Clifton Central 34, Bismarck-Henning 13

Clifton Central’s Bryce Denault ran the opening kickoff back 80 yards Friday, setting the tone in a season opener the Comets would win comfortably against the reigning Vermilion Valley Conference champion Blue Devils. It was the Comets’ first-ever win over Bismarck-Henning in conference play.

The Comets got another special teams touchdown when Owen Palmateer recovered a bad snap from a Blue Devil punt in their own end zone. Everett Bailey had 27 rushing yards and a touchdown on four carries while Blake Chandler had a 2-yard touchdown run. Brady Shule was 7 of 11 passing for 65 yards and a touchdown to Derek Meier.

Coal City 40, Pontiac 14

The Coalers opened up the season with a statement at home on Friday. Logan Natyshok had 13 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns while Kole Carpenter had 10 carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

Quarterback Connor Henline was 5 of 13 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns, one to Aiden Scrogham and one to Gavin Berger. Brock Finch and Carter Gill each had an interception for the Coalers.

Peotone 48, Granite City 7

The Blue Devils forced five turnovers in a big road win in Friday’s season opener. Tommy Raschke led the defense with two interceptions on the night, including one for a touchdown.

Tucker Cain led the offense with three rushing touchdowns and 118 yards and 12 carries while Eli Chenoweth six carries for 51 yards for two scores and Alex Chenoweth ran for one.

Iroquois West 21, Hoopeston 20

The Raiders snapped an 11-game losing streak that dated back to the 2023 season with a close home win in Friday’s season opener. The defense had four interceptions, including a pick six from Aayden Miller.

Julian Melgoza had nine carries for 49 yards and a touchdown while Christian Gaytan had a 25-yard touchdown reception.

Herscher 42, Canton 38

The Tigers picked up a narrow road win to open the season Friday. Reed Laird had 150 receiving yards and a touchdown for Herscher.

Jaxon Suckley, Mason Roberts, Gavin Nelson and Tanner Jones all had touchdowns as well. Connor Buckley was 6 of 6 on his extra points in a close game for the Tigers.

Manteno 54, Sandwich 30

For the second season in a row, the Panthers hung 54 points on Sandwich to open up the season. They won 54-32 in 2024. Tyler Buehler gave Manteno the lead with an 85-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff while quarterback

Connor Harrod had 196 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries, including a 96-yard touchdown run. He was also 4 of 5 passing for 53 yards. Nick Honkisz had 18 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

Franklin Jordan and Jacob Boeschel each had five solo tackles and five assists while Brayden Wasney and Dylan McIntyre each had an interception.

Oakwood 27, Momence 26 (2 OT)

After Oakwood missed the extra point following a touchdown in the first overtime period, Momence scored but had their game-winning extra point blocked. They went for two after scoring to open double overtime, but Oakwood denied the attempt and responded with a touchdown and game-winning extra point of their own, handing Momence a heartbreaking loss in the opener.

Senior quarterback Erick Castillo led Momence with 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while also going 15 of 24 passing with three touchdowns and a pick. Eddie Ferreira had nine catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

El Paso-Gridley 28, Reed-Custer 14

The Comets came up short on the road in their season opener on the road Friday. Jesse Tresouthick was 10 of 12 passing for 88 yards and a touchdown to Thomas Emery, who had three catches for 56 yards.

Tresouthick also 10 carries for 35 yards while Hudson Cook had three carries for 29 yards and a touchdown and Dominic Alaimo had nine carries for 35 yards. Kaiden Klein had eight carries for 66 yards and three catches for 25 yards.

Georgetown-Ridge Farm 22, Watseka 13

The Warriors put up almost 200 rushing yards in their season opener, but came up short on the road. Dennis Goodman led the offense with 79 rushing yards on 11 carries while Payton Schaumburg had eight carries for 39 yards.

Goodman and Dale Hebert each had five solo tackles on defense. Lucas Shoemaker had three solo tackles and four assists while Justin Covarrubias had four solo tackles and three assists.

Saturday

St. Anne 30, Martinsville 0: For the first time in since reigniting the football program in 2023, St. Anne picked up a shutout win. The Cardinals downed Martinsville by 30 points on the road Saturday, avenging a 50-40 loss to the Bluestreaks in last year’s opener.

Grant Pomaranski was 4 of 4 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown to Quinton Thompsen, who also had 11 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Langellier had three carries for 51 yards and a score.

Langellier also had nine total tackles and an interception on the defensive side. Trevor Van Pelt had two sacks and Jyimere Thomas had one sack.

Milford/Cissna Park 34, Peoria Heights 20: With a 14-point home win in Saturday evening’s season opener, Milford/Cissna Park improved to 7-1 in season openers since making the move to 8-man football in 2018.

Dierks Neukomm was 7 of 11 passing for 112 yards three touchdowns and also ran the ball eight times for 114 yards and a touchdown. Jace Comstock had three catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns while Jream Renteria had two catches for 23 yards and a score. Mario Martinez ran for 105 yards and Skyler Estay ran for 25 yards and a touchdown.

Lucas Summers had 19 total tackles while Coy Lucht and Cohen Cheever had 12 apiece. Summers also had an interception and a fumble recovery.