10/07/2022
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - As the high school football season heads into the cool, crisp days of October with just three weeks remaining in the regular season, the IHSA playoff picture is coming into focus.

Here's a quick look at the contenders from the ASV area.

Mount Carmel hasn't been kind to the Little Illini Conference since its arrival during the Covid19 spring.

The Golden Aces and head coach Michael Brewer have yet to taste defeat in the three seasons in the LIC.

After a victory last week over Newton, the Aces sit at 6-0 this fall with three games left in 2022.

Paris (2-4), Woodstock Marian Central Catholic (2-4) and 5A Mount Vernon (3-3) will come to the newly renovated Snake Pit on the Wabash River in the next three weeks.

In the six wins, Mount Carmel has averaged 54.8 points a game.

Senior quarterback Blayne Sisson picked up right where he left off from last season and has produced the same sort of numbers offensively as he did as a junior.

Sisson has 13 touchdowns rushing the ball with 54 total carries resulting in 796-yards.

In the air, Sisson is a robust 50-of-81 for 842-yards and nine TD's.

Junior running back Asher Knight is second on the club in rushing (47 carries, 631-yards, 11 touchdowns) while a couple of other backs have also put together good numbers.

Andrew Gillihan, a junior, and senior Gage Kennard both have over 100-yards rushing this season as does sophomore Tobias Fullup.

Gillihan, Kennard and senior Gavin Smith have combined to catch 48-passes on the season for over 800-yards.

Added all up, Mount Carmel has rushed for 2,007-yards on 191-attempts, which is just over 10-yards per carry, while having over 1K in passing yardage.

While the rest of the Little Illini Conference is looking up the standings at the Aces, two other teams are sitting at 4-2 overall.

Robinson and Richland County both need just a single win in the final three weeks to become eligible and two wins will likely secure a playoff spot.

The good news for both the Maroons and Tigers is that they have already faced (and lost to) Mount Carmel and the remaining contests look promising for wins.

The bad news is that they face each other at Robinson this Friday.

Richland County, a playoff team from a year ago, appears headed back to the postseason this for head coach Matt Music.

Coach Music has the Tigers 'humming' along with the two losses coming to 5A Centralia (58-12) and Mount Carmel, of whom they gave a good showing for themselves in a 64-28 loss back on September 23.

Senior quarterback Dawson Brown, senior running back Hudson Lathrop, and junior running back Brody Runyon have handled most of the ground attack for the Tigers.

Brown has completed 58 percent of his throws (85-of-146) for 1,380-yards and 13 TD's.

Lathrop has rolled up 474-yards rushing on 67-attempts with six touchdowns while Brown added 154-yards carrying the ball for three more scores.

Runyon has 82-yards to show for his 21-tries.

Brown has targets in his aerial assault.

Ayden Cothern, a 6-0 senior WR, with 15-receptions, 487-yards and five touchdowns helps give Richland County some options.

Zachariah Wease, a 6-4 senior wide out, has 25-receptions for 306-yards and four touchdowns.

Senior tight end Carter Beard has nine of the teams successful play plays in his stat sheet for 159-yards and two of the Tigers' scores.

Senior Connor Erwin has just six-receptions but they are good for 118-yards, which is nearly 20-yards per catch.

Sophomore Rex Hallam, a 6-5 receiver, has 10-catches for 90-yards and a TD.

Robinson and Coach Casey Pinnell will play at Paris (2-4) and host Pontiac (1-5) in the final regular season games.

Robinson already has more wins than they had in 2021 (3-6) and much of it has to do with senior leaders, quarterback Wes Jackson and running back Nathan Wernz.

Casey-Westfield sits at 3-3 and will need to pick up a couple of wins the rest of the way for head coach coach Nathan Lieber.

Freshman quarterback Nolan Clemont is the Warriors' current signal caller this season and he tied a state-record on one pass in a win over Oblong/Palestine/Hutsonville last Saturday in the C-W 50-22 win.

Clemont and junior Connor Sullivan connected on a 99-yard touchdown pass.

Clemont and Sullivan have been main cogs in the Warriors so far this season.

