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Game of the week Crete-Monee (6-2, 5-0) at Kankakee (6-2, 5-0) When: 6 p.m. Friday About the Warriors: Crete-Monee’s high-profile, high-powered offense has been on fire the past six weeks, going over 50 points three times and over 40 points five times. Junior blue chip running back Jeremiah Stonewall, whose list of college offers includes seven Power 4 conference schools, is perhaps the biggest recruiting name of the Crete-Monee offense. Quarterback Derrin Couch is as prolific a passer as there is in the state, and Dorian Patterson is a Division I wideout. The Warriors have been susceptible on defense, allowing more than 40 points three times, including last week’s 52-51 nail-biting win over Bloom. About the Kays: On the other half of a matchup pitting two teams on six-game winning streaks, Kankakee’s 52-6 win at Thornton in Week 8 gave the Kays their third straight running clock win. Cedric Terrell III continues to make his case as one of the state’s best all-around players after catching two touchdowns and adding another on the ground, in the air and on kickoff return each. He’ll look to shore up the back end of the Kankakee defense while junior defensive tackle Jyheir Sutton and the rest of the Kankakee front will look to keep Stonewall in check and pressure Couch. Friday Night Drive Pick: Kankakee Southwest Valley Red Bradley-Bourbonnais (7-1, 4-1) at Andrew (5-3, 3-2) When: 7:30 p.m. Friday About the Boilermakers: Thanks to Naperville North’s shocker over Lincoln-Way East, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ commanding 35-13 win at previously undefeated Lincoln-Way West has fallen a bit under the statewide radar. But make no mistake, the Boilermakers proved they’re a legitimate threat in the playoffs, whether they end up in Class 6A or 7A. Lyzale Edmon has his eyes on back-to-back first-team all-state selections, and catching a trio of touchdowns last week certainly helped his case. But where the Boilers really excelled last week was defensively, as they gave up a big touchdown in the first minute and then just two field goals for the rest of the game. About the Thunderbolts: Longtime Boilers rival Andrew is likely headed to its third playoff appearance in the last four years, but would love a sixth win to leave no doubt. The Thunderbolts’ lone losses in the Red have come to Lincoln-Way West and Lincoln-Way Central, the two teams Bradley-Bourbonnais can at least share the division crown with pending a victory Friday. Senior quarterback Camden Maniatis operates the triple option look that Andrew’s employed under head coach Adam Lewandowski. FND pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais Chicagoland Christian St. Edward (1-7, 0-6) at Bishop McNamara (8-0, 6-0) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Green Wave: Save for a 16-13 win at Walther Christian in Week 2, it’s been tough sledding for St. Edward, who broke a three-week scoreless drought in last week’s 44-8 loss to Marian Central. Recent history in this matchup hasn’t been kind to the Green Wave either, as they were handed a 45-0 loss by the Fightin’ Irish after falling 7-6 in 2023. About the Fightin’ Irish: Bishop McNamara continues to answer questions from any critics, as the Fightin’ Irish impressed in Week 8 with a 49-20 win at Hope Academy in a battle of unbeatens that has clinched them at least a share of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. It’s their first time winning the CCC in its three-year history and first conference title since they won the Chicago Catholic League White Division in 2011. They’ve now matched their win total from the past two seasons combined, and as each week passes, the Fightin’ Irish add more legitimacy to their case as a deep postseason threat behind their spread option offense and tenacious defense. FND Pick: Bishop McNamara Illinois Central Eight Coal City (7-1, 5-0) at Wilmington (7-1, 5-0) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Coalers: Since a week 2 loss to Richmond-Burton, Coal City seems like a team on a mission. Only Streator was able to score more than a touchdown during Coal City’s current six-game winning streak. The Coalers’ offense seems almost unstoppable right now, having scored 306 points during the streak, as the almost scary balance between rushing and passing is leaving most opponents in search of a solution. Coal City has gone just 2-12 with meetings with Wilmington in games dating back to 2013, but if any Coaler team has the roster to make a real run at the Wildcats, this might be the one. About the Wildcats: Wilmington continues to use a proficient running attack to take control of most games and wasted no time doing so in Week 8 in a runaway win over Reed-Custer. RB Ryan Kettman returned to the lineup and needed just eight carries to rack up 130 