Southwest Valley Red

Lincoln Way-West (5-0, 3-0) at DeKalb (2-3, 0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: They’re coming off a 27-17 win at winless Waubonsie Valley. The week before, they beat Lincoln-Way Central 17-12. Against Waubonsie Valley, they trailed 14-0 but came back. Jimmy Talley Jr. scored the first two touchdowns and added an insurance score. Grant Tustin also threw for a touchdown in the win. Their last four games have been decided by 10 points or less. They’ve missed one postseason since 2010.

About the Barbs: One more loss will make reaching the postseason very tricky for DeKalb, and the team faces undefeated teams the next two weeks - a trip to Bradley-Bourbonnais is on the docket in Week 7. They fell 45-7 to Lincoln-Way Central last week. They also only put up seven points in a loss to Kaneland in Week 3. Coach Derek Schneeman said the throughline with the rough offensive games is the lack of a run game. When the team becomes one-dimensional, they can sell out to defend the pass and make things difficult for quarterback Cole Latimer and wide receiver Davon Grant. He also said the team needs to play with more confidence. The Barbs were punched in the mouth early last week, and while Schneeman said they responded initially, eventually they faded.

Friday Night Drive pick: Lincoln-Way West

Interstate 8

Kaneland (4-1, 1-1) at Sycamore (3-2, 2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: Kaneland gave up the first 28 points in a 42-21 home loss to Morris last week. Quarterback Jalen Carter was injured on the first series of the game, throwing sophomore Brody Guthrie unexpectedly into the game against Morris, a team coach Michael Thorgesen said is probably the best team they’ll face this year. Running back Carter Grabowski ran 18 times for 61 yards and didn’t reach the end zone after gaudy numbers throughout the first four games this year. Now only Morris and Sycamore remain as teams with perfect Interstate 8 records and the Knights get their crack at the Spartans. Thorgesen said Carter will be close to being back Friday but will be a game-time decision. Thorgesen said he doesn’t expect the injury to be a season-ending one. Guthrie was 12 of 23 for 204 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. With more time to practice, Thorgesen said if Guthrie is the starter, the Knights will be able to run anything with him that they were able to do with Carter.

About the Spartans: After a 1-2 start to the year, the Spartans have won two straight. Their 35-7 win against Ottawa last week was their first win of more than five points this year. They haven’t committed a turnover in the last two weeks, something coach Joe Ryan said goes hand in hand with wins. The defense is going to have a big challenge this week against a Kaneland offense that has scored at least 21 points in every game this year - and that 21-point performance was without its starting quarterback against a stout Morris defense. Ryan said between the Knights’ running game and deep-strike capability, they’re a challenge on defense. Kevin Lee also returned from an injury for Sycamore with a big game against the Pirates - 12 tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss. Despite missing time, he’s second on the team with 29 tackles and leads the team with 50 carries and 218 rushing yards.

Friday Night Drive pick: Sycamore

Big Northern Conference

Genoa-Kingston (2-3, 2-2) at Rockford Lutheran (0-5, 0-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cogs: After averaging 13.5 points per game in their first two games, the Cogs have averaged 44 points per game in the last three, including a 56-38 win against North Boone on Friday. The Crusaders have given up 50 points or more in their last three games and have given up at least 40 points every week. Genoa-Kingston coach Cam Davekos said he’s been impressed with the progression of the offense. He said leaders are stepping up on the offensive side, and now he wants to see that happen defensively. The Crusaders run a similar spread to North Boone, and Davekos said the Cogs need to get more pressure on the quarterback to have more success than they did against the Vikings. Cody Cravatta and Ben Kleba had key turnovers to help secure the win.

About the Crusaders: After reaching the second round of the postseason after a 6-3 regular season last year, they’ve dropped their first five games this year. The last two, 53-12 to Winnebago in Week 4 and 58-36 to Dakota in Week 5, were against teams that entered winless and still each only has one win. The Crusaders made the last three postseasons but missed four in a row before that.

Friday Night Drive pick: Genoa-Kingston

Note: Hiawatha will receive a forfeit victory this week and improves to 4-2. They lost 34-14 to South Beloit (5-0) in Week 5. They will face Rockford Christian Life in Week 7 after a 60-6 win against them in Week 4.