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DuKane conference
St. Charles North (3-0, 1-0) at Batavia (3-0, 1-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the North Stars: St. Charles North is 1-5 against the Bulldogs since entering the DuKane conference, with its lone win coming in a 32-31 double OT thriller in 2022 to clinch the conference championship and four of those five losses being by one score. It’ll be the first time the two teams face off without having a loss. Linebacker Aidan McClure has been a commanding force on defense so far, having a conference-high 36 tackles to go with three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and three fumble recoveries. Offensively, running back Joell Holloman led the charge last week with 186 total yards and two touchdowns.
About the Bulldogs: After a close Week 1 victory over Glenbard West, Batavia has been in the driver’s seat both on offense and defense, with the Bulldogs outscoring opponents 98-20. A big part of that jump has been from running back Nathan Whitwell, who has put up 539 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in this young season. QB Bodi Anderson has also found a bit of a groove with consecutive three-touchdown performances, with Brett Berggren being on the receiving end of three scores in the team’s 56-6 victory over Lake Park last week. Batavia won this match last year 45-21, which is the only time they’ve won by more than one score.
FND pick: Batavia
Geneva (3-0, 1-0) at Lake Park (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Vikings: Geneva continued its hot start to the season in its conference opener with another 40+ point performance with a 45-31 win over Wheaton Warrenville South, and will look to continue against a team it defeated 41-7 a season ago. QB Anthony Chahino continued his hot start with a career-high 309 passing yards in Week 3, with most of his yardage coming from RB Michael Rumoro (114 receiving yards) and WR Bennett Konkey (88 receiving yards). The performance showed the true versatility of the Vikings’ offense, especially with Georgia commit Talyn Taylor being limited to 28 yards on two receptions after being double-teamed throughout the night.
About the Lancers: After dominant showings in their first two games of the season, Lake Park saw a big regression in their 56-6 loss to Batavia in their conference opener. Their rushing offense, which accumulated 537 total yards in their first two games, only had 55 yards in their Week 3 loss, and their lone touchdown came from a pick-six by Dominic Patello. They’ll look to get back on track against a tough Vikings team.
FND pick: Geneva
St. Charles East (1-2, 1-0) at Wheaton North (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Saints: St. Charles East snapped an eight-game losing streak in Week 3 with a 40-6 victory over Glenbard North, who was their only win a season ago. However, the Saints have looked like a completely different team offensively compared to last season. After putting up 101 points total last year, the Saints have already put up 97 points in its first three games, including two 40-point performances, which they haven’t done since 2018. QB JT Padron has been the main catalyst for the offense, but RB Xander Salazar had his first big week with 123 rush yards and three touchdowns against the Panthers.
About the Falcons: After winning their first two games by one point, Wheaton North couldn’t overcome an early scoring attack from St. Charles North and fell 31-14. Despite the score, the Falcons saw some big efforts offensively, with Max Serbick rushing for 104 yards in the game and Tyler Kading leading all receivers in the game with 123 receiving yards. The Falcons took the matchup 35-14 last season and are 5-0 against the Saints in conference play, with each of the last three being by more than two scores.
FND pick: Wheaton North
Fox Valley Conference
Crystal Lake Central (1-2, 1-2) at Burlington Central (2-1, 2-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Tigers: Crystal Lake Central earned its first win of the season with an overtime win against Dundee-Crown 17-14, getting a 28-yard field goal from Mattia Zavattaro. … QB Aidan Niederkorn connected with Ben Kolodziej for an 11-yard touchdown. … Anthony Martini caught seven passes for 100 yards. Niederkorn finished 20-of-34 passing for 157 yards and two TDs, the other coming on a 5-yarder to Carter Kelley in the first half. Crystal Lake Central committed only one penalty for five yards.
About the Rockets: Burlington Central spread the ball around in a Week 3 win over Crystal Lake South 33-6. Zach Samaan scored two TDs for the Rockets, and Zane Pollack, Henry Deering Jackson Alcorn each scored once. Pollack (team-high 66 yards) scored on a 7-yard run and Samaan had TD runs of 38 and 3 yards. Deering added 51 yards and Alcorn threw for 122 yards and ran for 32.
