Top IHSA football game to watch this weekend 10/1-10/2

Debo Olaleye

October 1, 2021 @ 11:30 AM

Illinois had a great weekend of football last week. There were young prospects who started to make a name for themselves, and teams that suffered close defeats. This weekend, we get into the best part of the Illinois high school football season. It kicks off the month of October, where teams are starting to dive deeper into their playbooks, and begin to start hosting homecoming games! This week, the most intriguing game of the week will take place in Wilmette, Illinois. This conference matchup will take place between the Loyola Academy Ramblers (5-0) vs the Marist Redhawks (4-1). The Loyola Academy Ramblers (5-0) will be hosting powerhouse and conference rival Marist high school (4-1). The Ramblers come off of a hard fought game against the Fenwick Friars winning 27-24. They relied on their run game to lead them to victory averaging 5.3 yards a carry, and 2 rushing touchdowns. The Redhawks had a strong game against Marmion high school, winning 38-13. They had a great defense showing, and an effective offense in which they had a pair of both rushing and passing touchdowns. It is fair to assume that this game has the potential for being a high scoring game. The leader of the Redhawks and Coastal Carolina QB commit, Dontrell Jackson is hoping to keep that explosive offense rolling with fellow teammates: RB Jaylen Johnson, and WR [player_tooltip player_id="165460" first="Ak’Tavion" last="Agee"]. The home team will look to keep up and out score the opposition with junior QB [player_tooltip player_id="135826" first="Jake" last="Stearney"], senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="65720" first="Marco" last="Maldonado"], and senior WR Danny Collins. There are players that will be all over the field this weekend that will be playing on Saturdays and possibly Sundays for years to come. Below, we highlight some players that have the ability to impact this heavyweight matchup. Players to keep an eye out for: Dontrell Jackson- QB Dontrell is putting together a balanced season through the air and on the ground. He’s currently completing 52% of his passes with 7 TD’s to 2 ints. On the ground, he’s the second leading rusher on the team with 357 yards and 2 TD’s with an average of 6.4 yards per carry. Dontrell is a human highlight. He can extend plays as well as any QB in the state. He also is a great team player, and will do exactly what he needs to do in order for the team to have success. This intelligent player’s decisions will be a key factor in how the offense for the Redhawks moves this weekend. Jimmy Rolder- MLB Jimmy is the most diverse player on the team for the Marist Redhawks. He’s listed as a MLB at 6’3 230 pounds, but in reality he’s an ATH who plays any position needed for Marist. He has plays on film at MLB, OLB, WR, TE, P, you name it. He’s a competitor who plays explosive football and gives his all on every snap. With 6 TFL’s, 2 sacks, and an average of 8 tackles per game, Jimmy is a game breaker that you won’t be able to miss in this matchup.   James Kreutz- MLB James Kreutz is a name that has gained a lot of buzz this fall. He’s the centerpiece of the ramblers defense. At 6’1” 220 pounds playing MLB, he will be the player involved in the “chess match” with Redhawk QB Dontrell Jackson. James has been a buzzsaw that’s averaging over 10 tackles a game. He has TFL’s, sacks, interceptions, everything so far this fall season. His knowledge of the game, ability to pursue, and technique when scraping through opponents is on another level. With this game being one of the biggest of his career, he’s a player that we all will have eyes on, as he continues to elevate. Mark Maldonado- WR/RB Mark Maldonado is a RB that the team relies on in the receiving and running game. His big play ability currently has him as the lead rusher on the team and second in receiving yards. Averaging 149.5 yards per game and already finding the endzone 12 times, Mark is on pace for having a ridiculous stat line of 1345.5 yards rushing and 27 TD’s by the end of the season. Mark’s shiftiness and acceleration ability truly makes him special. He can run between the tackles and grind out yards, or bust a run on any type of zone run for 80+ yards and not be touched. Other top games to watch in Illinois: Brother Rice 4-1 vs Mt. Carmel Chicago 4-1 Kenwood Academy (5-0) vs Morgan park HS (3-2) Bolingbrook Hs (4-1) v Homewood-Flossmoor HS (4-1) Main South HS (4-1) Glenbrook South (5-0) Taft HS (3-2) Lane Tech HS (3-3)