Game of the week

Bishop McNamara (6-0, 4-0) at Wheaton Academy (3-3, 3-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Fightin’ Irish: How quickly things can change for Bishop McNamara, which has gone from three straight sub-.500 records to its first 6-0 start since 1998. The team’s road schedule in the Chicagoland Christian Conference is a gauntlet this season, with the Fightin’ Irish passing their first test at Aurora Christian two weeks ago. Now, they’ll look not just to defeat the Warriors for the first time since 2019, but score their first points against them since 2021. With a red-hot offense that’s yet to score less than six touchdowns in a game, expect that three-year shutout streak to end for the CCC co-leaders.

About the Warriors: Wheaton Academy’s 3-3 record is a bit deceiving, as the Warriors’ three losses have come to Providence, respected Michigan program Grand Rapids Christian, and last week’s one-score loss to undefeated conference co-leader Hope Academy. They opened their Chicagoland Christian slate by scoring at least 42 points apiece in three straight victories, and a win over the Fightin’ Irish would put them right back towards the top of the conference pecking order. With quarterback Colton Miller powering the passing game and Tyler Jones spearheading the backfield, Wheaton Academy’s offense is quite balanced.

Friday Night Drive pick: Bishop McNamara

Southwest Valley Red

DeKalb (2-4, 1-2) at Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-1, 2-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Barbs: It’s getting to be desperation time for DeKalb, which has to win out to snap a two-year playoff hiatus. Illinois-bound Davon Grant broke the school record for career receptions (135) in last week’s 52-21 loss to unbeaten Lincoln-Way West and is 23 yards away from becoming the all-time receiving yards leader. There’s no doubt quarterback Cole Latimer will look Grant’s way early and often in a must-win situation at a Bradley-Bourbonnais team that the Barbs nearly upset in a 42-39 thriller last fall.

About the Boilermakers: For the first time this season, Bradley-Bourbonnais will look to score a bounce-back victory after losing its unblemished record at Lincoln-Way Central last week. Few teams have a defensive back that’s got the athleticism and talent to go punch-for-punch with Grant, but fortunately for the Boilers, they’re one of those few teams. Lyzale Edmon, who had a pair of touchdowns in last year’s meeting, is an All-State defensive back who will spend most of the night matched up with the future Fighting Illini.

FND pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais

Southland Athletic

Bloom (3-3, 1-2) at Kankakee (4-2, 3-0)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About the Blazing Trojans: The Blazing Trojans got off to a blazing 3-1 start, including a 21-20 instant classic over Thornwood in Week 4, but have since lost their last two games by a combined 70-0 score. To say they’ve struggled against the Kays recently would be putting it mildly, as they’ve lost the last seven meetings, including five by a running clock. Sophomore receiver Javion Hatten has amassed 201 receiving yards in just four games, but has only found the end zone twice. Getting him past the pylon is a big point of emphasis this week.

About the Kays: Another week, another win for Kankakee, which has ripped off four wins in a row, including two with at least 60 points, after a 64-24 throttling at Rich Township last week. Those wins have all come on the road, as the Kays haven’t had a home game since a Week 1 loss to Nazareth and only have one more when they host Crete-Monee in Week 9. In front of their home crowd, expect junior quarterback Phillip Turner to pick up where he left off after totaling five touchdowns and 358 yards of offense last week. Senior receiver Dayshawn Brown caught two of the touchdowns Turner threw and has emerged as another consistent weapon.

FND pick: Kankakee

Nonconference

Manteno (3-3) at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (5-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Panthers: It’s go time for Manteno, which elected to pick this game up instead of taking a forfeit win over Lisle. Instead of a guaranteed win that would have left them needing one win between a trip to rival Peotone and a home game with Streator, they’re challenging themselves with a trip to one of the most traditionally feared Class 1A programs in the state. Injuries have rattled the Panthers more than most teams, but as long as three-year quarterback Connor Harrod is upright, they’ve got a shot most weeks.

About the Falcons: Save for a 52-14 loss at El Paso-Gridley, the Falcons have been perfect, although Deer Creek-Mackinaw gave them quite a test in a 20-14 slugfest last week. Senior quarterback and defensive back Ely Harden will be asked to do quite a bit in the pass game, the run game and defensively, but he’s one of several two-way standouts for the defending Class 1A quarterfinalists that have eyes on playing for their third state title since 2017.

