There’s a certain amount of pressure relieved when an IHSA football team reaches five victories.
Already at 5-0, 10 local teams have hit the magic mark to become playoff eligible. Nothing’s guaranteed until you hit six wins, but at 5-0 things are looking pretty bright.
Of those 10 teams, though, which ones have the best shot at finishing the regular season unbeaten? Six will be whittled to three because of tonight’s head-to-head matchups between Downers Grove North and York, Barrington and Fremd, and Batavia and Geneva.
Let’s take a look at six area teams, in alphabetic order, with a good shot at going 9-0.
Barrington
Maybe the toughest call of the bunch given the strength of the Mid-Suburban West this season.
The Broncos hammered winless Conant last week, setting up a gauntlet of Fremd (5-0), Schaumburg (4-1), Hoffman Estates (4-1) and Palatine (4-1).
So why give Barrington the edge over Fremd, which plays host to the Broncos tonight? For one thing, Barrington’s offense looked unstoppable against a nonconference slate that included South Elgin, Hersey, Glenbrook South and Maine South.
Quarterback Nick Peipert has thrown for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns while Calvin Jackson has rushed for more than 700 yards and 15 scores behind a massive line led by 6-foot-4, 295-pound Owen Fors.
Batavia
The last two weeks have been eye-openers for the Bulldogs after dominant wins over St. Charles North and Wheaton North, but an unbeaten regular season may come down to tonight’s game against Geneva (5-0).
The balance on both sides of the ball makes Batavia particularly scary. Nathan Whitwell has rushed for 923 yards while Chase Osborne and Xavier Blanquel have led the defense.
Cary-Grove
Last week’s 18-12 Fox Valley victory over previously unbeaten Prairie Ridge makes a 9-0 run much more likely for the Trojans, the defending Class 6A champions. Burlington Central (4-1) and Jacobs (3-2) are also in the rearview mirror.
With fullback Logan Abrams back and healthy, the vaunted ground game is battering opponents. He and Holden Boone combined to rush for more than 200 yards last week.
Downers Grove North
With York (5-0) tonight and Lyons Twp. (5-0) next week, this is also a tough call. But the battle-tested Trojans, runners-up in Class 7A last season, appear up for the many challenges in the West Suburban Silver.
Through five games no one’s come close to Downers North, which has outscored opponents 208-14 behind junior quarterback Owen Lansu, who committed to Minnesota in the summer.
Libertyville
Laying low right now are the Wildcats, who have quietly beaten four teams with winning records. They handed Richards and Stevenson their lone loss.
Lake Forest (4-1) and Warren (3-2) remain, but Libertyville and quarterback Quinn Schambow seem on a mission.
Schambow, who will play baseball at Oklahoma State, was near perfect in last week’s win over Mundelein. He completed 24 of 25 passes for 309 yards and 5 touchdowns.
West Aurora
The Blackhawks may have the area’s easiest path to 9-0. No one’s been able to hold them under 45 points this season, and only Ridgewood (3-2) remains on the schedule with a winning record.
The Upstate Eight West, headed by West Aurora, hasn’t been as strong as the East, where five of the seven teams are over .500. West Aurora is the only West team with a winning record.