Your Week 7 NUIC Football Preview

By Al Zipsie

Week seven in the NUIC has a few good matchups.

In the Northwest, West Carroll will try and bounce back from a tough 10-8 loss in the final seconds to Dakota. West Carroll is at Eastland/Pearl City. Both teams are 4-2. West Carroll has given up fewer points than any other team in the NUIC.

In the Upstate Polo is at Stockton, both teams are 4-2.

Orangeville (3-3) needs a win as they play at (4-2) Kirkland Hiawatha in a non-conference game.

Warren will not play the crossover game with Lena-Winslow Friday. Warren is winless and is having problems with low numbers. Lena-Winslow did find a non-conference game with Mooseheart. The Panthers are physical and the top-ranked team in the state in 1A. Warren decided it would not be a good idea. They will be idle and then hope to finish the season at home with South Beloit and Ashton/Franklin Center. Maybe Warren should look into a Coop with Scales Mound, who currently is in a Coop with Benton, Wisconsin. It's been a success since 1984. However, Waren is close to Scales Mound and this way Scales Mound could play in their home state of Illinois. The past few years Warren had a Coop with Our Lady Sacred Heart. Including a 7-4 finish in 2015 when Warren won their first ever playoff game in school history. Sacred Heart with only 18 students then formed it's own football team this year as the drive was too far from Rockford. In years past River Ridge had a Coop with Warren until they formed their own program. Warren actually dropped it's program from 1988 to 91 after three straight 0-9 seasons and low numbers. Warren has an enrollment of 112 while Scales Mound is down to only 59 students.

In other Northwest games, 1A States third-ranked Forreston is at Galena. Dakota is at Amboy and Du/Pec looks for first win as a Coop at East Dubuque.

In other Upstate action, Aquin visits River Ridge and Milledgeville host A/FC.

Our NUIC media picks have a three-way tie for first with Mike Buda of Wifr-TV. Shane Klever of the NUIC Football Fanatics and Cody Cutter of the Sauk Valley News, all 49-5.

Mike Buda. 49-5. WIFR TV Sports. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville.

Shane Klever. 49-5. NUIC Football Fanatics. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Kirkland Hiawatha. Lena-Winslow.

Cody Cutter. 49-5. Sauk Valley News. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville. Lena-Winslow.

Kyle Kampmier. 48-6,  NUIC Football Fanatics. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville. Lena-Winslow.

Terry Werntz. 46-8. Former Dakota and Freeport football coach. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Kirkland Hiawatha. Lena-Winslow.

Matt Trowbridge. 46-8. Rockford Register Star/Freeport Journal Standard. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville. Lena-Winslow.

Al Zipsie. 46-8. Stateline Sports Hub. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Polo. Kirkland Hiawatha. Lena-Winslow.

Scott Leber. 45-9. WTVO TV Sports. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville. Lena-Winslow.

Joe Dredge. 45-9. WROK/Stateline Sports Hub. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Kirkland Hiawatha. Lena-Winslow.

Pete Leinweber. 44-10. Deep Dish Football. E/PC. Forreston. Dakota. East Dubuque. Aquin. Milledgeville. Stockton. Orangeville. Lena-Winslow.