2024 season preview: Scouting the Fox Valley Conference

TEAM PREVIEWS

Burlington Central Rockets

Coach: Brian Iossi

2023 record: 4-5, 4-5 FVC (sixth place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Cary-Grove; Sep. 6 at Dundee-Crown; Sept. 13 Crystal Lake South; Sept. 20 Crystal Lake Central; Sept. 27 at McHenry; Oct. 4 Jacobs; Oct. 11 at Prairie Ridge; Oct. 18 Hampshire; Oct. 25 at Huntley

Worth noting: The Rockets went 4-5 in back-to-back seasons, almost reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Central kept its playoff hopes alive with a 17-14 OT win over Hampshire in Week 8 before losing to Huntley 20-10 in Week 9. Central’s last winning season was in 2017. … The Rockets open the season against defending Class 6A state champion Cary-Grove. … Senior QB Jackson Alcorn returns for his third year starting on varsity. He dealt with injuries as a junior and threw for 574 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. LJ Kerr (20 catches, 239 yards) and Caden West (22 catches, 466 yards, four TDs), both three-year starters, are the team’s top returners at receiver. … The Rockets lost seven defensive starters to graduation and will be led by senior linebackers Zach Samaan and McKade Naus. Kerr and Liam Ballantyne return at defensive back. “We look fast and physical across the board and I’m excited to see some young guys step up,” Iossi said. … Junior OL Zach Hultgren will be a key piece on the offensive line. Other returners include OLs Jack Therkildsen, Henry Crumlett and Aidan Nuno. Some key newcomers are WR Ryan Dubin, WR Christian Livingston, RB Zane Pollack, DL Matt Bending, DB Michael Schmidt and OL Akashdeep Sidhu. … “Probably the best camp we’ve had since I took over as head coach, and definitely the most fun I’ve had,” Iossi said. “These guys are hungry. They want to get over the hump.”

Cary-Grove Trojans

Coach: Brad Seaburg

2023 record: 12-2, 7-2 FVC (third place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Burlington Central; Sept. 6 Crystal Lake Central; Sept. 13 at McHenry; Sept. 20 Jacobs; Sept. 27 at Prairie Ridge; Oct. 5 Hampshire; Oct. 11 at Huntley; Oct. 18 at Crystal Lake South; Oct. 25 Dundee-Crown

Worth noting: A year after missing the playoffs at 3-6, The Trojans won the Class 6A state title with a 23-20 win against East St. Louis, giving them their fourth state championship and third since 2018. C-G had an epic 19-play drive that covered 71 yards in 10 minutes, 37 seconds, for the go-ahead score. Fullback Logan Abrams punched in a 2-yard TD with 1:19 left, and defensive back PJ Weaver iced the game with an interception. … Abrams, who is entering his junior year, led FVC running backs with 1,590 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was an All-Area first-team selection … The Trojans return six offensive starters, including three RBs, and three on defense. … Senior Peyton Seaburg, a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team pick, returns at QB after doing most of his damage on the ground. He ran for 747 yards (10th most in area) on 93 carries and six touchdowns. He was very efficient on 16-of-27 passing for 340 yards, 11 touchdowns and one INT. His lone completion in the state title game went for a TD … Senior Lucas Burton returns at center, along with junior OL Jack Hissong. Other offensive returners include TE Luca Vivaldelli and RB Holden Boone (241 yards, 3 TDs). Vivaldelli had a key fourth-down catch on C-G’s game-winning drive in the state title game. … C-G will need to replace the big-play ability of Andrew Prio, who ran for 1,302 yards and 14 touchdowns. … On defense, the Trojans return DL Ty Drayton, LB Charlie Ciske and DB Preston Walsh. Their leading tackler – Connor Anderson – graduated. … Kicker Jadon Apgar is back after making 2 of 3 field goals and 36 of 41 extra points. … Coach Brad Seaburg is 125-28 in 14 seasons at C-G. … Some key newcomers include DB Michael Dunkin, DL Jake Cody, LB Brady Elbert, OL Andy Bolf, WR-DB Jeremiah Benford, LB Ostin Hansen , RB Lance Moore and DB Landon Moore. … “We have an extremely dedicated team,” Brad Seaburg said. “With the number of returning starters coming back, the amount of talent returning and our finish last year, the expectations for this team are extremely high.”

