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Week 8, Upstate Eight: It's rivalry week

Batavia (6-1, 4-0) at Geneva (7-0, 4-0)

Upstate Eight (River)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Last week: Batavia 49, Elgin 0; Geneva 39, Glenbard East 21

Last year: Batavia 26, Geneva 20

Outlook: Once again, the Upstate Eight River title comes down to Geneva vs. Batavia. Last year the Bulldogs won their fourth straight in the series by forcing 6 turnovers in a 26-20 victory. The Vikings still lead the all-time series 51-40-5. Each team boasts a standout running back averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Geneva senior Justin Taormina has carried 170 times for 917 yards and 10 touchdowns. Batavia senior Zach Garrett has rushed for 696 yards and 13 touchdowns in 128 attempts. Princeton recruit Sean Chambers triggers a Geneva offense that averages 378 total yards and 38.7 points per game. Chambers has completed 89 of 163 attempts (55.6 percent) for 1,215 yards and 17 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions, and has rushed 51 times for 185 yards. "They took maybe their best football player and made him their quarterback," Batavia coach Dennis Piron said of Chambers. "He could probably start at eight or nine positions in their program. And Taormina looks great on film. He has a lot of quickness and they have receivers who can go get it." Batavia quarterback Kyle Niemiec directs an attack that averages 393 yards and 37 points. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior has completed 118 of 178 of his passes (66.3 percent) for 1,502 yards and 11 touchdowns against 3 interceptions and has rushed 40 times for 181 yards and 6 touchdowns. "Their quarterback has really gotten better," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "He's experienced and he plays with a lot more swag than last year. He takes off and runs and that cause defenses trouble."

Next week: Batavia at Streamwood (3-4); Geneva at Larkin (0-7)

St. Charles North (5-2, 2-2) at St. Charles East (3-4, 3-2)

Upstate Eight (River)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Last week: St. Charles North 38, Streamwood 6; St. Charles East 48, Larkin 0

Last year: St. Charles North 48, St. Charles East 0

Outlook: Pride is a motivator in this crosstown clash, and so is avoiding playoff elimination. St. Charles East has to win against the North Stars and take care of business next week against East Aurora to become playoff eligible. "Not only are we pushed against the wall and have to win it, but it's a game the kids are always going to remember," East coach Bryce Farquhar said. "We've preached to the kids that there's not much separating us. They lost to Geneva by 1 (point), we lost to Geneva by 1. And against Batavia our point differential was similar. What separates us is that we played two really good teams the first two weeks of the season, South Elgin (6-1) and Jacobs (5-2)." The North Stars can clinch their second straight playoff berth with a victory, but they still have some wiggle room with winless Elgin ahead in Week 9. The North Stars are tasked with stopping East's triple-option offense. In their first 4 games using the new scheme, the Saints scored 54 points. In their last 3 games, they've scored 118 points, including 26 against Geneva. Cam Canales is East's leading rusher with 82 carries for 590 yards and 6 touchdowns. "We have to be disciplined and we have to know our responsibilities and you have to count on the guys to your right and to your left to know their responsibilities," North coach Rob Pomazak said. "I love it because in Week 8 we're talking a lot about playing as a team, so the fact that we're facing an offense that forces you to play as a team is really exciting."

Next week: Elgin (0-7) at St. Charles North; St. Charles East at East Aurora (1-6)

Elgin (0-7, 0-4) at Larkin (0-7, 0-4)

Upstate Eight (River)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Last week: Batavia 49, Elgin 0; St. Charles East 48, Larkin 0

Last year: Elgin 31, Larkin 13

Outlook: Hoisting the traveling Town Jug trophy overhead after 48 minutes of football against the archrival is the goal of every player on these winless District U-46 teams. Fueled by a 25-point second quarter, Elgin won the Town Jug last season for the first time since 2010, snapping a 19-game overall losing streak in the process. The Maroons since have dropped 8 straight and enter 0-7 under first-year coach Anthony Mason, who played collegiately at Northern Illinois. Larkin, which leads the all-time series 33-20, enters with a 20-game losing streak. Complicating matters for the Royals is the absence of all-Upstate Eight River wide receiver AJ Hunter, who left last week's game against St. Charles East with an injury and will not play in this game, according to second-year Larkin coach Dragan Teonic. The Royals still have junior quarterback David Hibbler. The mobile quarterback has rushed for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns in 107 attempts in the shotgun offense, and he has completed 101 of 107 passes for 1,195 yards and 5 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. "They have athletes so it's just a matter of containing them," Mason said of the Royals. "We've been preaching to our kids not to try to make he hero play but to make the smart play within the game plan." Larkin will keep an eye on versatile Elgin senior Terrance Miller Allen, among others. "They have five guys who, athletically, we just don't have in our program right now," Teonic said. "We have to protect the football and play better in the red zone."

Next week: Elgin at St. Charles North (5-2); Geneva (7-0) at Larkin

Glenbard East (4-3, 2-1) at West Aurora (4-3, 2-2)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

The quick hit: Two evenly matched Upstate Eight Valley squads vie for an all-important fifth win. West Aurora closes the season at Metea Valley (3-4). Glenbard East finishes up with a home game against hungry Bartlett (3-4), which might also be competing for a playoff berth.

Streamwood (3-4) at Bartlett (3-4)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday

The quick hit: This Upstate Eight crossover is a de facto playoff elimination game. The winner keeps its postseason hopes alive for Week 9. This is the first meeting between the neighboring Elgin Area District U-46 schools since 2009. Bartlett leads the series 6-2.

East Aurora (1-6, 0-4) at South Elgin (6-1, 3-0)Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

The quick hit: South Elgin can clinch a share of the Upstate Eight Valley title, the first division title since the program joined the UEC 10 seasons ago. The Storm scored 71 points against the Tomcats last year in Aurora.

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