Football Game Preview: Marist RedHawks vs. IC Catholic Prep Knights

The Marist RedHawks will square off against the IC Catholic Prep Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Marist is looking for their season's first win.

Marist is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Illinois' top teams: Joliet Catholic, who was ranked 18th at the time (Marist was ranked 25th). The RedHawks took a 23-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hilltoppers on Friday. The contest was a 10-10 toss-up at halftime, but the RedHawks couldn't quite close it out.

Meanwhile, IC Catholic Prep didn't have quite enough to beat Nazareth Academy on Friday and fell 24-21. The loss was the Knights' first of the season.

Marist will need to focus on slowing down Nate Lang, one of several IC Catholic Prep players who made an impact when they last played. He threw for 255 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 81.2% of his passes. IC Catholic Prep's leading receiver Will Schmidt was Lang's top target yet again, picking up 89 receiving yards and one score.

IC Catholic Prep didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jaden Penna, Grant Bowen, and Schmidt picked up one apiece. IC Catholic Prep got some further help from Jalen Banks: he made ten total tackles (1.0 for loss).

Having lost for the first time this season, IC Catholic Prep fell to 3-1. As for Marist, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.

Marist was able to grind out a solid victory over IC Catholic Prep in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, winning 34-27. Will the RedHawks repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.