FND pick: Burlington Central
-Alex Kantecki
Interstate 8
Kaneland (3-0, 0-0) at Ottawa (1-2, 0-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Knights: After a couple of close games to start the year, the Knights improved to 3-0 with a 42-7 win over DeKalb. The Knights have started 1-2 each of the past three seasons, made the playoffs all three times and made the second round the last two years. The Knights last started 3-0 in 2018, finishing the year 7-4. Carter Grabowski has been a force on both sides of the ball, leading the team with 246 rushing yards on 50 carries, plus had a team-best 27 tackles, including three for a loss and an interception.
About the Pirates: Ottawa lost the first of two grudge matches to rival La Salle-Peru last week, 33-0. The teams will meet again in two weeks, in the game that will count toward the conference standings. Weston Averkamp led Ottawa with 34 yards on 14 carries while Mark Munson passed for 50 yards. The Pirates went 3-6 last year after a playoff appearance in 2022.
FND pick: Kaneland
-Eddie Carifio
CCL/ESCC Red
Marmion (2-1, 0-0) at De La Salle (1-2, 0-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Cadets: Marmion suffered its first loss under head coach Adam Guerra to a tough St. Viator team after giving up 21 unanswered points in the second half to lose 31-7. Their lone score of the game came from a 54-yard pass from Kam’ron Tolliver to Jack Young, but couldn’t capitalize on anything else in the game. They look to return to the form they took in their first two games of the season, where they outscored opponents 77-15.
About the Meteors: Each game that De La Salle has played in so far this season has resulted with the winning team scoring over 40 points and the losing team being shut out. The Meteors’ lone win was a 64-0 win over Foreman in Week 2, while their two losses were 45-0 against Argo in Week 1 and 42-0 against Benet Academy in Week 3.
FND pick: Marmion
CCL/ESCC Green
St. Rita (2-1, 0-0) at St. Francis (3-0, 0-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Mustangs: St. Rita stunned Brother Rice, 14-7, last weekend on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Steven Armbruster (203 yards passing) to Walter Jones (5 catches, 99 yards) with 1:06 remaining. Linebackers Justin Buckner and Owen Lynch combined for 19½ tackles against Brother Rice.
About the Spartans: Coming off one of the school’s biggest victories in recent history – a 35-21 road win over 2-time defending Class 8A state champion Loyola Academy -- the Spartans take on another larger school with a strong tradition in St. Rita (7A state runner-up in 2019 and 2021). Junior quarterback Brady Palmer passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more against Loyola while tailback TyVonn Ransom added a TD run. “I was most proud of our resilience,” Spartans coach Bob McMillen after the Loyola win. “We asked the boys to play 48 minutes of mistake-free, physical football, and they did just that.” St. Francis may need another complete performance against St. Rita.
FND pick: St. Francis
-Craig Brueske, Daily Herald
Chicagoland Christian
St. Edward (0-3, 0-1) at Aurora Christian (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Green Wave: Turnovers continue to hurt the Green Wave, who committed 3 miscues during last weekend’s 36-0 loss to Christ the King. St. Edward finished with 90 total yards, led by tailback Charlie Elwood, who broke off a pair of double-digit runs. Sophomore Parker Ptruczenko recovered a fumble for the Green Wave.
About the Eagles: Aurora Christian will try to get back on track following last weekend’s 22-9 loss to Hope Academy. The Eagles were victimized by turnovers and sacks in the loss. Asa Johnson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Cole McCall put Aurora Christian on top early before Hope sealed the decision with 15 unanswered third-quarter points.
FND Pick: Aurora Christian
-Craig Brueske, Daily Herald
Nonconference
Walther Christian (0-2) at Aurora Central Catholic (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Broncos: Walther Christian has suffered 2 consecutive shutout losses, including last weekend’s 61-0 loss to Peru-St. Bede.
About the Chargers: After a pair of competitive performances that included a season-opening 20-8 win over St. Edward, Aurora Central Catholic lost a 46-0 decision to a tough Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington team last weekend. The teams were members of the Metro Suburban Red during their last meeting 7 years ago.
FND pick: Aurora Central Catholic
-Craig Brueske, Daily Herald