Grant Community is 8-1 against North Chicago since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Grant Community Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the North Chicago Warhawks at 7:00 p.m. Grant Community will be strutting in after a victory while North Chicago will be coming in after a loss.
Last Friday, Grant Community got the win against Lakes by a conclusive 34-13. The result was nothing new for Grant Community, who have now won three contests by 21 points or more so far this season.
Grant Community's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Matthew Gipson led the charge by rushing for -15 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 203 yards and a touchdown while completing 86.7% of his passes. Tyler Zdon also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, North Chicago fell victim to Wauconda's stalwart defense on Friday and couldn't make it onto the board. They were dealt a 64-0 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. While losing is never fun, North Chicago can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 379th, while Wauconda is ranked 159th).
Grant Community's victory was their fifth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which bumped their overall record up to 5-3. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-8 North Chicago and 1-7 Lakes (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 27.2% over those games). North Chicago has traveled a rocky road this season, as they've lost six of their first eight matchups, which leaves them at a 2-6 record this season.
Grant Community barely slipped by North Chicago in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, winning 1-0. Will Grant Community repeat their success, or does North Chicago have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