FND pick: Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

Illinois Central Eight

Coal City (5-1, 3-0) at Peotone (3-3, 2-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Coalers: Coal City is in a mode of complete domination right now, seeming to use its Week 2 loss to Richmond-Burton as fuel to the fire. The Coalers are on a four-game winning streak where none of their opponents have made any of those games even remotely competitive, outscoring opponents 202-20 during that stretch. Coal City is throwing the ball more than usual, including a four-touchdown performance from QB Connor Henline in the Week 6 win over Manteno, but is also now balancing that with a gritty run attack that the Coalers are typically known for. That blend is currently causing all kinds of problems for opposing defenses.

About the Blue Devils: Peotone lost a heartbreaker in Week 6, as Reed-Custer connected on a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of their matchup. It could prove to be a very costly loss for the Blue Devils, who now need to win two of their last three games to secure a playoff berth. All three of those games (Coal City, Manteno, Herscher) come against teams with at least .500 records. Peotone still has a pretty solid running game to lean out, but the Blue Devils are currently giving up more points than they’d like.

FND pick: Coal City

Reed-Custer (3-3, 2-2) at Herscher (4-2, 3-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Comets: Reed-Custer stormed back into the potential playoff team discussion with a late-game field goal against Peotone that allowed them to climb back to the .500 mark. The Comets have clearly put last year’s 1-8 mark in the rear view mirror and have built a diversified offensive attack keyed by RB/WR Kaiden Klein and RB Hudson Cook, that tandem accounted for over 200 yards of total offense and three scores in the Peotone win. Reed-Custer is already assured of a Week 9 win, a forfeit win over Lisle, so the Comets need to only split their two remaining games to get to five wins.

About the Tigers: Herscher took a little while to separate itself from Streator in Week 6, but eventually got there and moved to within a win of likely securing a playoff slot, which would be Herscher’s first postseason advancement since 2018. Herscher is doing a lot of damage with its backfield weapons, most notably Aleksander Draper and Mason Roberts, and those two will likely be leaned on heavily in the hopes of getting the playoff qualification locked in sooner rather than later.

FND pick: Herscher

Streator (1-5, 0-4) at Wilmington (5-1, 3-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Bulldogs: Streator rolled to a Week 1 win over Decatur Eisenhower, but while the Bulldogs have shown a few pockets of being a little more competitive, they haven’t been able to record win No. 2 as of yet. This isn’t exactly an ideal opponent to try to get that win, but the Bulldogs are likely just looking to bridge the gap a little bit. RB Leodies Jordan has been productive for Streator over the past few weeks, but likely won’t find a whole lot of room to run against a very stingy Wilmington run defense.

About the Wildcats: Wilmington‘s run offense was dominant once again as it averaged about 10 yards an attempt in an easy win over Thornton in Week 6. And as impressive as that was, the defense was even better, limiting Thornton to just 17 rushing yards and less than 20 yards of total offense. The Wildcats are just trying to keep the momentum going as it starts to look toward a Week 9 showdown with Coal City.

FND pick: Wilmington

Vermilion Valley

Hoopeston (0-6, 0-6) at Clifton Central (5-1, 5-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Cornjerkers: The three-game stretch Hoopeston is opening the back half of its schedule with is as tough as it gets. After falling 42-14 to Oakwood last week, the Cornjerkers now have to visit Class 1A power Clifton Central this week before hosting conference leader and unblemished Westville next week. Nicholas Cardenas has found some success on the ground, averaging 50 yards a game, but it’s likely Hoopeston will be chasing points early and having to move to a more pass-heavy approach.

About the Comets: Their undefeated hopes were dashed at Westville last week, but the Comets return home for quite a winnable game and the perfect opportunity to get back on track. Starting with the Cornjerkers, the last three teams on Clifton Central’s schedule have a combined 5-13 record, with Week 9 opponent Salt Fork accounting for four of those wins. After allowing just 21 total points over the first three weeks, the Comets surrendered 78 points over the middle third of their season. If the defense can buckle back down, they’ll enter postseason play as a favorite in Class 1A.

FND pick: Clifton Central

Iroquois West (1-5, 1-5) at Oakwood (4-2, 4-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Raiders: Iroquois West is just a couple plays away from being .500, as the Raiders’ 20-12 loss to Georgetown-Ridge Farm last week was their second one-score loss of the season. Instead, they head to Oakwood with their playoff dreams essentially done, now looking to get their young core some experience and send their handful of seniors off with a positive back third of the year. Senior running back Christian Gaytan popped for 146 yards and a touchdown last week, but the Raiders will need to find more scoring sources against high-octane Oakwood.