Cole Livingston is a senior running back for C-W while another freshman, Darren Hupp, is a running back.

The Warriors will host 5-1 Red Hill this Friday in a game against their former LIC rivals that could be winnable.

Casey-Westfield will then travel to winless Marshall (0-6) Saturday, October 15 and host Richland County in the finale.

The Warriors' program, since the consolidation of the two previous school (Casey and Westfield) has 28 previous playoff appearances, including a pair of second place finishes (2008, 2011).

Red Hill, speaking of the Salukis, and head coach Billy Gray are playoff eligible after a 35-7 pounding of Marshall last week.

At 5-1 the club is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Coach Gray has gotten big contributions from his seniors, including 5-11 running back Jacob Powden and 6-0 running back Wyatt Cox.

Five-nine junior quarterback Hayden Arbuckle and 5-7 junior running back Reece Ralston have led a pretty potent offense.

Although the schedule hasn't been too tough for their first season as an Independent, the Salukis have beaten the ones they should beat, with the lone loss coming to 1A state-ranked Shelbyville back in Week 2.

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In the Black Diamond Conference Carmi-White County, Johnston City and Sesser-Valier/Waltonville have enough wins, having reached the qualifying number of five.

The Bulldogs and Indians are both unbeaten at 6-0 while the Red Devils are sitting at 5-1 heading to Week 7, with their lone loss coming to CWC back on September 9 (44-12).

Johnston City will travel to SV/W this Friday for a game that has conference championship implications.

Carmi-White County and JC will hook up on October 14 where both teams could be sitting at 7-0.

All three of those programs made the playoffs in 2021.

Coach Kurt Simon has Carmi-White County playoff bound for 17th time in his 24-years leading the program.

The Bulldogs success has stemmed from the continued work from a standout senior group led by running back Isaac King, who is already over 1K rushing yards this season.

Draxtyn Aud is another senior running back for CWC who has also played well for the undefeated Dawgs.

Johnston City also has an outstanding senior running back as Isiah Watson has been a three-season starter for head coach Todd Thomas.

The Indians have 6-0 senior Connor Mowery as their signal caller and 6-4 junior Keaton Fort is a wide receiver for JC.

Senior running backs Kaden Dover and Boston Peyton also produce for the Indians.

Sesser-Valier/Waltonville has junior running back Dezmond Malone leading the team in rushing with senior quarterback Carson Hoffard (passing) and junior wide receiver Wyatt Loucks (pass receiving) for head coaches John Shadowens and Mike Rude.

Senior running backs Brock Chelf and Gabe Gunter along with juniors Colt Packer, Luke Barry and sophomore Caeden Hicks have all been important in the playoff run.

Three other BDC teams, Hamilton County, Flora and Fairfield sit at 3-3 on the season.

Meaning that the Foxes, Wolves and Mules will each need to win two games from their final three contests to qualify.

Besides the Covid19 spring season where there were no playoffs, Coach Justin Townsend and his Fairfield program have made eight-consecutive playoff appearances but that streak is in jeopardy if the Mules can't come up with two more victories.

With injuries this season, Fairfield has struggled but they still have a shot at the ninth-straight postseason.

Eric Rodgers has been the most consistent for Coach Townsend, as he leads the team in passing and is second on the club rushing.

The 6-2 senior has gained 327-yards on the ground on 58-attempts while tossing the ball 24-of-45 for 352-yards. He has four touchdowns in the air and four on the ground.

Five-eleven senior Luke Sork is the top Mule rushing with 428-yards from 63-runs.

Latrael Snyder, a 5-10 junior, added 222-yards on 49-attempts.

Senior Reegan Taylor, Snyder, senior Luke Duckworth, senior Nick Easton, junior Scotty Cuff and junior Trey Mason have all caught passes from Rodgers this season.

The main loss for the Mules this season came in Week 1 when Jay Snyder, a 6-0 junior running back, tore his ACL/MCL and was lost for the season.

The on the field defeats came on the road at Sesser-Valier/Waltonville, at Carmi-White County and Johnston City at home.

