Week 6: Scouting Kaneland, Burlington Central, Westminster Christian
Kaneland (3-2, 1-1) at Sycamore (2-3, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Last year: Sycamore 35, Kaneland 7
Last week: DeKalb 49 Kaneland 31; Sycamore 48, LaSalle-Peru 20
Outlook: Technically, this isn't a must-win for Kaneland. But it's close. The Knights must split their final four games to become playoff eligible with 5 wins. Following this Northern Illinois Big 12 East game at Sycamore, Kaneland faces Morris (4-1), Geneseo (4-1) and Ottawa (1-4). The first order of business is finding a way to beat the Spartans, who have won the last 3 meetings. Kaneland's last win in the series was a 30-7 victory in 2012. The Spartans won 31-21 in 2013, 14-7 in 2014 and 35-7 last year. "This is a big game for us," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "We're telling our kids this is a big rivalry that they've dominated the last few years. We have to play a four-quarter game and, like always, limit how many opportunities we give their offense. When we have the ball we have to able to be balanced, mix in the run with the pass." Kaneland has thrown for 1,079 yards and rushed for 585. Junior quarterback Jack Douglas has completed 81 of 144 passes for 1,079 yards and 9 touchdowns and has been intercepted 4 times. His leading receiver is Joshua Marczuk (22 rec., 325 yards, 2 TD). The Spartans employ counters and iso plays designed to give mobile quarterback Ty Sulaver room to run in space. And when an opponent gets too aggressive Sycamore knows how to counter, according to Kaneland's coach. "If you take chances and blitz, they have a really good screen package that will cause problems," Fedderly said. "Our defense has to play well. He's a really good running quarterback."
Next week: Morris (4-1) at Kaneland; Sycamore at Yorkville (1-4)
Woodstock (3-2, 1-1) at Burlington Central (0-5, 0-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday on Rocket Hill
Quick Hit: Central looks to snag its first victory on homecoming. First-year coach Brian Melvin said it was a positive development last week that the Rockets stayed within 18-0 of state-ranked Johnsburg through a half. "We probably played our best half of football against a good team," he said. "We just have to put it all together. We've had a great week of practice."
Westminster Christian (4-1, 4-1) at Ottawa Marquette (5-0, 4-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Quick Hit: The Warriors need a win to become playoff eligible for the second straight season, but it won't be easy. Westminster Christian has not beaten Marquette Academy in three tries. "I think we have a chance to fare better against them than we have in previous years, but they are just a fantastic team," Warriors coach John Davis said.