Pantagraph.com - Sports - Intercity football matchups for Week 4

Sept. 15 schedule of intercity games.

Urbana vs. Bloomington

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Fred Carlton Field, Bloomington

Records: Urbana 0-3, 0-3 in Big 12 Conference; Bloomington 2-1, 2-1 in Big 12.

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), periodic reports

FYI: Bloomington finally will play its first home game. The Purple Raiders got back on the winning track last week with a 37-17 victory at Danville. BHS will be without center Andy Malinowski, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Deonte Pearson moves from guard to center to replace Malinowski. Darian Davis leads BHS with 228 yards rushing, while quarterback Stephen Esch has completed 24 of 42 for 322 yards and four touchdowns. Urbana edged Danville in the opener 35-34 but later had to forfeit for using an ineligible player. BHS has beaten Urbana eight straight times dating back to 1998. Urbana quarterback Adam Kirby likely will miss his second straight game (turf toe).

Quoting: "They (the BHS players) are looking forward to playing at home, being led out by the band and drums and having the home crowd. We showed signs of improvement last week. Obviously the team we were going against and their athletes were not as forceful against the run, but the kids came out and executed well." - BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer

Normal Community vs. Mattoon

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Mattoon High School

Records: Normal Community 3-0, 3-0 in Big 12 Conference; Mattoon 2-1, 2-1 in Big 12.

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), periodic reports

FYI: Normal Community, ranked No. 1 in the Class 6A state poll, can't be caught looking ahead to next week's showdown against Big 12 Conference co-leader Champaign Centennial. Mattoon, which lost 21-14 last year to NCHS, owns victories over Decatur Eisenhower and Decatur MacArthur, while suffering a 32-28 loss to Danville. The Green Wave is led by Kyle Drummond, who has rushed for 504 yards and nine touchdowns. The Ironmen's defense, which has given up only eight points, welcomes back junior inside linebacker Austin Kull, who missed the first three games with a football suspension. Senior quarterback Omar Clayton continues to play well, completing 33 of 51 attempts for 467 yards and six touchdowns. Marcus King has 14 receptions for 179 yards and two TD. Mattoon coach Gerald Temples is the father of NCHS assistant coach Wes Temples.

Quoting: "They played us really tough last year. They're just real solid all the way across the board. This will be the best offensive line we have gone up against to this time. They're big and physical. Their game plan will be to keep our offense off the field." - NCHS coach Hud Venerable

Normal West vs. Decatur MacArthur

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Decatur MacArthur High School

Records: Normal West 2-1, 2-1 in Big 12 Conference; MacArthur 0-3, 0-3 in Big 12.

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), periodic reports

FYI: Normal West has won its last two games, beating Champaign Central 14-7 a week ago at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium. Senior Jordan Flex led the Wildcats with 100 yards rushing and nine tackles. MacArthur's three losses have come to teams - Champaign Centennial, Bloomington and Mattoon - with a combined 7-2 record. MacArthur quarterback JaMaar Wilson was 4 of 7 for 97 yards and one touchdown last week against Mattoon, while Miles Dandridge ripped off a 51-yard TD run. West wide receiver Erich Bushong will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury.

Quoting: "We're playing a lot better. Each week we're getting where we need to be, but we have a long ways to go. MacArthur is very talented. They're probably the toughest 0-3 team around. They're well tested and have a lot of pride. The key to their offense is their quarterback. He's very athletic. They're very fast and can break a game open or get back in a game in a hurry." - West coach Darren Hess

Olympia vs. Central Catholic

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Place: Bill Hundman Field, Bloomington

Records: Olympia 0-3, 0-3 in Corn Belt Conference; Central Catholic 3-0, 3-0 in Corn Belt.

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230)

FYI: Central Catholic, ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A state poll, has outscored its first three opponents by a 111-21 margin. The Saints will be without offensive tackle/defensive tackle A.J. Eyre, who suffered a sprained shoulder last week in a 35-7 victory at Rantoul. Drew Krominga will replace Eyre on offense, while Zach Eyre takes his brother's place on defense. Olympia is mired in an 18-game losing streak. The Spartans' quarterback, sophomore Aaron Frazier, suffered a broken fibula in last week's 14-0 loss to Eureka and is out for the season. Frazier's older brother, senior Stefan, will take over at quarterback.

Quoting: "We've started games the last few weeks and put ourselves in an immediate hole, and we could be sharper all around. We've been pretty good defensively and going into the season we thought that would be further ahead than the offense because we had young kids on offense." - Central Catholic coach Bobby Moews

"The only game we had Aaron for the whole game we lost 15-13. Trying to replace your quarterback is very difficult. Stefan has a good grasp of the offense. We're putting it in his hands to go out there. We tell the kids as long as we improve each week we'll be all right." - Olympia coach Matt Koeppel

Pontiac vs. University High

Time: 7:45 p.m.

Place: Hancock Stadium, Normal

Records: Pontiac 1-1, 1-1 in Corn Belt Conference; University High 1-2, 1-2 in Corn Belt.

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), periodic reports

FYI: There is no quarterback controversy for University High. Sophomore Jake Todino replaced Tyler Cook (mild concussion) last week and was 15 of 22 for 205 yards in a 28-27 loss at Rochester. However, Cook has been cleared to play and will start against Pontiac, which is ranked No. 6 in the Class 4A state poll. The Indians got their first victory last week with a 28-7 win against Mahomet-Seymour. Quarterback Patrick Miller rushed for 70 yards and completed 12 of 23 attempts for 188 yards in the victory. Two-way Pontiac standout lineman Cody Strong suffered a deep muscle bruise in his ribs last week and is questionable.

Quoting: "Jake came in and did a good job. I spoke to both this week and said a kid does not lose his starting job due to injury. But I told Tyler that Jake has (raised) the level of play and expectation. We'll go with Tyler as long as we're moving up and down the field. This Pontiac team has more speed than previous Pontiac teams. They don't have as much size, but they make up for it in speed." - U High coach Kurt Olson

"The biggest thing last week was the fact we overcame a major injury (to Strong) in the first three minutes and didn't stop playing. This is going to be the fastest team we're going to see and probably the most athletic. What's jumped out at me is their athleticism. I really like their linebackers. Our balance has been very good. Last week we threw for 188 yards and ran for 186 and the week before we ran for 185 and threw for 205." - Pontiac coach Mick Peterson

Compiled by Jim Benson

Intercity games today

Urbana at BHS, 7 p.m.

NCHS at Mattoon, 7 p.m.

West at MacArthur, 7 p.m.

Olympia at Central, 7:30 p.m.

Pontiac at U High, 7:45 p.m.

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