About the Comets: It’s a little difficult to gauge just how dangerous this Oakwood team will be toward the end of the season and into the playoffs. The Comets’ four wins have come by an impressive 168-61 combined score, but those four opponents have a combined five wins. Their two losses have both been by multiple scores – a 63-18 loss to Westville and a 35-21 loss to Clifton Central. They end the year against fellow four-win teams Salt Fork and Bismarck-Henning, so this week is their chance for some playoff insurance.

FND pick: Oakwood

Momence (2-4, 2-4) at Bismarck-Henning (4-2, 4-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Momence: Like Iroquois West, Momence is so close to having the season look much different than it does in reality. Half of their losses have come by a combined three points – a 27-26 overtime loss to Oakwood in Week 1 and last week’s 16-14 heartbreaker to Salt Fork. They now hit the road for three straight games to end the season, starting with a Bismarck-Henning team that’s caught fire and also given Momence fits as of late. Four-year quarterback Erick Castillo has started putting his name atop the Momence record books, and if anyone is going to give it their all to will their team to a three-game winning streak, it’s him.

About the Blue Devils: After losses to Clifton Central and Westville to open the season, a young Bismarck-Henning team has proven that 2025 is a reload, not a rebuild, rattling off three running-clock wins for what’s currently a four-game winning streak. These two teams spent the past few seasons near the top of the conference together, but the Blue Devils have won all four of their meetings by at least two touchdowns since the Sangamon Valley Conference merged with the VVC after the COVID-19 pandemic.

FND pick: Bismarck-Henning

Watseka (1-5, 1-5) at Westville (6-0, 6-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Warriors: After trailing just 7-0 after a quarter and 22-7 after a half, Watseka saw Bismarck-Henning pull away for a 50-7 Week 6 win that just about dashed the Warriors’ postseason ambitions. They now head to conference-leading Westville, hoping their ground-heavy approach from running backs Dennis Goodman and Frankie Shervino and quarterback Austin Morris can slow the game down enough to keep them in it against one of the state’s most lethal offenses.

About the Tigers: Their 37 points against Clifton Central last week were the fewest they’ve scored all season, but the Tigers have little to worry about, sitting good at 6-0 with three winnable games on the horizon. They’ve won all four of their meetings with Watseka since the VVC/SVC merger by at least three touchdowns and have seen their regular-season winning streak swell to 12 games.

FND pick: Westville

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

Milford/Cissna Park (5-1) at Blue Ridge (1-4)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

About the Bearcats: Milford/Cissna Park quarterback Dierks Neukomm continued his unfathomable senior year when he totaled 374 yards and seven touchdowns in last week’s 52-30 win over Meridian. Junior wideout Skylar Estay was the first pass-catcher to break out this fall on the receiving end of Neukomm’s bullets, and now it seems freshman Maddox Muehling is the next up, as he’s caught three touchdowns over the last two weeks. They square off against the only other area 8-Man team, St. Anne, in Week 8, and will look to do their part in ensuring that game features a pair of 6-1 clubs.

About the Knights: After a co-op with Christ Lutheran and DeLand-Weldon, Blue Ridge has gone solo this year. After not playing a Week 1 game, its lone win of the year was a forfeit win over Schlarman, and the team has lost all four of its games by at least five touchdowns.

FND pick: Milford/Cissna Park

St. Anne (5-1) at St. Thomas More (2-4)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

About the Cardinals: Like Milford/Cissna Park, St. Anne’s is enjoying a senior season to remember from their quarterback. Grant Pomaranski has spent all season as one of the area’s most efficient signal-callers, and he carved up Unity Christian/Mt. Pulaski with 234 total yards and four touchdowns last week. While the football program hadn’t yet returned when they got to high school, Pomaranski and his classmates entered as freshmen with tons of athletic potential, and through the first two-thirds of their senior football season, they’ve been living up to it.

About the Sabers: After a 0-4 start, St. Thomas More has kicked it into high gear lately, putting together a two-game winning streak by a combined 132-6 tally. But those wins have come against Hutsonville/Palestine and Blue Ridge teams that have yet to win a game that’s actually been played. The Sabers’ current streak will likely have to reach five games if they want to make the I8FA Playoffs.

FND pick: St. Anne