Season Prediction Record: 4-1
Bishop Dwenger (1-0) at North Side (1-0)
Prediction: North Side wins 34-28
One of the biggest surprises in North Side’s win over Snider was how they were able to match Snider’s physicality and at times dominate in the trenches. The only other team that can match Snider on the line, would be Dwenger. If North Side’s offensive and defensive lines can play the way they did last week, then they’ll win this one too. They are superior athletically and have a quarterback who is just as good, if not better than, what Dwenger has in QB Brenden Lytle. QB Duce Taylor will need to be a huge factor again after having a record-breaking performance with 378 yds and 5 TD in week 1. However, Dwenger does have a bigger offensive and defensive line. If Lytle has time to throw and their running backs have room to run, while getting pressure on Taylor, the Saints could come out victorious. These factors make this a really tough game to predict, but ultimately, a few things stand out. Dwenger had difficulty running the football last week against a young Wayne defense, totaling 46 rushing yards as a team. Running the football between the tackles is the biggest part of Dwenger’s offense. If they can’t run the football effectively this week against a strong North Side defense, they’re in trouble. This, along with the fact that the Legends simply have more playmakers on both sides of the ball, makes it hard not to give North Side at least a slight edge in a very tight football game. We’ll take the Legends by six.
Snider (0-1) at Carroll (1-0)
Prediction: Carroll wins 42-28
The Chargers are looking for back-to-back wins over Snider. As always, the Carroll offense will go as Jeff Becker goes, as the junior quarterback takes the field coming off 217 yds and 4 total touchdowns in the opener. He, along with his new favorite receiver in Mason Englert, should have no problem scoring, just like North Side did against the Panthers. However, this week Snider is expected to start their sophomore QB Luke Haupert, who saw action towards the end of last week’s game. If he can give the Panthers a spark on offense, then they may have a shot. But this one feels like it’s just out of Snider’s reach.
Homestead (0-1) at Concordia (1-0)
Prediction: Concordia wins 28-21
A depleted Homestead roster took the field in week 1 and lost a close one to Northrop. This week, they’ll face an even tougher opponent in Concordia. The Spartan defense desperately needs everyone back healthy in order to stop Concordia’s offense, led by RB Amir Drew who had 170 yds, 3 TD, and averaged over 7 yards on the ground against South Side. Homestead had problems stopping Northrop’s running game without their two starting linebackers Cole Ethcison and Luke Palmer, and if those two don’t return, it could be the same situation as last week. Even if they do return, will it be enough to keep Homestead’s own offense in the game? It’s a tough call, but we’ll say the answer is no as Sparty loses another heartbreaker by 7.
South Side (0-1) at Northrop (1-0)
Prediction: Northrop wins 32-6
Northrop is coming off one of their biggest wins under head coach Jason Doerffler. Their 25-21 win over Homestead has set them up to be 3-0 entering their week 4 matchup with Carroll. But that’s only if they get the job done over these next two weeks. This Friday, it will be South Side heading up to Spuller Stadium, with the Archers still stinging from a shutout loss to the Cadets. If South Side wants to stay in this game, they’ll need to run the football effectively and keep their own offense out on the field. Otherwise, their defense will have a tough time slowing down Northrop RB Damarius Cowen, a player who ran all over Homestead’s defense for 276 yds and 4 TD a week ago.
Bishop Luers (0-1) at Wayne (0-1)
Prediction: Wayne wins 34-26
Wayne will come into this game hungry, or really starving, for their first win since 2018. The Generals match up really well with Luers and have an offense capable of putting up points. RB Shawn Collins ran for 60 yds last week and was averaging 6.7 yds against a physical Dwenger defense. QB Aidan Meek was also a respectable 5 for 9 with 79 yds and a touchdown. If these two are able to show out against the Knights, Wayne could get a big win. But they’ll have to stop another very solid QB in Carson Clark, who had 161 yds on 14 of 25 passing last week. This game could feature some offensive fireworks, but we’ll pick Wayne to pull it out.
