Normal West vs. Bloomington
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Fred Carlton Field, Bloomington
Records: Normal West 2-4 overall, 2-3 in Big 12
Conference; Bloomington 5-1, 5-1.
FYI: The Purple Raiders bounced back from their first
regular-season loss since 1999 with a 33-12 win over
Danville last week ... BHS senior running back James
Wade leads the Intercity with 1,088 yards rushing.
Senior fullback Justin Harrison, a University of
Illinois recruit, has rushed for 336 yards while leading
the BHS defense. Senior wide receiver Brandon Hughes is
averaging 29.1 yards per catch ... West, which has never
beaten BHS in its nine-year history, snapped a four-game
losing streak last week with a 28-20 win over previously
unbeaten Mattoon ... Junior quarterback Tyler Swearingen
rushed for 155 yards and two TDs as the Wildcats'
sputtering option attack got untracked against the Green
Wave.
Quoting: "It's very impressive. They took a very
physical, balanced offensive team in Mattoon and
controlled them. We've shown that if we're not mentally
focused and prepared for each opponent we can come up on
the short side of the stick. We have to be focused on
every down and very snap." -- BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer.
"With Bloomington you pick your poison. They have
three athletes we have stop in Wade, Harrison and
Hughes. We have to be able to stop their running game
and take Hughes away. We're going to have to force some
turnovers, get the ball in the hands of our offense and
put some long drives together." -- West coach Darren
Hess.
Central Catholic vs. Olympia
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Olympia High School, Stanford
Records: Central Catholic 2-4, 1-4 Corn Belt; Olympia
0-6, 0-5.
FYI: Central Catholic, coming off a 41-0 loss at
Rochester, needs a win to keep its flickering playoff
hopes alive The Saints are led by quarterback Sean
Wieland, who has thrown for an Intercity-leading 953
yards ... The Saints are down to 18 varsity players
after suffering a rash of injuries against Rochester ...
Olympia, which has also been plagued by injuries all
season, is coming off a 40-20 loss to Prairie Central
... Running back Caleb Schmidgall has rushed for over
500 yards to lead the Spartans. Senior quarterback Kale
Williams has combined for over 700 yards running and
passing ... Olympia has lost nine straight to the
Saints, including a 22-6 decision last year.
Quoting: "It's scary playing a team that hasn't won a
game. Obviously they should have won some games here and
there. (Williams) is very good running the option, and
(Schmidgall) runs the ball very hard. We just got
manhandled up front last week, and now we're down to
five offensive linemen." -- Central coach Bobby Moews.
"We've gotten better every week, and we're starting
to get a little bit healthier. We seem to get worn down
at the end of games because we don't have many players,
but our kids will battle the whole game. We've been
digging ourselves a hole in the first half. If we can
get off to a better start it will be a pretty
competitive game." -- Olympia coach Mike Goodwin.
Prairie Ridge vs. NCHS
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Normal Community High School
Records: NCHS 5-1; Prairie Ridge 2-4.
FYI: NCHS, the Big 12 co-leader with BHS and Mattoon,
ventures out of league play for the first time this
season in search of its fourth straight win ... The
Ironmen scored on all six of their first-half
possessions in last week's 49-6 drubbing of Urbana to
nail down a playoff berth ... Senior fullback Antoine
Kennedy (748 yards, 16 TDs) and senior tailback Eric
Scott (524 yards, 6 TDs) lead NCHS' potent rushing
attack ... Prairie Ridge, located in Crystal Lake, is a
member of the Fox Valley Conference. The Wolves are led
by 6-6, 180-pound senior quarterback Todd Babington, who
guided the Wolves to a playoff berth last season ...
This will be the first meeting between the teams.
Quoting: "They operate out of the shotgun and a
spread formation. They'd rather throw than run. We've
been playing pretty well. We've made a lot of progress
since the beginning of the season. We definitely want to
finish the regular season strong." -- NCHS coach Hud
Venerable.
Pontiac vs. University High
When: 7:45 p.m.
Where: Hancock Stadium, Normal
Records: Pontiac 4-2, 4-1 Corn Belt; U High 4-2, 3-2.
FYI: Pontiac, ranked No. 10 in Class 5A, has won 10
straight Corn Belt games against U High ... The Indians
rebounded from a loss to Prairie Central by drubbing
Herscher 49-12 last week ... Pontiac senior running back
Ryan Benning ranks fourth in the area in rushing with
895 yards. Senior quarterback Ross Blakeman has thrown
for 518 yards and four TDs ... U High, which will be
celebrating its homecoming, lost a fumble and had three
passes intercepted in last week's 38-13 loss to
Mahomet-Seymour ... Senior quarterback Nick Chiodo has
thrown for 679 yards and 12 TDs while running for 527
yards and five TDs. Junior running back C.J. Johnson has
added 451 yards on the ground.
Quoting: "They're by far one of the most athletic
teams we've seen. You have to start with Chiodo. He
seems to be the catalyst of whatever they do. Whether
he's running it or throwing it, he's been able to make
things happen. Johnson is a quality back, and (Jeremy)
Foster is a very, very good receiver." -- Pontiac coach
Mick Peterson.
"Pontiac has been probably the best team in the Corn
Belt for many years now, and this year is no exception.
They have a lot of team speed, and they're very
physical. We have a huge challenge this week. If we
can't control the line of scrimmage we're not going to
be able to run the ball or stop them.." -- U High coach
Kurt Olson.
