Scouting Hampshire at DeKalb

Hampshire (0-1) at DeKalb (1-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Last year: First meeting

Last week: St. Edward 21, Hampshire 13; DeKalb 28, Ottawa 21

Outlook: The Whip-Purs will get a taste of some big-school football when they head west to face the Barbs for the first time. "We figured we're going into the Fox Valley Conference next year so we might as well get our feet wet with the bigger boys," said Whip-Purs coach Dan Cavanaugh, whose team then turns around and faces defending Class 3A state champ Stillman Valley next week. The Whips may have lost last week but Cavanaugh was encouraged by some things he saw. "We outgained them by over 100 yards but we had three turnovers and a 6-yard punt," he said. "All in all we were still able to get the ball to their 14-yard line with two minutes left. There was a lot to build on. Brian Roberts played well at quarterback and our offensive line is young but they played well. Our defense kept us in the game." Roberts rushed for 91 yards last week while senior Mike Kuetner scored twice and senior Lorenzo Brandon had 81 yards on the ground. DeKalb is coming off a thrilling win over Ottawa, a game the Barbs won with 22 seconds left when Bobby Russell hit Davonte Ragsdale with a 55-yard TD pass. DeKalb also showed some big plays on special teams as Dalton Watie ran back two kickoffs 85 yards each for scores. "They're pretty athletic and they're a big play kind of team," Cavanaugh said of the Barbs. "If we can keep the big plays under control we've got a good chance."

Next week: Hampshire at Stillman Valley; DeKalb at Sycamore.