Six Friday night contests and for the first time this year it may be jeans and jacket time. High Friday of 65, probably about 60 at Kickoff and in the 50's by the end of the games. Game of the week is U High at Chatham.
Jacksonville (2-4) at Southeast (0-6)
After a nice 2-0 start, Jacksonville has lost four straight. The last two weeks against Peoria Notre Dame and Lincoln were winnable games that got away from the Crimsons. Now, they have to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. They are favored this week but then face Springfield and U High the final two. Southeast is playing for pride at this point, although they have a reasonable chance to win their final two games against Lanphier and Eisenhower. Jacksonville RB Cam Ron Mitchell ran for over 250 yards last week. Jacksonville 40 Southeast 19
Lanphier (0-6) at MacArthur (3-3)
Lanphier is giving up almost 60 points a game and lost their starting QB to injury last week against Rochester. Unsure of his status this week. Should be an easy win for Mac to go to 4-3 before facing SHG in Week 8. MacArthur 53 Lanphier 8
Eisenhower (1-5) at SHG (5-1)
This should be a good opportunity for the Cyclones to try to get healthier and get plenty of playing time for their reserves. Eisenhower has a potentially close game with Southeast Week 9. They are playing lots of underclassmen and only dressed about 35 against Rochester. SHG 49 Eisenhower 6
Springfield (2-4) at Normal West (5-1)
Like Jacksonville, the Senators have to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. Normal West's resume includes victories over two winless teams and one with one win. They were also beaten decisively by Normal Community 43-0 in Week 3. To be fair, Normal Community is a highly rated 7A school. After a rough 0-2 start, Springfield has shown improvement over the last four weeks. Turnovers have been their chief concern. Unlike Normal West, five of the Senators six opponents have winning records. If this was at Memorial Stadium, I'd be very tempted to take Springfield in the upset. As it is at Normal West, I can't quite pull the trigger but expect it to be closer than what Cal Preps and Massey project. Normal West 30 Springfield 21
Rochester (6-0) at Lincoln (5-1)
Lincoln deserves congratulations for beating Jacksonville last week to become playoff eligible for the first time since 1984. They were the underdog in my opinion against the Crimsons but won impressively 41-28. The Railers have some speed in the Carson twins, and they can also throw the ball when needed. They have benefited from a weak schedule, as 3 of their wins have come against 0-6 teams. I expect a large home crowd. The Rockets would like to take the crowd out of the game early. Rochester's defense has been very opportunistic, forcing 8 turnovers last week. They already have more interceptions than all of last season. It was nice to see injured QB-WR Parker Gillespie for the first-time last week not needing to wear a knee brace while on the sidelines. Rochester 51 Lincoln 15
U High (5-1) at Chatham (4-2)
U High has been the surprise of the CS8 this year. They are riding a four-game winning streak, while Chatham has lost their last two games. If U High can get the road win, they have a better than average chance of going 8-1. This is after being 3-6 last year and also needing to replace their 2-year starting QB. If Chatham loses for the third straight week, they could face being 4-4 going into a Week 9 game at Lincoln. If they end up 5-4, they will be on the road against an 8-1 or 9-0 team in the 1st round of the playoffs. Chatham has only scored 12 and 17 points in their two losses. They have a bend but don't break defense that doesn't give up a ton of points but is also on the field a lot. If the Titans score fewer than 20 points, I expect them to lose. To score enough to win, they are going to have to open up the offense and pass more often than just on 3rd and long. Not sure if OL Mark Helm will play after being injured against SHG. The decisive factor in my view is that Chatham needs this win more than U High, who has already significantly exceeded expectations. Chatham 26 U High 23
Jacksonville (2-4) at Southeast (0-6)
After a nice 2-0 start, Jacksonville has lost four straight. The last two weeks against Peoria Notre Dame and Lincoln were winnable games that got away from the Crimsons. Now, they have to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. They are favored this week but then face Springfield and U High the final two. Southeast is playing for pride at this point, although they have a reasonable chance to win their final two games against Lanphier and Eisenhower. Jacksonville RB Cam Ron Mitchell ran for over 250 yards last week. Jacksonville 40 Southeast 19
Lanphier (0-6) at MacArthur (3-3)
Lanphier is giving up almost 60 points a game and lost their starting QB to injury last week against Rochester. Unsure of his status this week. Should be an easy win for Mac to go to 4-3 before facing SHG in Week 8. MacArthur 53 Lanphier 8
Eisenhower (1-5) at SHG (5-1)
This should be a good opportunity for the Cyclones to try to get healthier and get plenty of playing time for their reserves. Eisenhower has a potentially close game with Southeast Week 9. They are playing lots of underclassmen and only dressed about 35 against Rochester. SHG 49 Eisenhower 6
Springfield (2-4) at Normal West (5-1)
Like Jacksonville, the Senators have to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. Normal West's resume includes victories over two winless teams and one with one win. They were also beaten decisively by Normal Community 43-0 in Week 3. To be fair, Normal Community is a highly rated 7A school. After a rough 0-2 start, Springfield has shown improvement over the last four weeks. Turnovers have been their chief concern. Unlike Normal West, five of the Senators six opponents have winning records. If this was at Memorial Stadium, I'd be very tempted to take Springfield in the upset. As it is at Normal West, I can't quite pull the trigger but expect it to be closer than what Cal Preps and Massey project. Normal West 30 Springfield 21
Rochester (6-0) at Lincoln (5-1)
Lincoln deserves congratulations for beating Jacksonville last week to become playoff eligible for the first time since 1984. They were the underdog in my opinion against the Crimsons but won impressively 41-28. The Railers have some speed in the Carson twins, and they can also throw the ball when needed. They have benefited from a weak schedule, as 3 of their wins have come against 0-6 teams. I expect a large home crowd. The Rockets would like to take the crowd out of the game early. Rochester's defense has been very opportunistic, forcing 8 turnovers last week. They already have more interceptions than all of last season. It was nice to see injured QB-WR Parker Gillespie for the first-time last week not needing to wear a knee brace while on the sidelines. Rochester 51 Lincoln 15
U High (5-1) at Chatham (4-2)
U High has been the surprise of the CS8 this year. They are riding a four-game winning streak, while Chatham has lost their last two games. If U High can get the road win, they have a better than average chance of going 8-1. This is after being 3-6 last year and also needing to replace their 2-year starting QB. If Chatham loses for the third straight week, they could face being 4-4 going into a Week 9 game at Lincoln. If they end up 5-4, they will be on the road against an 8-1 or 9-0 team in the 1st round of the playoffs. Chatham has only scored 12 and 17 points in their two losses. They have a bend but don't break defense that doesn't give up a ton of points but is also on the field a lot. If the Titans score fewer than 20 points, I expect them to lose. To score enough to win, they are going to have to open up the offense and pass more often than just on 3rd and long. Not sure if OL Mark Helm will play after being injured against SHG. The decisive factor in my view is that Chatham needs this win more than U High, who has already significantly exceeded expectations. Chatham 26 U High 23