Crystal Lake Central Tigers

Coach: Dirk Stanger

2023 record: 5-5, 5-4 FVC (fifth place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Huntley; Sept. 6 at Cary-Grove; Sept. 13 Dundee-Crown; Sept. 20 at Burlington Central; Sept. 27 Crystal Lake South; Oct. 4 McHenry; Oct. 11 at Jacobs; Oct. 18 Prairie Ridge; Oct. 25 at Hampshire

Worth noting: The Tigers returned to the playoffs after a 2-7 finish in 2022. Central lost to Lake Zurich 21-7 in a Class 6A first-round playoff game. … The Tigers suffered some big losses to graduation, including QB Jason Penza (2,052 passing yards, 21 TDs) and WR George Dimopoulos (42 catches, 774 yards, seven TDs). The Tigers also lost a top receiving option in Tommy Hammond (37 catches, 486 yards) and their top rusher in Griffin Buehler (853 yards, eight TDs). … Senior WR Carter Kelley had 24 catches for 347 yards. … Tommy McNeil, a two-way player on the line and All-Area first-team selection, enters his fourth year on varsity. He helped the FVC’s best passing offense last year and also played some linebacker late in the year. … Senior TE-DE Ben Kolodziej earned All-Area honorable mention. … Stanger said the team will have to replace about 90% of its offensive production. He believes the linebacker group will be a big strength, along with senior Cayden Parks at safety. … Other key returners are OL Nolan Nabielec and WR Ben Freese. On defense, the Tigers bring back LB Tyler Porter and DT Logan Gough. … “Our numbers are lower at the varsity level due to the graduation of so many seniors and a smaller 2025 class,” Stanger said. “Our guys continued to show up all summer and put in the work. This will be Year 2 running our new defensive scheme, so we hope to continue to evolve it.”

Crystal Lake South Gators

Coach: Rob Fontana

2023 record: 3-6, 3-6 FVC (seventh place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Dundee-Crown; Sept. 6 Prairie Ridge; Sept. 13 at Burlington Central; Sept. 20 Hampshire; Sept. 27 at Crystal Lake Central; Oct. 4 Huntley; Oct. 11 at McHenry; Oct. 18 Cary-Grove; Oct. 25 at Jacobs

Worth noting: The Gators missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and suffered big losses to graduation, losing 17 starters. After a 2-2 start, South lost four of its final five games. … The Gators will have to replace starting QB Caden Casimino, who was second in the area with 2,101 passing yards and 17 TDs in his last year. … Senior AJ Demirov returns as the team’s top pass-catching option after grabbing 50 catches for 441 yards. Grad Colton Hess was the team’s leader in receiving yards (801) and touchdowns (10). Demirov will be used in unique ways and play multiple positions to highlight his big-play ability, Fontana said. … A giant loss on defense was DL Andy Burburija, who earned IHSFCA Class 6A All-State honors with 92 tackles, six sacks, 22 tackles for losses, two blocked kicks and a safety. … Top players to watch include OL JJ Alonge, LB Jon Miller, RB Logan Miller, WR Kuba Banasik and OL-DL Alex Moore. Key newcomers are LB Chrystian Avery, LB Brock Miller, K JJ Semradek and QB-DB Michael Silvius. … “This was a unique summer as we didn’t know what guys were going to show up day to day,” Fontana said. “It gave everyone else more opportunities to show our staff what they can do on the field. I would say our change from day to day and our players buying into being selfless opened up some opportunities for guys that they didn’t think would be a possibility before camp.”

Dundee-Crown Chargers

Coach: Mike Steinhaus

2023 record: 1-8, 1-8 (ninth place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Crystal Lake South; Sept. 6 Burlington Central; Sept. 13 at Crystal Lake Central; Sept. 20 McHenry; Sept. 27 at Jacobs; Oct. 4 Prairie Ridge; Oct. 11 at Hampshire; Oct. 18 Huntley; Oct. 25 at Cary-Grove

