Class 8A
Bloom at No. 22 York
6:30 p.m. Friday: After sitting 3-3 at the end of September, York (6-3) now is one of the hottest teams in the state in the wake of consecutive victories against fellow West Suburban Silver powers Downers Grove North, Glenbard West and Lyons by a total of five points. A pair of two-way linemen — Purdue recruit Owen Roberts and Dayton commit Brayden Byford — has led the resurgence. Running back Chris Georgas and quarterback Zack Assaad pace a balanced offense. Bloom (3-6), in the second year of a rebuild under former Simeon coach Dante Culbreath, has a victory against playoff qualifier Champaign Centennial.
Warren at Naperville Central
7 p.m. Friday: After leaning heavily on running back Aaron Stewart — now a freshman wrestler at Illinois — last season, Warren (4-5) is more balanced this fall. Junior Jonathan Randolph has rushed for 1,224 yards and 16 touchdowns, and senior Xavier Vinson has passed for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions. Naperville Central (5-4) has won four of its last five games, including 21-17 last week against Neuqua Valley. Simon Hayes threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to DuPage Valley offensive player of the year Mark Williams.
Stevenson at Lockport
7:15 p.m. Friday: Stevenson (4-5) has won four of its last five games after an 0-4 start. Eli Sligal passed for three touchdowns, including a pair to Luke Clark, in a rout last week of Waukegan. Lockport (5-4) was one of the surprises of the postseason last year, reaching the Class 8A semifinals after a 5-4 regular season. The Porters also started slowly this season, losing their first three games. Their only loss since was to No. 1 Lincoln-Way East. Quarterback Griffin Russell has passed for 1,725 yards and 18 touchdowns. His favorite targets are Jaxson Little and Khairi Silas.
Class 7A
St. Laurence at Belleville East
3 p.m. Saturday: A year after reaching the Class 6A semifinals, St. Laurence (3-6) has been hit hard by injuries and had 18 players sidelined at one point. Illinois-bound linebacker Sean Rice, the Vikings’ best player, just returned last week after hurting his ankle while running through a banner before a game. Belleville East (6-3), which lost its season opener 24-7 against Lincoln-Way West, has won four in a row. Quarterback Kingston Jones has thrown for 1,290 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.
Class 5A
Mt. Vernon at No. 24 Providence
2 p.m. Saturday: It has been a roller-coaster ride for Providence (6-3). Head coach Tyler Plantz abruptly was fired after the Celtics started 4-0 and were ranked No. 1 in Class 5A. (He’s now a volunteer assistant at Mount Carmel.) They’re 2-3 under interim coach Adam Nissen, including a victory against defending Class 6A champ Fenwick. Running backs Broden Mackert and Brayden McKay and quarterback Dominic Vita all have big-play capability. Mount Vernon (3-6) is on a four-game losing streak, during which it has been outscored 244-100.