High School Football: Four Downs, Week 7 News & Notes



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Joliet Catholic and Brother Rice put on a fairly offensive display on the south side on Friday. The Hilltoppers totaled 691 yards and 56 points.

The Crusaders totaled 652 yards and 49 points. The teams were tied at 35 at halftime, so things slowed down a bit in the second half. It is likely that the children are just a little tired, no defense has attached.

It would have been a special game if it weren’t for Loyola’s 46-43 win over Brother Rice in Week 4. It was a very similar game. Both teams scored at will. This was played out in the final game, with Joliet Catholic having the win in hand for most of the fourth quarter on Friday.

What does that say about so-called elite teams? Can such porous defenses make a meaningful run in the playoffs?

Brother Rice allowed Mount Carmel to score 36 points in Week 6, but limited his other opponents to 14 points or less.

Loyola limited Rochester and St. Rita to just seven points, but gave Fenwick 24 and Marist 21.

Joliet Catholic gave up 27 points to Crete-Monée and 20 to Cardinal Saint-Louis Ritter, but held in check Simeon, Providence, Saint-Laurent and De La Salle.

So it doesn’t look like Loyola, Brother Rice, and Joliet Catholic have bad defenses, just defenses that struggle to stop elite offenses.

It is reminiscent of Maine South’s 10-2 win over Warren in Week 2. Both teams have elite offenses. But in a tough duel, the defenses were strong.

It’s worth remembering when it comes to making playoff predictions.

MSL Star

Hoffman Estates’ 6-1 season went unnoticed. The Hawks have eliminated Barrington and Fremd this season. Their only loss was a three-point loss to Downers Grove North in Week One.

Hoffman Estates beat Conant on Friday to grab first place in the Mid-Suburban League West.

Senior Jashawn Johnson, a rookie from West Michigan, was spectacular against the Cougars.

Second year to watch

IC Catholic have been a regular at the Super 25 and National Finals for the past few seasons. The Knights were expected to have a year of rebuilding this season following Kyle Franklin’s graduation. But they are 7-0 and look set to have another run in Class 3A.

Two sophomores, Kareem Parker and Dennis Mandala are leading the charge. Both players posted big numbers against Riverside-Brookfield in Week 7.

Parker caught four balls for 92 yards and a touchdown and got a 15-yard intercept return for a touchdown. He’s also been a major threat all year as a punt and kick returner.

Mandala threw for 270 yards and six touchdowns in the win.

Battle of Oswego

Oswego East (6-1) has spent most of the season in the Super 25, battling after a 33-10 home loss to Minooka in Week 6. Wolves host rival Oswego on Friday.

The Panthers (5-2) lost their first two games of the season and everyone has forgotten them a bit. They’ve pulled off five wins since then and looking at those two losses now, they’re pretty impressive.

Oswego lost 37-26 to Neuqua Valley in Week 1 and 21-13 to Batavia in Week 2. It looks like the Panthers can play with the best teams in the area and may have been underestimated all over the place. the season. A victory on Friday would open more eyes.

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