Oswego, Batavia, St. Charles North, Cary-Grove and Yorkville are picks to click for Week 2.
Geneva (1-0) at Oswego (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: A pair of junior quarterbacks had successful varsity debuts last week in leading their teams to wins.
Geneva’s Ben Peterson completed 8 of 10 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, both to senior receiver Bennett Konkey, in the Vikings’ 56-0 rout of Larkin.
Geneva, last year’s Class 6A state runner-up, will face a more challenging test in Class 8A foe Oswego.
Drew Kleinhans, the son of Oswego offensive coordinator Ben Kleinhans, completed 9 of 15 passes for 174 yards and two TDs and ran for another score in the Panthers’ 31-15 win over Naperville Central.
Senior running back Dekker Zelensek added an 85-yard TD run for Oswego.
X-factor: Teddy Manikas, Oswego, senior, wide receiver.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Oswego.
Oswego’s Dekker Zelensek (26) celebrates his TD against Waubonsie Valley in the third quarter of a Class 8A first-round playoff game in Oswego on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
Batavia (0-1) at South Elgin (0-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: Senior tight end Gavin Mueller, a Colorado recruit, totaled 130 all-purpose yards, including a 66-yard TD catch-and-run from junior quarterback Carter McDonald, in the Storm’s season-opening 48-20 loss to Barrington.
South Elgin played Barrington twice last year, losing 64-21 in the opener and 66-13 in a first-round playoff game.
For second year in a row, Batavia’s opener with Glenbard West was a one-score affair. The Bulldogs dropped a 31-28 decision on walk-off field goal after senior running back Preston Brummel delivered a 50-yard TD run with under two minutes left to force a tie. The year before, Batavia won 35-28.
A familiar name led Batavia’s defense as North Central College-bound senior linebacker Nick Jansey had a hand in on eight tackles, with one sack and one for loss.
X-factor: Brett Berggren, Batavia, senior, wide receiver.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Batavia.
Batavia’s Brett Berggren (11) heads to the end zone for a TD against Glenbard West in the third quarter of a DuKane Conference game in Batavia on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
Homewood-Flossmoor (1-0) at St. Charles North (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: St. Charles North’s Rob Pomazak knows coaching isn’t for the faint of heart. The North Stars survived three lost fumbles, rallying from a 24-7 deficit in the first half to win their opener 36-35 at Minooka.
Senior quarterback JT Padron, the St. Charles East transfer, made his North Stars debut by passing for 253 yards and three TDs, including a 15-yarder to Braden Harms with 55 seconds left.
Pomazak’s decision to go for two with a run by Keaton Reinke out of the Wildcat formation gave St. Charles North a one-point win in its season opener for the second straight year.
The North Stars are 4-0 in one-point decisions dating to the start of the 2022 season.
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Koprowski recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass for H-F in a 44-30 win over Bolingbrook.
X-factor: Carsen Durante, St. Charles North, senior, running back.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: St. Charles North.
St. Charles North’s Braden Harms (5) runs the ball as St. Charles East’s Leo Bolsoni defends during a DuKane Conference game in St. Charles on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
Cary-Grove (0-1) at Burlington Central (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: It’s an early showdown for the Rockets, who hope to contend for the conference title after finishing 7-2 last year and in a three-way tie with Jacobs and Prairie Ridge behind the unbeaten Trojans.
Cary-Grove, which lost 28-26 to Geneva last year in a Class 6A semifinal, dropped a 34-21 decision to Prairie Ridge in the opener. Burlington Central blanked Crystal Lake South 21-0 behind senior running back Henry Deering, who finished with 103 yards on 14 carries.
Senior quarterback Landon Arnold completed 6 of 8 passes for 60 yards with a TD and an interception. He also ran for a TD.
Expect senior Logan Abrams, a 6-3, 230-pound fullback/linebacker, to lead Cary-Grove’s triple-option attack after missing eight games due to injury last season.
X-factor: Aidan Nuno, Burlington Central, senior offensive and defensive lineman.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Cary-Grove.
Burlington Central’s Landon Arnold (18) runs to the sideline against Hampshire during the fourth quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Burlington on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Joliet West (0-1) at Yorkville (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: Foxes edged St. Patrick on the strength of two TDs from senior tailback TJ Harland, who ran 16 times for 76 yards and a 3-yard TD. He caught three passes for 62 yards, including a 48-yard TD from senior quarterback Jack Beetham.
Beetham completed 16 of 21 passes for 196 yards.
The Tigers, who have made playoffs past two seasons under coach Dan Tito, look to bounce back from a 41-0 shellacking by Oswego East.
X-factor: Daniel Kraus, Yorkville, senior, cornerback.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Yorkville.
