Five high school games to watch in Week 9
Barrington (7-1) at Palatine (7-1)
With a Week 9 slate full of marquee matchups, this one is as good as any. The Pirates, 4-0 in the MSL West, are trying to clinch the outright conference title while the 3-1 Broncos can share it with a win. Fremd also likely would earn a share of first place in that scenario. Barrington has scored a MSL West best 372 points; Palatine has allowed a MSL West least 109 points. The Pirates have won seven straight since a 28-27 loss to St. Charles North — including four wins over teams with winning records.
St. Charles North (7-1) at Geneva (8-0)
The DuKane Conference championship comes down to this Friday night battle at Burgess Field. The Vikings already have at least a share of their first conference title since 2010. QB Tony Chahino threw 6 TD passes last week; Georgia-bound WR Talyn Taylor has scored on half of his 34 catches this season with 17 TDs. The North Stars can earn a share of the DuKane crown with a victory. Wide receiver Keaton Reinke is on a roll, catching at least 7 passes in five straight games from QB Ethan Plumb.
Naperville Central (8-0) at Lincoln-Way East (8-0)
The No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the AP Class 8A state rankings meet to close the regular season. Both teams went 4-0 to win their respective divisions in the first year of the Southwest Valley. The Redhawks have won four games by 10 or fewer points; LWE has won every game by at least 27.
Warren (5-3) at Libertyville (7-1)
Here’s one of the oddest facts going into Week 9 — there’s a not so far-fetched scenario that five teams tie for the NSC title with 5-2 records, and to get there the Blue Devils need to win this one which would leave both teams 5-2. The Wildcats have other ideas, trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week to Lake Forest. Despite that 42-35 setback, quarterback Quinn Schambow had another big game and is up to 40 touchdowns with just 2 INTs with a 74.7 completion percentage.
Stevenson (7-1) at Lake Zurich (4-4)
There’s a number of 4-4 teams around the area playing for their fifth win and becoming playoff eligible. Not many of those teams face a tougher test to get that fifth win than the Bears, whose leaders include Alex Pirrone (621 rushing yards) and George DiCanio (69 tackles). Stevenson, whose only loss came to Libertyville in Week 3, is playing for a share of the NSC title. QB Aidan Crawley has thrown for 1,624 yards and 16 touchdowns.