Five Week 9 high school football games to watch

Hersey (8-0) at Prospect (8-0)

Six straight seasons the MSL East championship has come down to this matchup. The teams are 3-3 in those meetings, Hersey winning 38-34 last year. While each team has an excellent defense this year, it's hard not to see this turning into something of a shootout with both squads led by Division I quarterbacks who are complemented by strong line play and talented skill players. Both Hersey's Jake Nawrot (Kentucky) and Prospect's Jackson Cacini (Eastern Illinois) are completing over 70% of their passes while combining for 3,500 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Wauconda (7-1) at Antioch (8-0)

All signs all season pointed to this being a Week 9 battle of unbeatens until Grant upset Wauconda 27-25 last week. The Bulldogs, who beat Antioch 25-20 last year, will still get a share of the NLCC crown with a win here. It won’t be easy. Antioch averages 48 points a game and has an opportunistic defense that is plus-19 in turnover ratio. There’s plenty of game breakers on each side like Wauconda’s Luke Sickmeir (774 receiving yards, 11 total touchdowns) and Brody Rudolph (16 touchdowns), and Antioch’s Gavin Stone and Logan Lennon, both averaging just a shade under 10 yards a carry.

Wheaton Warrenville South (6-2) at Batavia (6-2)

Unless Geneva stubs its toe at St. Charles East, this game is for second place in the DuKane Conference. But these are two teams nobody will want to see in their bracket when the playoff field is announced Saturday night, both finding plenty of success this fall against rugged schedules. In a year with Division I quarterbacks at seemingly every other school, Batavia senior Michael Vander Luitgaren takes a back seat to none. The Wyoming recruit has 38 touchdowns — 26 passing, 12 rushing — while throwing for 2,186 yards. WW South's AJ Rogers has also impressed in his junior season and will be on everybody's radar next year.

Fremd (5-3) at Palatine (4-4)

The records aren't quite what they have been in recent years, but the 59th Battle of the Tracks is always a favorite. Both teams could use a win, not just for bragging rights but to improve their seeding and take some momentum into the playoffs. They also enter going in opposite directions, Palatine with two straight wins while Fremd has lost two in a row. Fremd won 23-13 a year ago, ending Palatine's five-game streak in the series.

East St. Louis (7-1) at Naperville North (7-1)

After finishing off an unbeaten run through the DuPage Valley Conference with last week's win over Neuqua Valley, the Huskies have scheduled quite the challenge heading into the playoffs. East St. Louis, which has either won state or took second six straight years in Class 6A, is once again filled with future Division I players. The Flyers, who will be in the 7A bracket this year, have won seven straight since their only loss of the season to American Heritage from Florida. The Huskies also have won seven in a row since losing to New Trier in their opener. They have a nearly perfectly balanced offense with 1,284 rushing yards and 1,251 passing yards.