Tri-Cities football preview

Class 3A

Amboy (9-2) at Aurora Christian (11-0) Game time: 5 p.m. Saturday at Ralph Serpico Field in Melrose Park.

Last week: Amboy 24, Petersburg Porta 13; Aurora Christian 59, West Carroll 18.

Advancement: Winner plays winner of Plano vs. St. Joseph Ogden.

Players to watch: Aurora Christian junior quarterback Jordan Roberts was brilliant last week with 3 rushing and 3 passing touchdowns and only 4 incompletions in 18 attempts. The Eagles' two backs, John Smith and Sean O'Boyle also stood out with a combined 158 rushing yards on just 13 carries and another 136 receiving yards. Look for the duo to enjoy showing off their speed playing on the turf in Melrose Park, where Aurora Christian opened its season by beating Immaculate Conception. "Our two running backs put on a show," said Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe, who also praised the work of his offensive line last week. "They are just tremendous."

Outlook: How is this for a ringing endorsement of 11-0 Aurora Christian? "We saw them last week in a downpour, and I wish I would have seen them two or three more times. Not because we would have beat them, I would have just liked to watch them play. They are very good. They are fast, big, strong, the quarterback is terrific." That was West Carroll coach Brandon Farrell following last week's second round game. Aurora Christian will try to leave a similar impression on an Amboy team that is making its sixth straight playoff appearance under coach Gary Jones. The Clippers will attempt to knock off their second straight unbeaten team after last week's upset over Porta. They like to run the ball with sophomore Cody Richardson. Their quarterback is senior Travis Nauman, who can keep defenses honest by making plays in the passing game. Amboy also reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual state champion Plano.

Bottom line: Aurora Christian has been dominating teams all season, with its last close call coming in Week 2. Still, don't expect overconfidence to creep in as the Eagles know the competition keeps getting better every week, starting Saturday with Amboy that has enjoyed both recent playoff success, and also boasts a rich tradition, including the 1984 Class 2A state title. "There's some great teams out there, eight teams left," Roberts said. "If you stay in there this long you must be a good team. It will be fun and exciting."