Class 5A

No. 7 Kaneland (8-2) at No. 2 Belvidere North (10-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: They’re back in the second round for the third time in four years and the seventh time since 2017. They haven’t won a second-round game since 2011, when they reached the semifinals before losing 35-31 to eventual state champ Montini in Class 5A. Coach Michael Thorgesen said the team has run into some second-round buzzsaws in the past, finalists or runners-up like Montini, Prairie Ridge, Cary-Grove and Fenwick. “We want to get to a round with a title. Quarterfinals. We feel like we’ve been close and had some nice teams. ... We want to get past that hump, and we hope Friday night is the night we can do that.” Standing in their way of a quarterfinal berth this year is Belvidere North, the team that beat them 35-20 in the first round of the 6A playoffs last year. The Knights struggled against the run. They completely stymied Lakes on the ground last week in a 68-21 first-round win, limiting them to 101 rushing yards - 79 of them coming on a late fourth-quarter touchdown run by starter Mason Crowley against the backups with the running clock in effect.

About the Blue Thunder: They have 10 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history after setting the school record for victories last year with a 10-2 record. This year they claimed the first outright NIC-10 title in school history. They won their playoff opener 49-20 over Noble/Bulls, turning the ball over twice, but also had a pair of interceptions. Ben Bucher had a long TD run last week. Last year in the first round against the Knights, he carried the ball four times, all for touchdowns. Bucher scored on runs of 42, 22, 33 and 60 yards last year, all on pitches to the left side. Erick Roman, also back this year, had a 38-yard score on the same play. “They had more yards on those four plays than the rest of the night,” Thorgesen said. “Credit to them, they executed and have a really talented player in Bucher. Roman is really good too. But we’re a year older. Most of the kids who take the field Friday night were there too. We’ve just got to learn from those mistakes, take away those big plays, hold them and score some points.” The Blue Thunder reached the quarterfinals last year, falling 42-7 to Cary-Grove.

Friday Night Drive pick: Kaneland