Week two football predictions

Carterville (1-0) at No. 5 St. Joseph-Ogden (1-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Last meeting: None on record.

Saturday's bout between the Spartans and the Carterville Lions will pit two long-time powerhouses against each other for the first time. SJ-O has played in four state title games, while Carterville won the 1996 Class 3A state title.

Based off week one results, the game will pit the Spartans' high-powered offense against a dominant Carterville defense. Naturally, in a game like that, it will probably come down to the SJ-O defense and the Carterville offense. SJ-O gave up 345 yards rushing at LeRoy; the Spartans will need to play better up front against the Lions. If SJ-O can do more on the defensive line of scrimmage, they will have an edge.

No. 5 St. Joseph-Ogden 26, Carterville 14.

No. 3 Unity (1-0) at Argenta-Oreana (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday.

Last meeting: Unity def. Argenta-Oreana, 35-13 (Sept. 4, 2009).

This game was a battle last year in spite of the score, and Argenta-Oreana is hoping to return to the playoffs this fall after a three-year hiatus. The Bombers are in their last year under retiring head coach Tom Saunches, and A-O wants to send Saunches out in style. A-O has played in the state semfinals under Saunches in the past, so the program knows what it takes to beat good teams.

The 2010 Unity Rockets are a good team. Unity shut down the Central A&M offense and moved the ball at will against the Raiders last week, and they will expect to do the same this Friday against A-O. I think the Bombers are getting better, and I think they can make a playoff run this year if things break right. But I don't know if they can beat Unity. They're going to need some lucky bounces.

No. 3 Unity 38, Argenta-Oreana 15.

East Central (1-0) at Georgetown-Ridge Farm (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday.

Last meeting: None on record.

I don't know how these two schools, separated by only 25 miles, haven't played more in the past. The IHSA has a record of every high school football game dating back to 1996 and according to their records, these schools have never met up. Hopefully this season can trigger a yearly rivalry.

I think the Panthers' defense is the key to this game. Georgetown-Ridge Farm scored 46 points last week against Arthur, but the Knights don't have much of a roster this year. The Arthur football program has fallen on rough times. East Central's program is growing. They have something to play for this year, and winning this game would be huge. If East Central can start 2-0, they will be able to start looking at their schedule as navigable to reach a playoff berth. This game is the start.

East Central 22, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 20.