rushing yards and a trio of touchdowns as Wilmington gained over 15 yards a carry as a team. Wilmington’s rush defense also remains on point, holding Reed-Custer to just over one yard per rushing attempt. FND Pick: Wilmington Peotone (3-5, 2-4) at Herscher (5-3, 4-2) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Blue Devils: Peotone has dropped three straight games, two of them by less than a touchdown, which puts the Blue Devils in the position it is now. The Blue Devils had a relatively young team entering the 2025 season, and they never quite found their footing. Peotone’s two wins on the field [they also had a forfeit win] were against teams that currently have a 1-15 combined record, and the Blue Devils weren’t quite able to raise the level of their play against the better teams on their schedule. About the Tigers: Herscher’s first trip to the postseason since 2018 is secure, but in order for the Tigers to avoid a relatively low seed in the Class 3A bracket, a win here would be a big help toward that. Herscher had a three-game winning streak snapped rather rudely in a 56-7 loss to Coal City, but it’s hard to argue with the quality of Herscher’s losses (Bishop McNamara, Coal City and Wilmington), although Herscher would have liked to make each of those games a bit more competitive. FND Pick: Herscher Streator (1-7, 0-5) at Manteno (5-3, 2-3) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Bulldogs: Coach Jay Slone’s rookie season leading Streator has had its challenges, but the Bulldogs can enter the offseason with momentum if they can score an upset at a Manteno team entering Week 9 full of momentum. Rather than a forfeit win over Lisle in Week 8, the Bulldogs opted to host a red-hot Dixon team in what was a 65-0 Dukes win. The Panthers will be the fifth straight playoff team the Bulldogs play to end the 2025 season and sixth overall, giving Slone and company plenty of quality experience as they head into their first full offseason together. About the Panthers: Last week’s 25-20 win at Peotone is one of the most exciting in recent Manteno history, a late win at its biggest rival through plenty of late adversity. Most importantly, it gave the Panthers their fifth win of the season and gave them some breathing room in Week 9. But look for senior QB Connor Harrod, who ran for two first-half touchdowns and threw two more last week, and the Panthers to handle their business in attempts to draw a more favorable playoff seed. FND Pick: Manteno Vermilion Valley Clifton Central (7-1, 7-1) at Salt Fork (5-3, 5-3) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Comets: Clifton Central has had a resurgent season under first-year coach Jeff Perzee, staking a claim as one of Class 1A’s toughest teams. They’ll have a pretty good road test here, just in time to see any areas that need some work ahead of the postseason. The run game has come around the past month or so to complement what’s been a potent passing game all year long, giving the Comets an offense that can score with the best of them. About the Storm: The Storm are probably headed to the playoffs for the 10th straight season, but to make that spot bulletproof and get a bit of a better draw in the Class 1A field. They had three straight running clock wins over Hoopeston, Iroquois West and Watseka earlier in the season and a two-game win streak against Momence and Georgetown-Ridge Farm, but enter Week 9 looking to bounce back from a 28-7 loss to Oakwood. FND Pick: Clifton Central Iroquois West (1-7, 1-7) at Westville (8-0, 8-0) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Raiders: A largely young Iroquois West team has endured some growing pains, and a matchup against the conference champion will probably cause a few more, but the arrow will be pointing up for the Raiders as they hit the postseason. All but five of this year’s players will be back in 2026, and getting some more experience for the youngsters will be nice, but look for coach Tim Hamilton to give his handful of seniors plenty of run. One of those seniors, Julian Melgoza, turned five carries into 61 yards in last week’s 44-8 loss to Clifton Central About the Tigers: With at least a share of the VVC locked up, the Tigers are largely playing to stay near the top of the Class 2A seeding line and stay healthy ahead of postseason play. Their 59-0 win at Hoopeston last week was the Tigers’ second straight 50-plus point win, as their 37-14 win over Clifton Central earlier this month is their only game to be determined by less than five touchdowns. FND Pick: Westville Momence (3-5, 3-5) at Georgetown-Ridge Farm (3-5, 3-5) When: 7 p.m. Friday About Momence: Momence will be too light on playoff points to snag any potential postseason spots left for four-win teams. In the final game for four-year starting quarterback Erick Castillo, look for the school’s all-time passing