Aurora Christian coach David Beebe said. “They won the one that counted. And the funny thing is we played them downstate in basketball in the (Class 1A) third-place game.”
Hope also won that game by one point.
Hope’s record is deceiving, with losses coming to defending Class 2A state champion Wilmington and Simeon.
X-factor: Aaron Green, Hope, senior, wide receiver/defensive back.
Sandwich’s Simeion Harris (1) finds running room after a handoff against Wheaton Academy in the fourth quarter of a Class 4A state quarterfinal game in West Chicago on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Hope.
Sandwich (0-2) at Plano (1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The 113th meeting in a series that dates to 1897 between the Route 34 neighbors figures to be a tight game in the Kishwaukee River Conference opener.
Both teams have lost to Manteno — Sandwich by 22 points and Plano by 21. Sandwich also lost 40-15 to Wilmington while the Reapers, under new coach Kyle Tutt, beat Ottawa 17-14.
Both teams made the Class 4A playoffs last season. Sandwich (8-4) reached the quarterfinals and Plano (5-5) lost in the postseason opener. Last year, Sandwich won the rivalry game 27-7 and leads the series 56-52-4.
Possible headliners? Sandwich junior Nick Michalek had 141 yards rushing against Manteno and Plano senior Tim Young ran for 156 yards against Ottawa.
X-factor: Simeion Harris, Sandwich, senior, running back, defensive back, returner.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Sandwich.
Elgin (0-2) at West Aurora (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The Blackhawks’ return to the Upstate Eight Conference renews a series that dates back to 1896. This will be only the third meeting between the teams since 2011, however, thanks to conference realignments. It will be the 118th played in the series overall, with West Aurora holding a 58-49-10 lead and riding a nine-game winning streak.
The Maroons, who have posted a winning record in the regular season just once in the last 13 years, continue to struggle with losses to Fenton and Grayslake North. They have senior college prospects in 6-foot-5, 270-pound left tackle Adrian Jackson and 6-4, 240-pound defensive lineman Gerardo Depaz who bear watching.
Senior kicker Casey Roney, who committed Wednesday to Illinois State, set West Aurora’s career record for extra-point kicks last week, climbing to 69 and moving two ahead of former leader Logan Mont.
X-factor: Jesse Estrella, West Aurora, senior, defensive lineman.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: West Aurora.
