No. 12 Joliet Catholic at No. 2 Mount Carmel, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Surprisingly, this is the first meeting since 2007 for these two Carmelite schools, who share the IHSA record for state titles with 15 apiece. Mount Carmel (4-2) leads the series 28-9 with three straight wins and eight in the last 10 matchups. The Caravan are coming off a 16-13 loss to Brother Rice on a field goal as time expired. Vanderbilt-bound quarterback Jack Elliott, who has 1,739 total yards and 22 touchdowns, missed the game because of injury. Sophomore receiver/kick returner Quentin Burrell has been one of the season’s breakout newcomers. Joliet Catholic (5-1) has lost only to unbeaten Oswego and once-beaten Nazareth. The Hilltoppers handed Fenwick and Marist their only losses. Larry Stringham is a productive running back for Joliet Catholic.
No. 19 Lyons at No. 4 Downers Grove North, 7:30 p.m. Friday
It’s the second straight unbeaten conference matchup for Downers North (6-0, 4-0 West Suburban), which dominated York 35-14 last week. Minnesota commit Owen Lansu is one of the best quarterbacks in the state. He’s surrounded with more top-level talent, including linebacker/tight end Joe Edwards and linebacker/running back Jake Gregorio. This will be a pivotal two-game stretch for Lyons (6-0, 4-0), which is at York next week. Dominic Pisciotti passed for three touchdowns in last week’s 49-14 win against Oak Park.
No. 8 Fremd at Palatine, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Fremd (6-0, 2-0 Mid-Suburban West) is coming off an impressive 56-35 win against previously unbeaten Barrington. Northwestern commit Johnny O’Brien, another prominent member of the area’s best quarterback class in years, broke current Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman’s program single-game passing record with 395 yards. He threw for five touchdowns, while Brennan Saxe had 11 catches for 260 yards and three TDs along with a pick-six. Palatine (5-1, 4-0) has won five straight since a 28-27 opening loss to St. Charles North.
No. 20 Hersey at Prospect, 7 p.m. Thursday
Both teams have heated up after starting 0-2. Hersey (4-2, 2-0 Mid-Suburban East), which opened with losses to Warren and Barrington, is yet another team with an elite quarterback. UCLA commit Colton Gumino has 1,717 total yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior running back/cornerback Brandon Jenkins has 1,090 all-purpose yards. Prospect (4-2, 2-0) lost to Lyons and Palatine in the first two weeks. The Knights also have a productive quarterback in Jack Skoog, who had 236 total yards and four TDs in last week’s 41-14 win against Rolling Meadows.
Providence at No. 7 Loyola, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
It’s been an unusual time for Loyola (4-2), which had just one regular-season loss over the previous four years. But with Iowa-bound quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald and a few of his teammates back from injuries, the Ramblers seem to be getting their mojo back. Iowa commit Drew MacPherson had 25 touches for 237 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 27-6 win against St. Ignatius. Providence (3-3), which has played one of the area’s toughest schedules, is coming off a 28-7 loss to Marist and has its Will County bragging rights game vs. Joliet Catholic looming in Week 9.