Wins against Eldorado, Flora and at Christopher/Zeigler-Royalton have kept the playoff hopes alive.

The best news is that the next three teams they play, including Hamilton County at home on Friday night, have a combined record of 4-14.

At Edwards County and at Vienna/Goreville on October 22, closes out the regular season playoff eligible if they get at least two wins.

A three-game sweep puts them in.

Hamilton County travels to the Train Yard to take on Fairfield on Friday night.

Coach Rhet Vaughn and his Foxes rebounded from consecutive losses to get a much needed win at Flora last week.

Hamilton County has a tough road to reach the playoffs as they will have to pull upsets at either Fairfield or SV/W in the final three weeks along with winning at home against Vienna/Goreville.

Senior quarterback Braden Flannigan and junior running back Zach Wheeler have come up big in the Hamilton County victories.

Flora and head coach Brian Tackitt also will have to step up to get to five wins.

The Wolves 15-14 loss to Hamilton County was a blow to the squads' playoff chances.

They will need to beat Vienna/Goreville on Saturday afternoon and then defeat either Sesser-Valier/Waltonville at home or Carmi-White County on the road to qualify.

Senior quarterback Malachi Tolliver and senior running back Beau Propes are the statistical leaders.

Eldorado and head coach Joe Clark have a tough way to get into the postseason.

The Eagles lost a heartbreaking 27-26 decision to Sesser-Valier/Waltonville last Friday and at 2-4 they would have to win their final three games (at Carmi-White County, home to Christopher/Zeigler-Royalton and at Edwards County) and hope to squeeze in.

Senior quarterback Parker Price, junior running back Aston Robinson and senior wide receiver Josh Owens have been standouts for Eldorado.

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The Cahokia Conference Mississippi Division has five of its six teams in the playoff hunt with both Breese Central and East Alton-Wood River having identical 5-1 records and one game back are Columbia and Roxana at 4-2.

Freeburg, who won its first three games, has lost three-straight and will have play well to get to five-wins.

Breese Central, who has just a loss to Breese Mater Dei in Week 2, can control their own destiny by winning out against Roxana and Columbia at home and a road trip to Herrin to close out the regular season campaign.

Coach Brian Short and crew are in search of their 10th playoff appearance in 16-seasons under this mentor.

Senior running back Chase Lewis has nine touchdowns and has kicked 16 PAT's for the Cougars this fall while senior quarterback Conner Freeze has been impressive passing (over 1K yards) and rushing for BC.

East Alton-Wood River hasn't been a playoff powerhouse but Coach Gary Heron has his team sitting at 5-1 with the lone loss at Breese Central (21-6) on September 23.

Seth Slayden, a senior running back, has 13-TD's and nearly 900-yards rushing so far while senior QB Miguel Romero has almost 300-yards on the ground.

The Oilers bounced back with a win over Columbia last weekend.

Columbia and head coach Scott Horner have some quality wins over Waterloo, Roxana and Freeburg to go with a forfeit victory from Alton Marquette.

The other loss was to 4A Mascoutah.

Senior quarterback Dominic Voegele for Columbia has nine TD's rushing and four touchdown passes.

Five-seven senior Zach Wetzel along with 5-11 seniors Brennan Weik and Nik Janik have been the ones catching the passes from Voegele.

Roxana was a late punt return touchdown from Columbia from being 5-1 and tied for first place.

Coach Wade DeVries and his Shells are also in the playoff hunt and they have a shot at both Central and next door neighbor EAWR coming up in the next two weeks on the road before closing out the schedule with a home game against winless Alton Marquette.

The other loss was to once beaten Red Bud back on September 9 on the road.

The Shells have a junior running back tandem of Evan Wells and Terrel Graves along with senior running back Nik Ward.

Those three have combined for nearly 1,500-yard this season.

Junior quarterback Chris Walleck has completed 57 percent of his passes.

Freeburg looks to have the toughest road to get to the playoffs.

The Midgets, who are 3-3, need two wins in their final three contests to get a bid.

