Chester at Carmi-White County
Chester (1-0) will be making its first long road trip in the Black Diamond Conference era as the team takes on Carmi-White County (0-1) and its talented running back Logan Rogers Friday night.
“Logan carries the load offensively for Carmi,” said Chester coach Bryan Lee. “He is a very good running back, and he rushed for 230 yards last week in a close loss to Johnston City. He is the car that makes that offense go. We have to make sure he does not beat us. Offensively, we have to stay the course and stay balanced. We need to continue to spread it around and use all of our weapons.”
West Frankfort at Pinckneyville
After suffering a 40-0 loss to Red Bud in week one, Pinckneyville will take to the road looking for win number one of the season at West Frankfort (0-1).
“West Frankfort is a very similar team to us,” said Pinckneyville coach Tod Rushing. “They have a good returning quarterback whom we have to contain. It is a big game for both teams, and it is a winnable game for both teams. Both teams really need an early season win.”
Last year, West Frankfort edged out Pinckneyville 27-20.
Sparta at Benton
Sparta and Benton will both be looking for its first win of the season Friday night when the Bulldogs come to town.
“Benton is a similar team to Columbia but maybe a little better,” said Sparta coach Phil Watson. “They are a very solid team with good players at the skill positions. They have a very aggressive defense that takes advantage of mistakes. We have to be more disciplined this week. We can’t afford the penalties and turnovers we had last week.”
Last year, Benton topped Sparta 35-14.
Eldorado at Elverado-Trico
Eldorado is coming off a big win over Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton in week one, while Elverado-Trico is still trying to fix things after a 44-0 loss to Fairfield.
The Falcons host the Eagles Friday night as Elverado-Trico coach Duffy Sanders takes on his former team.
“Eldorado is coming off a very big win for them,” said Sanders. “They will be pumped up and excited to take us on. They look pretty quick on offense, and they are disciplined on the defensive side of the ball. We just need to continue to improve and fight to stay in this one.”
Last year, Eldorado knocked off the Falcons 32-8 to pick up its lone win of the season.