Worth noting: The Chargers’ lone win was a 13-7 victory over McHenry in Week 4. D-C last went to the postseason in 2013 and has only reached four wins once since 2018. The Chargers bring back seven on defense with varsity experience. … Graduate Zach Randl was among the FVC’s top passing leaders last year with 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns. His top targets were Kali Freeman (35 catches, 475 yards, 4 TDs) and Torrion Bell (26 catches, 448 yards, three TDs), who both graduated. … Senior RB Terrion Spencer led the team with 497 rushing yards. … Other top returners include QB Hayden DeMarsh, RB Kadin Malone, LB Isaiah Blake, LB Anthony Jobe, DB Kyle Pierce, DB Ryan Pierce and DL Teigen Moreno. ... Steinhaus expects OL-DL Michael Weightman, LB Tristan Gatenby, OL-DL Zach Anderson and DL Anthony Looze to make an immediate impact. … “We have a core group of players that have put in the work and are eager for an opportunity to showcase their hard work,” Steinhaus said. “We lack numbers as a program, but our players who have committed themselves are excited to play for their school and represent our community. There are no cupcake games in the FVC and our team must have a playoff mentality each game.”

Hampshire Whip-Purs

Coach: Shane Haak

2023 record: 2-7, 2-7 FVC (eighth place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 at McHenry; Sept. 6 Jacobs; Sept. 13 at Prairie Ridge; Sept. 20 at Crystal Lake South; Sept. 27 Huntley; Oct. 5 at Cary-Grove; Oct. 11 Dundee-Crown; Oct. 18 Burlington Central; Oct. 25 Crystal Lake Central

Worth noting: The Whip-Purs’ two wins came against McHenry (34-0), their Week 1 opponent, and Dundee-Crown (23-20). That was a one-win improvement from the year before. Hampshire almost beat Crystal Lake Central in Week 9, falling 27-24 in OT. That would have knocked Central out of the postseason. … Senior RB Cole Klawikowski was fifth in the area in rushing with 1,118 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning All-Area second-team honors. He added 166 receiving yards and three scores. … Senior WR Ari Fivelson was the team’s top receiver with 28 catches for 377 yards and two TDs. The Whips graduated quarterback Luke Lacke, who fell just shy of 900 passing yards with seven TDs. … Haak is an Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer. He went 178-108 in 28 seasons at Harvard before taking over the job at Hampshire last season. … A few top returners include OT Jacob Kurtz and WR Christian Dupuis, and key newcomers include QB Ryan Prowitz and TE-DE Mason Allen. … “Our goal is to teach and play with great fundamentals on defense and to have the ability to adjust week to week,” Haak said. “We made great strides this summer on offense, defense and special teams.”

Huntley Red Raiders

Coach: Mike Naymola

2023 record: 9-2, 8-1 FVC (second place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Crystal Lake Central; Sept. 6 McHenry; Sept. 13 at Jacobs; Sept. 20 Prairie Ridge; Sept. 27 at Hampshire; Oct. 4 at Crystal Lake South; Oct. 11 Cary-Grove; Oct. 18 at Dundee-Crown; Oct. 25 Burlington Central

Worth noting: The Red Raiders qualified for the Class 8A postseason in back-to-back years under Naymola and were runner-up to FVC champion Prairie Ridge, losing their Week 4 matchup to the Wolves 27-14. Huntley defeated Niles West 26-14 in the first round of the playoffs and ended its season with a loss to St. Ignatius 35-23 in the second round. … Senior QB Braylon Bower is the area’s returning leader in passing after completing 128 of 178 passes (71.9%) for 1,467 yards and 16 TDs. He added 638 yards on the ground with six scores. Naymola said Bower “will run the show for us” and “his ability to spread the ball around and keep defenses off balance is important to us.” … Huntley lost its top rusher to graduation, Haiden Janke, who rumbled for 1,369 yards (second most in the area) and scored 22 touchdowns. … Senior Zach Rysavy will be one of the Raiders’ top receiving options. Huntley graduated its top targets in Omare Segarra (30 catches, 435 yards) and Bryce Walker (28 catches, 228 yards). … Senior Kelley Gassner is a leader on the offensive line. … One of the team’s biggest losses to graduation was DB Zack Garifio, who made many big plays throughout the season, including an 87-yard INT return touchdown in a win over Jacobs. He had a blocked punt that was recovered for a TD in the first-round win over Niles West. … Carter Pope, Ryan Wabel, Mason Maldonado and Travis Dudycha will anchor the defensive line, while Colin Masten, Rysavy and Colin Kalemba are leaders in the secondary. … WR Jordan Oruche, RB Gavin Havens, RB Reichen Dvorak and OL Drew Donovan are some key newcomers. …. “The competition we saw this summer better prepared us for the season than any other summer I’ve been around for,” Naymola said. “We found out when we are tested and pushed through difficult situations, we have been able to fight our way through them and get better in the end.”

