It’s a loaded weekend around the area in Week 5. Here are previews of a few of the best games.
No. 5 Providence at No. 22 Nazareth 22, 6 p.m. Friday
An intriguing Catholic League crossover only got more interesting with the stunning news that Providence (4-0) has fired popular alum Tyler Plantz as head coach halfway through his fifth season with the Celtics unbeaten. Offensive coordinator Adam Nissen, a former St. Laurence head coach, is the interim coach of a team led by running back Broden Mackert and quarterback Dominic Vita. Nazareth (1-3) has battled injuries and a brutal schedule, beating York and losing to three ranked opponents: IC Catholic, Mount Carmel and Montini.
No. 3 Lincoln-Way East at No. 12 Sandburg, 7 p.m. Friday
After graduating IHSA career passing leader Jonas Williams and a number of other talented seniors, Lincoln-Way East (4-0, 2-0 SouthWest Suburban) hasn’t skipped a beat. The Griffins already have quality wins against Brother Rice, Kankakee, Homewood-Flossmoor and Bradley-Bourbonnais. Illinois recruit Mason Halliman anchors an effective offensive line and senior Evan LeFevour is one of the area’s more underrated quarterbacks. Sandburg (3-1, 0-1), which snapped Montini’s 25-game winning streak earlier this season, is coming off a 35-13 loss to H-F. Quarterback Sean Ruisz, running back Quinn Durkin (Army) and tight end Lucas Matykiewicz (Northern Illinois) are players to watch for the Eagles.
No. 21 Glenbard West at No. 16 Lyons, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Quarterback AJ Rayford and Keyonte Johnson both showed breakaway speed for Glenbard West (2-2, 1-1 West Suburban Silver) in last week’s 24-14 loss at Downers Grove North, running for touchdowns of more than 75 yards. Offensive lineman Josiah Wallace and tight end Brady Johnson, both Northwestern commits, are other standouts for the Hilltoppers’ offense. Running back EJ Kuhlman, who set the program single-game rushing record last season, has been solid again this year for Lyons (4-0, 1-0). Quarterback Brendan McCabe was a big-play machine last week against Hinsdale Central with a 73-yard TD run and scoring passes of 73 and 85 yards.
No. 20 Kankakee at Lincoln-Way West, 7 p.m. Friday
Kankakee (3-1) hasn’t been seriously tested apart from a Week 2 loss against Lincoln-Way East. The Kays won easily against Thornton last week despite missing dynamic dual-threat quarterback Phillip Turner, whose status is unclear for this game. Lincoln-Way West (3-1) is coming off a 38-15 loss to previously winless Lockport. One positive was rhe return of quarterback Jacob Howard, who left a season-opening win against Belleville East with an injury.
St. Charles East at No. 23 Wheaton North, 7 p.m. Friday
These are two of the surprise teams in the DuKane Conference. St. Charles East (3-1, 1-1) was 8-42 the previous five seasons and is chasing its first IHSA playoff berth and winning season since going 7-3 in 2019. Senior Christian Hirniak is a productive two-way player for the Saints. Wheaton North (4-0, 2-0) is having a nice bounceback after a couple of losing seasons. Senior running back Mac Murray is averaging more than 150 rushing yards per game and 6-5 senior tight end/linebacker Adam Schilling has been a force on both sides of the ball.