Coach Ronnie Stuart and his club started out the season with three-consecutive victories but have dropped games to Breese Central, long time rival Columbia and Roxana.

Freeburg has EAWR at home, a road trip to Salem and a home finale against 5-1 4A Waterloo.

Five-eleven junior QB Cole Stuart and AJ Banks, a 6-1 senior quarterback, have both tossed the ball around the yard this season.

Caleb Loftus, a 6-1 senior running back, Stuart, and 5-8 junior Tucker Murphy, have led the Midgets' ground attack.

The Cahokia large could end up with five teams in the playoffs when the dust settles.

Red Bud has been the class of the Cahokia Illinois Division.

The Musketeers and head coach Dave Lucht sit at 5-1 overall and are already playoff eligible.

The lone loss was on the road at 4A ranked Breese Central, 17-6.

Nick Gantner, a 5-10, 170 senior, has 11 rushing touchdowns and a pair of TD catches this season for Red Bud along with nearly 800-yards of total offense.

Senior Thomas Friess is the signal caller for the potent Musketeers' offense.

Gavin Baldwin, Lucas Schwartzkopf and Trace Wagner have all racked up yardage on the ground for Red Bud.

Gantner and Schwartzkopf are the top targets for Friess.

Red Bud, other than the Central loss, have outscored the five victims 198-21 and they haven't been scored on in the past two games.

An 8-1 or 7-2 finish should put Coach Lucht's club in a nice spot in the 2A playoffs.

Both Chester and Dupo will need two-out-of-three wins in the remaining contest to get in.

The Yellow Jackets (3-3) and head coach Billy Belton have a road game this week at Dupo, a home match up with Red Bud on October 14 before a six-hour one-way drive to Lanark-Eastland/Pearl City for a Saturday afternoon game.

Chester could be sitting at 4-4 and time-wise could be the last team to get in as the IHSA pairings will be announced that night.

Dupo, on the other hand, will need a win to step up with games against Chester at home and then road games at winless Sparta and at 2-4 Nokomis.

The Tigers have shown improvement under first year head coach Zack Klaustermeier.

Freshman quarterback Deegan Prater got thrown right into the varsity deep end to begin the season and, for the most part, he has played well in the 3-3 season.

Logan Stevens, a senior running back along with Prater have combined for over 1,100-yards rushing and 12 of the Dupo TD's.

Junior wide out Nick Phillips has been one of the top receivers along with sophomore Vance Ray and junior Ashton Stine, along with Stevens.

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Madison is another of the bubble teams heading into the final three weeks.

Head coach Tavares Young has his Trojans on the verge of a playoff berth, sitting at 3-2 on the season.

The Trojans were scheduled to play a home school club team from Big Rock to open the season but the game was a forfeit to Madison.

According to the IHSA this game doesn't count as a win, just an open date.

Playing a tough independent schedule versus some much larger schools, Madison has weathered most of the storm and still have a shot in a 1A playoff spot.

The wins against Tremont, Dupo and St. Louis TDW Academy will count towards the playoff number.

Madison has a loss at Galena (3-3) and at 5A Granite City (1-5) with three games left as they host Carterville this Saturday afternoon, at Anna-Jonesboro the next Friday night and they close out the season at home October 22 against winless Wesclin.

Carlis Wilson Jr. is a 6-0 senior wide receiver/quarterback/running back for Madison.

He has scored three touchdowns rushing and he has one pass reception TD.

Jaylene Williams is a 6-2 junior running back on the club along with Steven Moore, a 5-10 sophomore running back who is the top rusher.

Moore sits at 20-carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns while Williams has a pair of touchdowns with 198-yards on 33-attempts.

The Trojans haven't thrown the ball a lot but they have been successful when doing so.

Kameron Trammel is a 5-11 senior wide receiver with seven-receptions and an additional 115-yards and two TD's.

Kaylon Bursey, a 6-0 junior wide receiver, has four catches equaling 69-yards and two scores.

Derrion Enlow, a 6-1 junior, is a wide receiver and quarterback for the versatile Madison club.