Jacobs Golden Eagles

Coach: Brian Zimmerman

2023 record: 6-4, 6-3 FVC (fourth place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Prairie Ridge; Sept. 6 at Hampshire; Sept. 13 Huntley; Sept. 20 at Cary-Grove; Sept. 27 Dundee-Crown; Oct. 4 at Burlington Central; Oct. 11 Crystal Lake Central; Oct. 18 at McHenry; Oct. 25 Crystal Lake South

Worth noting: The Golden Eagles qualified for the 7A playoffs for the third consecutive year and ended their season with a 23-14 loss to Lincoln-Way Central in the first round of the playoffs. Jacobs will open the year against defending FVC champ Prairie Ridge after losing their matchup 6-0 in the 2023 opener. … Jacobs will rely on a strong run game, led by junior FB Caden DuMelle. As a sophomore, he was fourth in the area with 1,277 rushing yards and 12 TDs. Senior RB T.O. Boddie was second on the team with 696 yards and six scores. … Senior LB-S Luke Gormsen is the “general” of the defense, Zimmerman said. Senior P.J. Barnes will play multiple key roles, including at tight end, running back and defensive end. … Junior Connor Goehring will start at QB for the first time. … Other returning starters include OT Vince DeLordo, C Jake Sindles, G Lucas Retzler, RB-S-LB Matthew Scardina, OL Connor Uhler, CB Owen Hoffman, S Cooper Gulgren, DB Justin Gonzalez, DE Andrii Tymoshchuk and LB Tyler Genger. Newcomers to watch include TE-CB Carson Goehring, OG Landon Carlson, DL Norval Boyd Jr., OL-DL Joe Anderson, DL Randall Brown, LB El Almeida, RB Michael Cannady, TE-LB Charlie Glenn and TE-LB Jack Coates. … “Keys to a successful season will be to stay healthy, execute on all three phases of the game and eliminate turnovers and foolish penalties,” Zimmerman said. “We have a gauntlet of a schedule for our first four games in Prairie Ridge, Hampshire, Huntley and Cary Grove. We will definitely be battle tested the first half of the season.”

McHenry Warriors

Coach: Jeff Schroeder

2023 record: 0-9, 0-9 FVC (10th place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 Hampshire; Sept. 6 at Huntley; Sept. 13 Cary-Grove; Sept. 20 at Dundee-Crown; Sept. 27 Burlington Central; Oct. 4 at Crystal Lake Central; Oct. 11 Crystal Lake South; Oct. 18 Jacobs; Oct. 25 at Prairie Ridge

Worth noting: The Warriors were 0-9 after their best finish since 2017 with a 4-5 record in 2022, one win away from qualifying for the playoffs. Their closest games last year were against D-C in Week 4 (13-7) and Burlington Central in Week 5 (17-7). Schroeder enters his second year at McHenry after coaching at Woodstock North for 13 seasons. … Senior RB-LB Jacob Jones ran for a team-high 454 yards and four TDs last season. … The Warriors return five offensive lineman in Chase Miller, Eli Guardyak, Cayden Behrendt, Aiden Ramirez and Joseph Saavedra. Also coming back with varsity experience are LB Conner McLean, RB-LB Aiden Schuldt, RB-DB Jeff Schwab, TE Jonathan Wiseman, QB Ethan Dietmeyer, DL Braydon Stebbins and LBs Nolan Chovanec and James Butler. … “Our kids are hungry and have grown in maturity towards the expectations of varsity football and what it takes to compete in the FVC,” Schroeder said. “Last year was a little bit of baptism by fire. This season our kids have a much greater understanding of what to expect and how they need to prepare.”

