Five high school football games to watch this weekend
Wauconda (5-1) at Antioch (5-1)
One of numerous games being played Thursday because of the Yom Kippur holiday, this one should decide the NLCC title. Both teams are 4-0 in conference. Antioch has 8 of the last 9 NLCC championships — Wauconda got the only one the Sequoits didn’t in 2021. Antioch has won 5 straight this season since a 12-7 loss to 5-1 Schaumburg; Wauconda’s only hiccup came vs. 4-2 Kaneland. Wauconda’s Jackson Rudolph has rushed for 648 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
Fremd (6-0) at Palatine (5-1)
Another Thursday game, this one pits the two remaining 2-0 unbeaten teams in the MSL West as they renew the annual “Battle for the Tracks.” Fremd got to 2-0 in the MSL West with an eye-opening 56-35 win over Barrington last week behind QB Johnny O’Brien’s school-record 395 yards passing. If not for an improbable last-minute comeback by St. Charles North in Week 1, Palatine also would be 6-0. To their credit, the Pirates have put that heartbreaker behind them with five straight wins.
Wheaton North (3-3) at Geneva (6-0)
The Vikings should get a hero’s welcome returning to Burgess Field after snapping a painful 13-year losing streak to Batavia, and doing it in emphatic fashion with a 30-7 win. Wheaton North has struggled in back-to-back weeks.
Warren (4-2) at Stevenson (5-1)
The Blue Devils are hoping to stay a game back of unbeaten Libertyville in the NSC and set the stage for a monster Week 9 matchup. They feature junior running back Aaron Stewart who has already rushed for 1,251 yards and 18 touchdowns. Stevenson, whose only loss is to Libertyville, also has plenty of firepower. Aidan Crawley has thrown for 1,152 yards and 12 TDs; Thomas Simmons has caught 6 of those touchdowns and is coming off a 6-catch, 149-yard game in a win over 4-2 Lake Forest.
Hersey (4-2) at Prospect (4-2)
Both the MSL West and MSL East races have their swing games Thursday. This one in the East pits the two 2-0 teams, and both teams have got to this point in the same way: starting the season 0-2 and winning four straight. Hersey won this matchup 28-3 a year ago and if Prospect is going to change that, the Knights have to find a way to slow UCLA-bound QB Colton Gumino (11 passing TDs, 8 rushing). Prospect is averaging 44 points in its 4-game winning streak.