Enlow is 17-of-24 passing for 364 yards and six touchdowns while Wilson is 4-of-7 for 76-yards and two TD's.

Enlow caught one of Wilson's TD tosses.

Wilson is one of the top defensive backs in the Metro-East, as he has snagged five interceptions this season, including three in one game against Dupo.

Cumberland is another club in 1A looking for a return trip to the playoffs for head coach Lucas Watkins.

The Pirates, after consecutive losses to begin the season to state-ranked Shelbyville (6-0) and Tuscola (5-1), have won four-straight games to sit one-win away from playoff eligibility.

Cumberland took down Arcola, Sangamon Valley, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond and Villa Grove.

Cumberland has a favorable schedule remaining; Tri-County at home and then road games at Argenta-Oreana and Cerro Gordo/Bement to close out the schedule.

Tri-County is 3-3 while CG/B and A-O are each 0-6.

Quarterback Bryant Weber, a 5-10, 140 senior, runs the offense for the Pirates.

Five-six, 120 junior Blake McMechan also racks up yardage for the Cumberland offense that has scored 149-points in its past four wins while 5-7, 175 senior running back Ross McBride has also had a hand in the successful offense.

Six-five, 200 senior wide receiver, Trevin Magee,

Kelby Bierman, a sophomore wide out/defense back, along with 5-8, 180 senior running back/linebacker Ty Bradley help out defensively along with McMechan and Weber.

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The North Mac Panthers have been impressive in their first six games in the South Central Conference.

Coach Patrick Bowman and his squad are taking full advantage of their new 'crib' as they have pounded the half dozen victims 237-36.

In their most recent conquest, the Panthers beat a team in Greenville that was on a four-game winning streak, 50-14.

State-ranked North Mac closes out the season with a key battle at Pana in two weeks, a club that is also playoff eligible at 5-1.

Head coach Patrick Bowman has a duo that are offensive threats.

Kaden Brown, a 5-10, 160 senior and Reed Lewis, 6-0, 175 senior, are the top players for the Panthers who begin their run in the SCC this school year.

Dane Vance, a 5-8, 140 junior back, are part of a three-headed monster that has the Panthers' purring along.

Zane Hogan, a 6-0, 180 senior, is second to Brown on the ground with 57-carries for 497-yards and five TD's while teammate 5-11, 214 senior Joe Reinhart has added seven touchdowns with 56-rushes for 329-yards.

The team has nearly 2K yards rushing and 8.4 yards per carry so far.

Pana is also playoff bound.

The Panthers, behind quarterback play from senior Max Lynch (49-of-97, 642-yards, six touchdowns passing, 91-carries, 1,190-yards rushing, five TD's on the ground), have rebounded from a Week 1 loss to Vandalia to drop five-consecutive victims.

Coach Trevor Higgins also has other capable weapons with senior running back Evan Swisher (60-rushes. 341-yards) along with Monte Weddle (17-carries, 135-yards, four TD's).

Senior wide outs Haden Stark and Carter Beyer have a combined 37-receptions and three touchdowns with over 400-yards.

Five-seven, 155 sophomore Isaiah Harbert, Weddle and Swisher have led the Panthers with 117 of the team's 310 solo tackles.

Pana last four opponents were outscored 194-45 by the Panthers.

Vandalia (5-1) has just the North Mac loss (40-7) in Week 3 against its five victories.

Coach Jason Clay's team is heading back to the playoffs for the sixth-consecutive season (besides the Covid19 spring) as this program has continued to produce.

Matthew Hagy, a 6-0, 180 senior quarterback, is the Vandals' team leader by example.

Eric McKinney, a 5-9, 170 senior running back/linebacker along with senior wide receiver/linebacker Reid Well have been catalysts for the Vandalia attack.

Senior receivers Preston Nestrick and Pierson Wilkerson, junior back Andrew Kelly and senior wide out Chase McNary are also contributors for Vandalia as Coach Clay is hoping for a longer playoff run this season.

The Vandals beat Chester in the first round of the 2A playoffs before losing to eventual final four team Decatur St. Teresa.

