Week 4 Matchup: Peotone vs Lisle Preview
In this Week 4 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils vs the Lisle Lions. Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a dominant Rumble on…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn this Week 4 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils vs the Lisle Lions. Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a dominant Rumble on Route 50 win against Manteno and Lisle is coming off of a loss to Coal City where they look to bounce back this week. Let’s dive into the preview for this Week 4 Matchup on Thursday, April 8th.
Offense
Peotone is coming off of a win where all of their yards come through the ground game. They have premier back Ben Balmer along with the other three backs that they rotate (Dawson Piper, TJ Chenoweth, and Ryan Moe). All of these backs have the ability to be a #1 back for the team and this was showcased last week with TJ Chenoweth getting the hot hand and rushing for over 100 yards. The Blue Devils are a smash-mouth football team that is going to line up and pound the ball most of the game. Look for there to be 2 – 3 play-action deep shots downfield from QB Tristian Weglarz to get a quick one and for Weglarz to showcase his athletic ability throughout this game.
Lisle is coming off of a tough loss to Coal City, they need to correct any mishaps heading into this game as it will be a battle at the line of scrimmage. The Lions have a solid back in Gabe Quinones that has shown production over these first three games. Let’s not forget about backs Cole Cambell and Brett Weber who are also names to know for the Lions running attack. They will need to incorporate halfback draws into their game plan against the Blue Devils since their defensive line is very aggressive.
Defense
Peotone is coming off of a dominant defensive performance last week against Manteno having 4 turnovers on the night in their win. Starting out this season their defensive line was very aggressive and would get upfield too quickly creating the opening for screens and draws to be run by the opposing team. This past week defensive end Tyler Hendricker Tyler Hendricker 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Peotone | 2022 State IL played the screen great and got an INT from doing so. Not only that but with Austin Massat at the other defensive end position it creates a lose-lose situation for opposing teams to run the ball outside the tackles as both athletes do a good job of shedding blocks to make the tackle. Look for this defense to come out with confidence from last week’s win and to dial up the pressure on the second and third drive.
Lisle is coming off of a loss to a talented Coal City team where they allowed 34 points to be scored on them. That being said, don’t mistake that one loss for their defense being average or mediocre. They have a very talented linebacker in Brett Weber that can shoot the gaps to get into the backfield and cover sideline to sideline. He’s an aggressive player for this defensive unit and it’s going to be needed when going up against Peotone. Look for Lisle to shoot the gaps hard at the get-go and start the game out with a blitz or two to stall out the Blue Devil’s drive.
Key Points to Win
Peotone
On offense, they need to establish the run early and get Ben Balmer going. Once this happens it will force Lisle to hone in on stopping Balmer which will open up the running lanes for Dawson Piper, TJ Chenoweth, and Ryan Moe. On a first or second down look for the Blue Devils to take a play-action shot deep from Tristan Weglarz to either Tyler Hendricker Tyler Hendricker 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Peotone | 2022 State IL or Ben Balmer. On defense, they will need to focus on stopping Lisle’s run game by shooting the gaps and bringing pressure here and there to mix it up. One key focus for this defense is the defensive line, meaning that they will need to limit how aggressive they are in getting upfield because that will open up the screen plays/draw plays for a big gain. If Peotone is able to do this they will set themselves up to win this game.
Lisle
On offense, they need to punch Peotone in the mouth straight from the get-go to let them know that it’s going to be a tough fight. Establishing the run is going to be the name of the game, look for Lisle to open up with inside zone plays to attack the middle of Peotone’s defense and work counters off of this. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lisle takes a few deep shots in the first few drives to get a quick one on Peotone. On defense, they will need to shoot the gaps hard and might have to switch to a 5-3 look or a 4-4 depending on how the coaching staff wants to scheme up the defense. Either way, stopping the run is going to be a big factor in this game. If Lisle is able to limit Peotone’s running attack and force them to pass the ball it will set themselves up for success.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, both of these teams are talented are well-coached by the coaching staff. On paper, it doesn’t look like it would be a close game since Peotone has had much success so far this season and Lisle has been on the receiving end of the loss column. But, Lisle is a tough team and they are going to give Peotone a run for their money all four quarters of the game. Even so, what this game is going to come down to is A) Who wins time of possession and B) Which defense is able to limit the run game faster. Peotone’s defensive unit has stepped it up and has that boost of confidence from the last game which is why I have Peotone winning this game 31 – 21 in a physical trench warfare matchup.
That’s my preview for this Week 4 matchup between the Peotone Blue Devils and the Lisle Lions taking place on Thursday, April 8th. 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.