Friday Night Forecast |
Week 2 Illini Prairie Conference football predictions

IPC football fans, grab your popcorn! IPC football fans test their prediction skills in The Sentinel’s weekly Friday Night Forecast.

St. Joseph-Ogden linebacker Ryker Lockhart tackles a running back

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Ryker Lockhart makes a solo stop against Bloomington Central Catholic last fall. Now a senior, the linebacker is a key figure in the Spartans' defense. He finished with two solo and and an assist in last week's game against Prairie Central.

URBANA - Are you ready for Week 2 of another round of the Friday Night Forecast? Each week, we invite Illini Prairie Conference fans to predict the winners from conference matchups. Here is who they picked and what Brooks Look says.

Week 2 predictions

Illini Prairie Game of the Week
Unity (1-0) @ Monticello (1-0)

Denise: Unity .::. 24-21
Alan: Monticello .::. 27-24

Brooks Look: Monticello put up a conservative 248 yards against Illinois Valley Central, 184 of those courtesy of quarterback Nolan Buehnerkemper and a strong receiving corps. In last week’s home opener, Dane Eisenmenger threw four touchdowns and ran for another for the Rockets. The edge goes to Unity, whose defense, looking stronger and faster than last fall’s squad, could make all the difference in this intense rivalry matchup.

Unity 42, Monticello 24

Central Catholic (1-0)
vs Illinois Valley Central (0-1)

Denise: IVC .::. 24-14
Alan: IVC .::. 28-13

Brooks Look: IVC mustered just 154 yards of offense in its season debut against Monticello. Despite a sturdy defense, the Grey Ghosts don’t yet have the offensive firepower to pull off an upset in Bloomington tonight.

Central Catholic 36, IVC 21

Prairie Central (0-1) @ Pontiac (0-1)

Denise: Pontiac .::. 35-14
Alan: Prairie Central .::. 42-7

Brooks Look: The Hawks, stinging from last week’s home loss to St. Joseph-Ogden, have something to prove. If the Indians’ young defense can step up this week, especially after facing perennial playoff contender Coal City a week ago, Pontiac has a chance to put this game in the books with the dub.

Prairie Central 24, Pontiac 14

Rantoul (0-1) @ Mattoon (0-1)

Denise: Mattoon .::. 35-0
Alan: Mattoon .::. 34-14

Brooks Look: On the road for a second straight week, Rantoul is looking to break a seven-game losing streak. The Eagles have not won since Sept. 13 of last year. While the shutout against Unity may have toughened them up, if Rantoul had a little more size and discipline, this could be a winnable game.

Mattoon 26, Rantoul 14

Paxton-Buckley-Loda (0-1)
@ St. Joseph-Ogden (1-0)

Denise: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 28-14
Alan: St. Joseph-Ogden .::. 37-17

Brooks Look: The question isn’t whether SJO will win, but whether its first-string defense can hold PBL under two scores for three quarters in preparation for its Sept. 19 game when Unity comes to town. The other interesting thing about this matchup is that if the Panthers can score at least three times on the Spartans, they will almost certainly make the playoffs.

St. Joseph-Ogden 42-14

Get ready to weather the storm of predictions! Next week, yes, the Friday Night Forecast rolls on, and it’s your chance to bring the sunshine—or stir up a little gridiron thunder. Drop back by on Monday to enter your picks for the Week 3 Illini Prairie football.