Greenville had its four game winning streak snapped last week at home by North Mac and the road won't get much easier for the Comets to get back to the playoffs.

At 4-2 Coach Todd Hutchinson will need his club to get one more win against either Pana, Carlinville or Vandalia to reach the postseason.

Ryan Jackson, a 6-1, 190 senior QB/DB, has been the leader of the Comets' attack so far while the ground assault has been 5-7, 215 senior running back Grant Wilderman.

Declan Graber, a 5-10, 150 sophomore, 5-10, 145 sophomore Eli Shadowens have also been a big part of the success.

Carlinville and Hillsboro are both 3-3 on the season and they, too, will need two-out-of-three wins to close out the season.

The Cavaliers, after suffering three-consecutive losses to begin the season to North Mac, Vandalia and Hillsboro, have put together a three-game win streak over Gillespie, Staunton and Southwestern.

Carlinville has its work cut out for them as need two wins in a stretch at Litchfield, home against Greenville and at Pana.

Rex Reels, a 5-10, 155 junior quarterback/defensive back, leads the way for Coach Chad Easterday.

Reels is 63-of-96 passing for 738-yards and six touchdowns.

Jack Rouse, a 5-10, 175 junior running back, has been the top ground gainer with 709-yards on 120-attempts while 6-2 senior wide out Liam Tieman has 245-yards receiving on 24-receptions.

If Carlinville doesn't qualify, it will break a streak of 14-consecutive playoff appearances.

Hillsboro also has work to do for head coach Joe Reed as the Hiltoppers are in the same boat as Carlinville.

They need two-out-of-three wins against the remaining slate of games.

The road for the Hiltoppers is much more promising with games at Staunton (0-6), home to Southwestern (2-4) and at Litchfield (1-5) to close out the season.

Zane Duff, a 5-10, 185 senior quarterback, has modest passing stats but he has contributed to the rushing attack.

The top rushers for Hillsboro have been senior Jaben Compton and junior Dylan Lessman with over 400-yards each.

Senior tailback Blaze Helton and junior running back Jace Stewart, along with Duff have combined for nearly another 800-yards on the ground.

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Heading into Week 7, three teams in the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference have qualified for the playoffs by reaching five-victories.

Leading that pack is Carterville as the unbeaten Lions have had only one close call (Week 2 vs. Herrin) out of their six wins.

Coach Brett Diel has a strong team and he will need his club to keep getting better heading into 4A playoff action.

Wins over Benton, Murphysboro, DuQuoin, Anna-Jonesboro and Nashville have been strong showings with a 15-11 clunker of a win over their rival Tigers being the one off-night.

Games at Madison (3 pm on Saturday) followed by a home game against Pinckneyville and a road contest at Harrisburg close out what could end up being an unbeaten regular season.

Senior quarterback Andrew Hellriegel is equal parts passer and runner as the 6-2, 160 leader has eight touchdowns each throwing and running the ball.

Yardage wise the senior has produced 732-yards passing on 62-of-89 tries along with 32-carriers for 98-yards and eight close range TD's.

The bulk of the running attack on the rest of the field has been carried by 6-1, 175 senior Bryce Smith.

Smith has rushed 94-times for 772-yards and six scores, averaging 8.2 yards a carry.

Another back producing for the Lions is 6-0, 180 senior Nolan Hartford (35-attempts, 226-yards, three touchdowns) which gives Coach Diel options.

Hartford is also the top receiver for Hellriegel, snagging 19 targets for 307-yards and three more scores.

Senior Blake Burkey, another of the recipients of passes from Hellriegel, has 19 grabs for 210-yards and three touchdowns for Carterville.

Top senior defenders include 6-1, 190 defensive end Elijah Mohring, 5-11, 220 linebacker Riley Bradford, and 6-1, 190 senior lineman Talon Walker.

Sophomore Luke Johnson, a 6-0, 205 linebacker has also been part of a defensive effort that has surrendered very few points.

In fact many of the points allowed by the Lions defense this season have been late game situations against the Carterville reserves.

In the 49-28 win over Murphysboro, Carterville led 42-7 before going deep into his bench against the Red Devils' first unit.

