It was cold, windy and a little rainy in Week 5, a drastic shift from the warm weather DeKalb County experienced during the first four weeks of the season.
What were the key takeaways from Week 5? Let's go down the list...
Kaneland 34, Rochelle 6: After a slow start, Kaneland (5-0) rolled over a previously undefeated Rochelle squad. The Knights have never lost a Northern Illinois Big 12 East game in the conference's three seasons.
Kaneland seemed a little shaky in its first two games, but the Knights have stepped up their game over the past three weeks, allowing only six total points. Kaneland is proving, once again, to be the class of the conference.
Ottawa 10, Sycamore 6: Sycamore (4-1) will be kicking itself after letting this game slip away. Two big special teams mistakes gave Ottawa good field position for both of its scoring drives.
The Spartan defense had, perhaps, its best performance of the season, holding RB Miguel Hermosillo (University of Illinois commit) to 68 yards on 20 carries. The offense just couldn't get on track.
The last four games don't get any easier for Sycamore, which will need to win at least two more wins if they want to host a first-round playoff game
DeKalb 49, Streator 6: Even without sophomore RB Dre Brown, DeKalb (1-4) rolled to its first win of the season. Its a definite confidence-booster for the Barbs, who took care of business against a winless Streator squad.
Whether this win helps DeKalb long-term remains to be seen. But they survive playoff elimination for at least one more week.
Burlington Central 26, Genoa-Kingston 14: A battle of the Big Northern Conference East Division leaders didn't go the Cogs' way. G-K let a late lead slip away and fell to 2-3 on the season.
The Cogs (2-3) have two tough games coming up against Winnebago and North Boone, and they'll need at least a split to remain in playoff contention.
North Shore Country Day 39, Hiawatha 22: The Hawks had a chance to be 3-1 after last week, but now find themselves at 2-3. The result is an improvement from past results against North Shore, but certainly HIawatha isn't into moral victories at this point in their season.
Hiawatha is in a similar position to G-K with tough games against Mooseheart and Alden-Hebron in the next two weeks. Just like the Cogs, the Hawks will need a split to keep alive their playoff dreams.
– Ross Jacobson, rjacobson@shawmedia.com, Twitter: @DC_Preps
