Rick Armstrong’s 5 high school football games to watch in Aurora-Elgin and second-round playoff predictions
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Batavia, Richmond-Burton, Oswego, St. Charles North and Aurora Christian are picks to click for the second round of the playoffs.
Batavia (8-2) at Glenbard East (9-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: According to the Illinois High School Association, the fourth-seeded Rams are supposed to be the favorites over the 13th-seeded Bulldogs in this Class 7A meeting, but don’t you believe it. Batavia has advanced to the second round for the 10th year in a row.
Junior linebacker Jack Brown and senior linebacker Nick Jansey helped Batavia hold Hoffman Estates to only 59 yards rushing last week in a 56-0 shutout.
Senior quarterback Michael Nee, a South Dakota commit, should test the Bulldogs’ secondary. He threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns in Glenbard East’s 63-29 rout of West Chicago in the first round. The Rams took advantage of five turnovers.
X-factor: Gavin Pecor, Batavia, senior, defensive lineman.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Batavia.
Richmond-Burton (10-0) at Aurora Central Catholic (8-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The ninth-seeded Chargers, who won 32-14 last week over Chicago Rauner in a Class 3A first-round playoff game, will face the tougher challenge of playing host to top-seeded Richmond-Burton.
Top threats for Aurora Central Catholic are senior running back Trey Seifrid, senior quarterback Grant Bohr and junior running back Aidan Crisci, the team’s top receiver.
Junior defensive end Breckin Campbell, who returned to action from ACL surgery in Week 6, is a force for Richmond-Burton.
Mike Noll posted his 300th career coaching win three weeks ago and now has 302 in stints at three schools — McHenry, Glenbrook South and Richmond-Burton.
X-factor: Hunter Carley, Richmond-Burton, junior, running back.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Richmond-Burton.
Oswego (8-2) at Lane Tech (9-1)
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday.
Matchup breakdown: Junior quarterback Drew Kleinhans leads the 11th-seeded Panthers into the Class 8A second-round playoff game at Lane Stadium in Chicago. Sixth-seeded Lane Tech topped Perspectives 34-6 in the first round, while Owego downed Naperville North 17-7.
“They’re in the second round and they’re 9-1,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney. “They don’t give up points and have some speed to fly to the ball.”
Keep an eye on Lane Tech’s Daniel Howard, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior lineman who plays both ways and is committed to Iowa State.
“We got a warm-up last week when we faced another defensive tackle who is headed to Indiana,” Cooney said.
X-factor: Kaleb Stumpenhorst, Oswego, senior, kicker/punter.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: Oswego.
Carmel (8-2) at St. Charles North (9-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday.
Matchup breakdown: Look for plenty of fireworks in Class 7A matchup between the third-seeded North Stars and the 14th-seeded Corsairs. First team to 60 for the win? Maybe.
Junior quarterback Trae Taylor, a Nebraska commit, threw for 303 yards and four TDs last week for the Corsairs in a 60-44 win over Normal Community. Six times this season Carmel has scored 51 or more points. That includes 54 in a one-point loss to CCL/ESCC White rival Montini.
Former Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie coaches Carmel.
St. Charles North, meanwhile, has scored between 30 or 40 points seven times this year, led by junior quarterback JT Padron. Favorite receiver Keaton Reinke was out sick in the first round, but Padron passed for 226 yards, with an 80-yard TD to Braden Harms and a 36-yard TD to EJ Mondesir.
X-factor: Matthew Plumb, St. Charles North, senior, linebacker.
Rick Armstrong’s prediction: St. Charles North.
Aurora Christian (8-2) at Farmington (10-0)
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Saturday.
Matchup breakdown: Freshman quarterback Carson Noy, who passed for 2,033 yards and 26 TDs in the regular season, leads the host Farmers against the Eagles and senior quarterback Asa Johnson, who’s fresh off committing to Northern Illinois.
Farmington squeaked out a 10-8 win last week over Pearl City-Eastland as senior Jonny Gibbs kicked his first-ever career field goal, converting from 33 yards.
Senior linebacker Jack Gronewold, a North Dakota recruit, set that winning sequence for the Farmers with a 57-yard run.
X-factor: Dominic Klimpke, Aurora Christian, senior, receiver/safety.
Rick Armstrong’s pick: Aurora Christian.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos