Football Game Preview: North Chicago Warhawks vs. Round Lake Panthers

The North Chicago Warhawks will venture away from home to take on the Round Lake Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with five consecutive losses apiece.

North Chicago is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Lakes on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Warhawks were beaten by the Eagles 46-7. The Warhawks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-0.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 65-17, which was the final score in Round Lake's tilt against Grant Community on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 439th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 192nd).

North Chicago will need to focus on slowing down Marqus Ries, one of several Round Lake players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 90 yards. Ries really tore up the turf during one magnificent 90-yard run. Devin Powell also helped out with an impressive 143 receiving yards.

Round Lake's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for North Chicago, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 1-6.

North Chicago strolled past Round Lake in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 30-12. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ries, who rushed for 92 yards and one score on only five carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Warhawks still be able to contain Ries? There's only one way to find out.