The Kankakee Kays are taking a road trip to take on the Rich Township Raptors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Kankakee's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Thornwood 31-0. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Kays' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 298th).
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Kankakee's defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jyheir Sutton, Kendrick (Kj) Crite, and Angelo Ervin, who each picked up one sack apiece. Kankakee got some further help from Sutton: he picked up a sack and made five total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rich Township). They blew past Bloom 42-0 on Saturday. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Raptors had established a 36-point advantage.
Rich Township's win came from a few key players Kankakee will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ortez Johnson, who rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCollum was another key player, throwing for 155 yards and a pair of TDs.
Rich Township was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 204 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in three consecutive games.
Rich Township didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Troy Garner. Garner is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season. Another thorn in Bloom's side was Ryan Boston, who picked up two sacks and made 11 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Rich Township now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Kankakee, they now also have a winning record of 3-2.
Everything came up roses for Kankakee against Rich Township when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 59-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Kays since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