leader to go out on a high note. He just went for 309 yards and five scores in last week’s 44-19 win at Watseka. Outside of Castillo, Momence’s roster didn’t boast too many seniors this year, and while several of them will certainly be missed after helping the program to back-to-back playoff trips the last two years, a solid core of underclassmen will be ready to step in next fall. About the Buffaloes: While plenty of programs would be quick to bemoan a 3-5 record heading into Week 9, that three-win mark is something Georgetown-Ridge Farm hadn’t reached since 2016 after snapping a four-year winless streak during last fall’s 1-8 campaign. Second-year coach Ryan Dieu has made obvious strides in his brief time in purple and gold, and an upset against one of the conference’s top passing attacks would be a great way to continue building momentum into 2026. FND Pick: Momence Hoopeston (0-8, 0-8) at Watseka (1-7, 1-7) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Cornjerkers: Last week’s 59-0 loss to Westville was Hoopeston’s second loss by 50 or more points in as many weeks, as the Cornjerkers head into Week 9 still looking for a win. Defensively, the two games the Cornjerkers allowed less than 40 points are also the two that they lost by less than a touchdown. On the flip side, those are the only two games in which they scored more than 12 points. About the Warriors: The season hasn’t gone the way Watseka envisioned, but Week 9 presents with the Warriors to send their seniors off on a high note and take a first good step towards the future. Frankie Shervino and Dennis Goodman combined to run for 200 yards and connected on a 50-yard touchdown Shervino threw during their 44-19 loss to Momence. Look for the two to both see plenty of run Friday, as well as senior signal-caller Austin Morris FND Pick: Watseka Nonconference Noble/Comer (5-2) at Reed-Custer (3-5) When: Noon, Saturday About the Catamounts: Noble/Comer plays in one of the four divisions of the Chicago Public League, which only allows its top two finishers to advance to the state playoffs. Despite having a playoff-eligible record by win-loss record, Noble/Comer finished third in its CPL division and was given the option of not playing a CPL crossover game for non-playoff qualifiers in Week 9 and elected to take it. Comer started the season 5-0, but a 9-8 loss to Kennedy in Week 7 cost them a chance at a playoff slot. About the Comets: This is an interesting gambit being undertaken by Reed-Custer. The Comets were eligible to take a forfeit win over Lisle in Week 9, which would have ended their season at 4-5. By risking that win by playing Noble-Comer, Reed-Custer would be adding six points (instead of the zero from the Lisle forfeiture) and would likely end up in the mid-40’s in playoff points, which, with some help, might give them a chance to make the field of 256 teams if a substantial number of 4-5 teams are needed. FND Pick: Reed-Custer Illinois 8-Man Football Association Blue Ridge (1-6) at St. Anne (7-1) When: 6:30 p.m. Friday About the Knights: Blue Ridge has had a tough go at it the last month or so, coming into Week 9 on a five-game losing streak. As part of a co-op with DeLand-Weldon, the Knights split their first two meetings with St. Anne, winning 30-6 in 2023 before stumbling 51-16 last year. With the way both teams have been trending lately, a result more in line with 2024 seems most likely. About the Cardinals: Quarterback Grant Pomaranski’s two-way play has perhaps been the highlight of St. Anne’s explosive offense this season, but fellow senior Quinton Thompsen reminded people he’s a three-year impact player as well when he went for over 200 yards and four touchdowns in a 61-28 showdown win over Milford/Cissna Park last week. St. Anne made the quarterfinal round of its first playoff appearance last year, a ceiling the Cardinals are looking to shatter once again with a deeper run this year. FND Pick: St. Anne Milford/Cissna Park (6-2) at Unity Christian/Mt. Pulaski (2-5) When: 7 p.m. Friday About the Bearcats: In last week’s clash of powers with St. Anne, Milford/Cissna Park held a 20-19 halftime lead before the Cardinals exploded with a runaway second half. In defeat, Dierks Neukomm’s 314 passing yards were the best in the area last week, and there’s no doubt that the Bearcats have one of the most lethal offenses in the I8FA. As long as the defense can consistently play to its capabilities, it could be another fruitful postseason in Milford. About the Lions: The Lions’ Week 8 game against St. Thomas More was suspended and had yet to be concluded at the time of writing. Either way, Unity Christian/Mt. Pulaski will head into Week 9 knowing the postseason isn’t in its immediate future. This will be the fifth meeting in the I8FA between the two teams, with the winner on Friday earning the right to take a 3-2 series lead.
