Week 2 has three West Division non-conference games, three East Division non-conference games, and three West vs East crossover contests. Southeast vs Lincoln is a Saturday game at Memorial Stadium and there is some question when/where MacArthur vs Springfield will be played due to the status of the General's field renovations. As of now, it's still scheduled for Friday.

Unlike last week, I am picking against Massey several times.

West Division
Richmond Burton (1-0) at Quincy Notre Dame (0-1)
Richmond Burton (RB) beat Woodstock Marian 21-7 in Week 1, while QND trailed only 20-12 at half to 7A power Quincy before losing 40-12. RB won at home last year 25-6. Something tells me to choose QND in an upset. QND 21 Richmond Burton 20. Massey Prediction: RB 36 QND 6.

Mascoutah (0-1) at SHG (0-1)
Mascoutah lost to 7A/8A Belleville West 34-21, while SHG fell to an excellent Christian Brothers (Missouri) 45-0. Mascoutah made the 5A semi-finals in 2019 but was only 2-7 last year. SHG should have a good bounce back week. SHG 38 Mascoutah 13. Massey Prediction: SHG 46 Mascoutah 14.

East Peoria (1-0) at Lanphier (0-1)
East Peoria rallied to beat Southeast 28-26, while Lanphier lost at Lincon 32-0. There were some small victories for the Lions in Week 1 as they avoided a running clock and held the Railers to fewer points than they surrendered in any game in '23. East Peoria 39 Lanphier 6. Massey Prediction: East Peoria 41 Lanphier 20.

East Division
Chatham (0-1) at Bon Terre North County (MO) (1-0)
The Titans battled 8A Edwardsville to the final minute and lost only 14-7 in a game pushed to Saturday by the weather. The high-powered Titans offense could come up with only one score, but the Defense performed well against the Tigers. North County beat a Missouri team that was 6-6 in '23 24-17. They lost to Mt Vernon (IL) 28-14 in '23. The Titans should rebound and score a lot more this week. Chatham 35 North County 14. Massey Prediction: Chatham 40 North County 14.

U High (1-0) at Bloomington (1-0)
U High won 64-28 over Peoria Manual, while Bloomington beat Danville 41-14. Bloomington made the 6A playoffs in '23 but lost badly to both MacArthur in Week 9 and Chatham in Week 10. U High went from 3 wins '22 to 7 last year. This is a statement game for the Pioneers if they hope to move into the top tier of the conference. I think they can do it. U High 35 Bloomington 31. Massey Prediction: Bloomington 36 U High 28.

Cardinal Ritter (MO) (1-0) at Rochester (1-0)
Cardinal Ritter has an Illinois commit at QB, a Nebraska commit at RB, and several dangerous WR's. They have a very balanced offense and crushed a Missouri team that was 10-2 in '23 44-7 last week. Other than SHG, no one has beaten Rochester at home since 2008 (Bloomington Central Catholic). That will certainly be put to the test Friday. Even playing on the road and on grass, Ritter probably has too much speed and talent for the Rockets to prevail. Rochester went on the road Week 1 and defeated 6A Simeon 35-14 in a much better overall effort than the Week 0 scrimmage against Belleville West. I think the Rockets keep it close but struggle to get stops of Ritter's potent offense. Cardinal Ritter 43 Rochester 31. Massey Prediction: Cardinal Ritter 41 Rochester 27.

West vs East
Eisenhower (0-1) at Jacksonville (1-0)
Eisenhower lost at home to Streator 20-12, while the Crimsons struggled to put away 2A Pittsfield on the road 26-14. The Crimson should go to 2-0 but need to perform at a higher level. Jacksonville 34 Eisenhower 6. Massey Prediction: Jacksonville 42 Eisenhower 7.

Springfield (1-0) at MacArthur (1-0)
Both teams won impressively in Week 1. The Senators beat Champaign Central 44-12 at home, while Mac won on the road 47-6 over Mattoon. While this is only Week 2, the winner of this game will have a much easier path to make the playoffs than the loser. The last time these two played at Decatur the game went down to the final play and Mac came out with a 34-28 win in '22. That loss ended up costing the Senators a 5th win and a playoff opportunity. I think QB Brody Scheffler's experience is the difference in a very close game. Springfield 31 MacArthur 27. Massey Prediction: MacArthur 41 Springfield 20.

Lincoln (1-0) at Southeast (0-1) (Game Saturday 1 pm at Memorial Stadium)
Lincoln beat Lanphier 32-0, while Southeast almost got Coach Borders a win in his 1st game losing only 28-26 to East Peoria. The Spartans led 12-0 in the first half before East Peoria rallied. Southeast apparently had penalty issues. Lincoln jumped on Lanphier early and led 26-0 by half. This is potentially a winnable game for Southeast but it's more likely that Lincoln goes to 2-0. Lincoln 30 Southeast 18. Massey Prediction: Lincoln 38 Southeast 19.