Football previews: Week 9 in the Tri-Cities

Western Sun

Kaneland (3-5, 2-4) at Yorkville (2-6, 0-6)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. today.

>Last year

Last week: Geneva 61, Kaneland 21; Sycamore 34, Yorkville 13

Players to watch: Kaneland quarterback Jody Henningson's passing statistics mirror those of former quarterback Boone Thorgesen from a year ago but the Knights are only 3-5 right now, whereas they were 7-1 at this time last year. Thorgesen had thrown for 2,382 yards through Week 8 last year and Henningson is at 2,345 (193 of 352). The big difference is that Henningson has been picked off 16 times with 18 touchdowns while Thorgesen had 26 touchdown passes. Still, Henningson has been impressive all season long for a Knights team that fell short of a 13th consecutive playoff appearance. Look for Henningson to try to end his high school football career on a high note. He's rushed for 766 yards and 5 TDs and has 3,111 yards of total offense this fall. The sophomore duo of Ryley Bailey and Blake Kendrick continues to impress in their first varsity seasons, combining for 52 catches, 5 touchdown receptions and 653 yards. Korey Maple, who's battled injuries most of the season, leads with team in receptions (52) and reception yards (615) while Jamie Snyder (33 catches, 424 yards, 4 TD receptions) and Brian Claesson (35 catches, 383 yards, 3 TD receptions) have been key to the Knights' offensive success. Henningson will try to avoid Derrick Jones who intercepted two passes in last week's loss to Sycamore. Quarterback Andrew Rosati split some of the duties last week with sophomore Luke Parece. Shawn Corwin is arguably the Foxes' top player. He plays on both sides of the ball.

Outlook: This is the end of the season for both teams and the end of the high school careers of some special football players at Kaneland, including but not limited to, Claesson, Henningson, Maple, Snyder, T.J. Weiss and Phil Christensen. Fellow senior lineman Greg Sutherland is out with an injury. "It's a big rivalry and we want to close out the season on a positive note and the seniors deserve that," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "These seniors were a very dedicated group and did everything we asked them in the off-season. Unfortunately we had so many injuries." For the future, tonight will serve as another excellent opportunity for the young group of sophomores who have gotten a lot of valuable experience for the Knights this year. Their continued development should bode well for Fedderly and the Knights in 2008 and 2009. "For the sophomores playing it's a good stepping stone going into next year and they're taking it seriously," Fedderly said. As for Yorkville, after getting off to a 2-0 start, the Western Sun Conference schedule has been harsh. The Foxes nearly upset Geneva in Week 3 but have struggled and remain winless in conference with six straight defeats. The Foxes defense has been pretty good and they'll need to be on their best game to stop Henningson during his swan song tonight.

Bottom line: This is unfamiliar territory for the Knights as they won't play in the postseason for the first time since 1994. While that's disappointing, the senior Knights will look to end their careers with a victory, but a strong effort is expected from Yorkville, especially with Foxes coach Jim Still being an alumnus of Kaneland.

Glenbard South (6-2, 4-2) at Sycamore (4-4, 3-3)

Game time: 7:30 p.m., today.

Last year: Glenbard South 21, Sycamore 15.

Last week: Glenbard South 25, Rochelle 20; Sycamore 34, Yorkville 13.

Outlook: The Raiders already have clinched their first playoff berth since 2004. A win tonight might get them a first-round home game. Glenbard South's offense, which features eight non-senior starters, gets better every game. Last week the Raiders didn't turn the ball over on offense as junior quarterback Kevin Marshall completed 10 of 18 passes for 170 yards. With four more touchdowns, powerful running back Mike Oratowski now has 16 on the season. Sycamore, which hasn't won consecutive games this season, is in the playoffs with a win. The Raiders, however, are 3-1 on the road and are aiming for their fifth straight win. The last time they won four straight was at the start of the 1999 season.

DuPage Valley

West Aurora (4-4, 2-4) at Glenbard North (4-4, 3-3)

Game time: 7:30 p.m., today.

Last year: Glenbard North 41, West Aurora 7.

Last week: West Aurora 48, West Chicago 27; Naperville Central 35, Glenbard North 28.

Players to watch: West Aurora is coming off its highest point total of the season, an effort led by Markus Cocroft's 3 interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown -- and a kick return for an 87-yard touchdown. Garrett Rivers ran for 145 yards on just 10 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. Quarterback John Nunnally only threw the ball 8 times but completed 6 for 114 yards.

Outlook: The records say it all. The winner of this game will go to the playoffs and the loser will stay home. Glenbard North has two aims: take care of the football and stop the run. After 29 carries last week, junior running back Tyler Doll again proved to be the ideal workhorse to keep the ball out of the hands of the Blackhawks. Glenbard North, which boasts the most playoff points in the DVC, looks to extend its playoff streak to five straight seasons.

Bottom line: In comparing scores of common DVC opponents, Glenbard North defeated a Wheaton North team that beat West Aurora. The results of the other five games were the same, though Glenbard North generally won by more points and lost by fewer. None of that really matters if the Blackhawks can find a way to beat the Panthers -- it would give West Aurora its first playoff berth since 1994.

Upstate Eight