Jordan’s Road Trip: Peotone vs Wilmington Preview
In this Week 5 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils (3-1) vs the Wilmington Wildcats (4-0). Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a tough…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn this Week 5 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils (3-1) vs the Wilmington Wildcats (4-0). Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a tough loss against Lisle and Wilmington is coming off of a great win against Coal City that went down to the wire. Let’s dive into the preview for this Week 5 Matchup going down on Friday, April 16th.
Offense
Peotone was shut down last week not putting up any points against Lisle, that being said the Blue Devils are physical and aggressive in the run game with their four-back rotation. Heading into this game, the Blue Devils are recovering from injuries so that is going to be something to keep an eye on. Ben Balmer and Ryan Moe might end up being the go-to backs in this game with TJ Chenoweth and Dawson Piper being questionable for this game. Either way, look for Peotone to stay with their double-wing offensive attack and to come out swinging against powerhouse Wilmington.
Wilmington showcased their perseverance and dominance in last week’s win against Coal City with their comeback win. Look for Cody Franzen and Jacob Friddle to be at the forefront of this running attack. The Wildcats also run the double-wing offense where they play smash-mouth football upfront and through all four quarters. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wilmington takes a few deep shots as they did against Coal City last week to get a quick one on Peotone’s defense.
Defense
Peotone is battling injuries on this side of the ball as well so it will be something to keep an eye on during the opening drives. The Blue Devils will need to stack the box and shoot the gaps hard to limit what the Wildcats want to do on offense. One option that might be considered is taking the approach that Coal City had which is timing the snap and blitzing eight players every play to plug up all of the gaps leaving Cody Franzen and Jacob Friddle with nowhere to run. This defensive unit is going to need to send pressure throughout this game and play aggressive to slow down Wilmington’s offensive attack.
Wilmington wasn’t able to stop giving up big plays to Coal City for much of their game last week. That being said, that’s going to be something to keep an eye on in this matchup for the Wildcats. If Peotone’s running backs are able to see the cutback lanes that might result in a big gain since Wilmington had trouble keeping backside contain last week. To stop Peotone, Wilmington will need to shoot the gaps and stack the box along with bringing pressure to make the Blue Devil’s uncomfortable.
Key Points to Win
Peotone
- Get the run game going early with Ben Balmer
- Change the snap count to draw Wildcats off-side (every yard counts in this game)
- Come out swinging on the opening drive punching Wilmington in the mouth
- Stack the box & shoot the gaps on defense, bring pressure early & often
- Play aggressive in all areas of the game & don’t let up
Wilmington
- Get the run game going early with Cody Franzen and Jacob Friddle
- Look for a play-action deep shot here and there throughout this game
- Stack the box & shoot the gaps on defense, bring pressure early & often
- Keep backside contain on defense to limit big plays
Closing Thoughts
Overall, this is going to be a smash-mouth football game with both teams running the double-wing offense. Peotone is dealing with multiple injuries from last week’s battle against Lisle which is going to be something to keep an eye on. Wilmington on the other hand is coming off of a great win against Coal City where that momentum will carry over into this matchup. With the question marks around who will be playing for Peotone, I have Wilmington taking this one 28 – 17 in a tough battle.
That’s my preview for this Week 5 matchup between the Peotone Blue Devils and the Wilmington Wildcats taking place Friday, April 16th. I look forward to watching the game and seeing these young men compete. Keep an eye out for the post-game report to drop Saturday with the score of the game and the top performers from each team.
Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.