St. Charles has won five straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Westlake has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. St. Charles will welcome Westlake at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few points on average (St. Charles 13, Westlake 13.5) so any points scored will be well earned.
St. Charles took a 23-point loss the last time they faced off against Northern, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. St. Charles sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 24-22 victory over Northern on Friday.
St. Charles relied on the efforts of Demarion Evans, who picked up 87 receiving yards and one TD, and Jayden Wills, who threw for 229 yards and one touchdown.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Christopher Quick, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Westlake never let their opponents score on Friday. They breezed past Chopticon to the tune of 28-0. Considering the Wolverines have won three games by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
St. Charles better keep an eye on Orlando (O3) Moss III. He was instrumental in Westlake's win, rushing for 214 yards and three scores while picking up 7.9 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Moss III is now averaging an impressive 121.2 rushing yards per game.
Westlake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 310 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
One reason for the win was Westlake's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Hezekiah Lyles refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
St. Charles' win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Westlake, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-1.
Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. St. Charles has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 192.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Westlake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 248.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
St. Charles suffered a grim 28-6 defeat to Westlake when the teams last played back in September of 2024. Thankfully for St. Charles, Devin Cox (who rushed for 193 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