Benton and Murphysboro have a couple of things in common; they both have 5-1 marks and they each have lost to Carterville.

The Rangers were shutout 28-0 at Carterville in the season opener as Coach Justin Groves entered this season with some new faces.

Benton, since that opening loss, has won five-consecutive games to get playoff eligibility.

Wins over Chester, Pinckneyville, Herrin, West Frankfort and Harrisburg have the Rangers back in the playoffs for their third consecutive season.

Benton will have a road game at Massac County this week and then home games against Murphysboro and Anna-Jonesboro to close out the regular season.

Sophomore quarterback Tiffin Kouzoukas took over the starting role to begin the season and has put up good numbers (55-of-96, 739-yards, seven TD's) in his six games.

He has another 86-yards rushing.

The big ground gainer for the Rangers is Wyatt Upton, a 5-9 senior, who has piled up 877-yards on 93-carries and he has found the endzone for 15 TD's.

Five-ten sophomore running back A.J. Craven (19-carries, 128-yards rushing) and 5-11 senior Jacob Kinsman (29-rushes, 101-yards, two touchdowns) as Coach Groves has a strong ground attack.

Six-foot sophomore wide receiver Grant Owens has 13-receptions for 262-yards while Upton has added 16-catches, 173-yards for Benton.

Senior middle linebacker Lukas Wilson has been a mainstay on the Rangers' defense as he leads the club in tackles overall while Upton, Kinsman, Craven and 6-2 senior lineman Andric Thompson have been strong defensively.

Murphysboro was a 4A playoff qualifier last fall as head coach Gary Carter has his club playoff eligible for the sixth time in his nine seasons as the Red Devils' mentor.

Three seasons ago the Red Devils got all the way to the 4A title game.

Murphysboro has wins over Carbondale, Anna-Jonesboro, Massac County, Herrin and West Frankfort.

They have work to do with Harrisburg at home, Benton on the road and DuQuoin at home to close things out for the regular season.

The game at Benton will more than likely decide the Ohio Division championship.

Murphysboro has been led by quarterback Drew Caldwell, a 6-0, 190 senior, and running back Devon Clemons, a 5-8, 180 senior.

Caldwell has completed 47-of-73 pass attempts for 782-yards and 11 TD's this season.

Clemons has ran the ball 92-times for 742-yards and 13 touchdowns.

That's a pretty good 1-2 punch for a team that is playoff bound.

Senior Ethan Finke, a 6-0, 205 senior running back, adds to the figs with 23-carries with 217-yards and three scores.

Six-two senior running back Kevin Hale has five carries resulting in 114-yards.

Lane Mills, a 5-11, 195 junior linebacker has led the Red Devils defense along with sophomore Emanuel Wells, junior Sam Herring, Hale and Finke who have all registered tackles in the defense for Murphysboro.

Harrisburg started the season with a new coach and a heartbreaking 29-28 defeat in overtime on the road at East Alton-Wood River.

Coach Matt Griffith has his club in playoff contention after putting together a four-game winning streak before losing 24-21 last week at home to Benton.

The Bulldogs are basically five-points from being 6-0.

Harrisburg has some standouts, including junior running backs Karmello Downey and Tevin Godsey.

Sophomore quarterback Owen Rann, senior running back Ross Rider, senior wide receiver Charlie Fehrenbacher.

On the other side of the SIRR, Nashville is a win away from reaching the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Coach Stephen Kozuszek has had back-to-back squads finish second in the state (2019, 2021) with a Covid19 spring in between.

This season the Hornets sit at 4-2 with the losses coming to Freeburg (for the second year in a row) and Carterville last Friday night 28-7 on the road.

The Hornets are led by quarterback J.T. Malawy, and running backs Kaden Gajewski and Noah Miller, all of whom have produced numbers that has Nashville ready for another postseason.

Coach Kozuszek's kids will need one more win out of games against at Pinckneyville (1-5), home against DuQuoin (2-4) and at West Frankfort (2-4).

Winning all three would put Nashville in a good playoff spot at 7-2.