Schmit: Who had the area’s top prep football performances in Week 9?
That’s a wrap on the regular season.
But before we head off to the IHSA football playoffs, we need to tip a cap to the best from Week 9. Let’s take a look at the area’s top performances from Week 9.
5. Eron Kennedy, DB, Naperville Central
Kennedy led a fierce secondary effort as the Redhawks hung on for a 21-17 victory over Neuqua Valley in the DuPage Valley Conference.
Kennedy, a junior, snared two interceptions and blocked a kick to thwart several drives by the Wildcats. His two picks were among four turnovers forced by Naperville Central, including a last-minute interception in the end zone by Hari Santhanam to preserve the win.
4. Logan Lennon, Athlete, Antioch
Lennon joins the list of honored area players this season who can’t be pinned down by a position. So we’ll leave it as “athlete” for the junior who holds an offer from Miami of Ohio.
Lennon, as usual, did a little bit of everything in the Sequoits’ 21-0 Northern Lake County Conference win to put a bow on the program’s second 9-0 regular season in four years and fifth since 2016.
On offense, Lennon had six carries for 65 yards and scored Antioch’s first two touchdowns on runs of 10 and eight yards. On defense, he made three solo tackles and added an assist as the defense earned its second straight shutout.
Lennon recovered a fumble, one of the team’s three takeaways, and played lockdown pass coverage in the secondary.
3. Jonathan Medina, OL, St. Charles North
The North Stars put in perhaps their best offensive performance of the season in a 49-13 DuKane Conference victory over Lake Park, displaying perfect balance to take a two-game winning streak into the playoffs.
St. Charles North piled up 540 yards of offense including 292 on the ground and 248 passing. Medina showed his skills as a captain at right guard while leading a young, improving offensive line.
The North Stars also were led up front by junior Caiden Goade and sophomores Jaxon Feiza, Kayden Walzer and Shawn Lazare.
2. Luca Florio, RB-DB, Montini
The senior spun some magic while helping lead the Broncos to a 28-24 comeback victory over St. Francis in a showdown between 2025 state champions.
Florio had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, and 12 carries for 63 yards including a 12-yard scoring run with less than two minutes left to cap the Broncos’ rally from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.
On defense, Florio notched seven tackles.
1. Jackson Travis, RB, Hersey
For all the talk about Hersey quarterback Jake Nawrot and Prospect counterpart Jackson Cacini, Travis proved to be the difference-maker in a 48-35 Mid-Suburban League East victory by the Huskies.
Travis exploded for 295 rushing yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns as Hersey entered the postseason unbeaten with the second seed in Class 7A. He also had three catches for 31 yards.