Prairie Ridge Wolves

Coach: Mike Frericks

2023 record: 9-1, 9-0 FVC (first place)

Schedule: Aug. 30 at Jacobs; Sept. 6 at Crystal Lake South; Sept. 13 Hampshire; Sept. 20 at Huntley; Sept. 27 Cary-Grove; Oct. 4 at Dundee-Crown; Oct. 11 Burlington Central; Oct. 18 at Crystal Lake Central; Oct. 25 McHenry

Worth noting: The Wolves won the FVC championship with a perfect record, then lost to eventual 5A state champion Nazareth Academy 35-28 in the first round of the playoffs. … Frericks takes over for Chris Schremp, who finished with 187 wins at the school. Under Schremp, Prairie Ridge had three Class 6A state titles and two runner-up finishes. Frericks, a 2009 Crystal Lake South grad, played at NCAA Division II Sioux Falls. … Junior running back Luke Vanderwiel (561 rushing yards, eight touchdowns last season) will get a lot of work out of the backfield, and senior Jack Finn (950 yards, 11 touchdowns) will operate as the team’s starting fullback. … Quarterback Joey Vanderwiel, who threw for 561 yards and three TDs and ran for 602 yards and 11 scores, graduated. … Senior Jace Kranig, an All-Area first-teamer, returns at linebacker after leading the Wolves with 72 tackles, eight tackles for losses and two sacks. … Seniors Gavin Tinch and Walter Pollack will anchor a strong Wolves defense that allowed an FVC-low 11.6 points and 129 yards a game. … Angelo Kay and Ben Nystrom are new additions on the offensive line. Owen Satterlee, a sophomore, is in competition for the starting QB job. Logan Thennes is a key returner at defensive back. … Prairie Ridge starts nine seniors on defense. … “Just like traditional PR teams, we want to control the football and dominate the line of scrimmage. We want to run the football and stop the running game from opposing offenses,” Frericks said. “We will use our special teams to make big plays and control the field position throughout the game.”

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Logan Abrams, Cary-Grove, jr., FB – In his first full season at fullback, Abrams led the Northwest Herald area with 1,590 yards and 26 touchdowns. He scored a 2-yard touchdown with 1:19 remaining as the Trojans won the Class 6A state championship 23-20 over East St. Louis.
• Braylon Bower, Huntley, sr., QB – Bower was the area’s most accurate passer a season ago, completing 128 of 178 passes (71.9%) for 1,467 yards and 16 touchdowns. He added 638 yards on the ground with six touchdowns.
• Caden DuMelle, Jacobs, jr., FB – DuMelle broke out in a big way for the Golden Eagles as he was fourth in the area in rushing with 1,277 yards and 12 touchdowns. He figures to get a lot of work out of the backfield once again, along with running back T.O. Boddie.
• Cole Klawikowski, Hampshire, sr., RB – Klawikowski put up another big season for the Whip-Purs and should get a heavy workload in his senior season. As a junior, the bruising running back was fifth in the area with 1,118 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He added three scores through the air.
• Gavin Tinch, Praire Ridge, sr., DL – Tinch, who is 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, will anchor a strong Wolves defense as a three-year starter. As a junior, he had 15 tackles for a defense that allowed an FVC-low 11.6 points and 129 yards a game.

FIVE CAN’T-MISS MATCHUPS

• Week 1 – Prairie Ridge at Jacobs: Prairie Ridge was undefeated in the FVC last fall and its only loss in conference play over the past two seasons is to Jacobs.
• Week 3 – Huntley at Jacobs: Huntley and Jacobs will each look to compete for the conference title after finishing runner-up and fourth, respectively, last season. Huntley won last year’s meeting 40-21.
• Week 4 – Crystal Lake Central at Burlington Central: The Tigers and Rockets fought hard for playoff contention last season, each going 4-5, but only Crystal Lake Central made it.
• Week 5 – Cary-Grove at Prairie Ridge: The Trojans and Wolves always put on a show and have one of the area’s best rivalries. C-G won the Class 6A state title last year, and Prairie Ridge was bounced from the 5A field in the first round by eventual state champion Nazareth.
• Week 7 – Cary-Grove at Huntley: Cary-Grove and Huntley matched up in one of the area’s best games last year. The Red Raiders rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring a TD on the game’s final play with a two-point conversion to win 29-28.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH

(* - Projected playoff qualifier)

1. Cary-Grove*
2. Huntley*
3. Prairie Ridge*
4. Jacobs*
5. Burlington Central*
6. Crystal Lake Central
7. Crystal Lake South
8. Hampshire
9. McHenry
10. Dundee-Crown