The Iroquois West Raiders are taking a road trip to face off against the Oakwood Comets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Iroquois West hasn't scored more than 12 points for five games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Things were looking good for Iroquois West after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell 20-12 to Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman. While the Raiders didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Buffaloes 6-0 in the first quarter.
Despite the loss, Iroquois West got top-tier performance from Christian Gaytan, who rushed for 146 yards and one score, and also picked up 43 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Oakwood was fully in charge on Thursday, breezing past Hoopeston/Armstrong 42-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Comets' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 173rd, while Hoopeston/Armstrong are ranked 432nd).
Iroquois West better keep an eye on Kyler Johnson. He was instrumental in Oakwood's win, rushing for 176 yards and a pair of TDs on only 11 carries. Johnson's longest rush was for an impressive 66 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Huchel, who rushed for 118 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Oakwood proved: they limited Hoopeston/Armstrong to a paltry 2.6 yards per carry. The team can thank Sailer Harrison for the heroic effort on defense: he. Oakwood didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 13.1.
Oakwood didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Huchel and Collin Furry.
Oakwood's record is now 4-2. As for Iroquois West, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Iroquois West was dealt a bruising 44-6 loss at the hands of Oakwood when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
