Football Game Preview: Zion-Benton Zee-Bees vs. Libertyville Wildcats + How To Watch

Zion-Benton is 1-9 against Libertyville since September of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Zee-Bees will be playing at home against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m.

Zion-Benton's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Lake Zurich on Friday. They were outmatched by the Bears and fell 31-0. While losing is never fun, the Zee-Bees can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 191st, while the Bears are ranked 37th).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Libertyville). They blew past Waukegan, posting a 48-6 victory. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won nine in a row.

Libertyville's win came from a few key players Zion-Benton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aidan Weaver, who rushed for 137 yards on only nine carries. Those 137 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trevor Wallace, who threw for 125 yards and three TDs on perfect 7-for-7 passing.

Special teams played a big role in the game for Libertyville, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Brock Williams, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.

One reason for the win was Libertyville's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 5.5 sacks. Jacob Syc refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Waukegan's side was Logan Tayfel, who picked up a sack and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Zion-Benton's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Libertyville, the victory also got them back to even at 3-3.

Zion-Benton might still be hurting after the 40-14 defeat they got from Libertyville in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Zee-Bees, Quinn Schambow (who threw for 232 yards and five touchdowns on only 16 passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.