Level 2 of the 7A IHSA football playoff: Hononegah hosting Willowbrook

UPDATE: The Indians won 44-0 and are 11-0. On Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, Hononegah hosts Batavia in the state quarterfinals.

The Hononegah Indians come undefeated into Level 2 of the 2023 7A IHSA Football playoffs against Villa Park (Willowbrook) and outscoring their opponents 45 to 10 on average. Their opponent Villa Park (Willowbrook) allows only 15 points per contest. The two teams meet on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 at 2 p.m. on Hononegah's home turf in Rockton, IL.

While researching game highlights and games available on the internet for Villa Park (Willowbrook), I made note of the following pieces that stuck out:

• Villa Park (Willowbrook) has seen the kind of offense and defense Hononegah runs at least three times this season.
• Villa Park (Willowbrook) is built very much like Hononegah with great athletes all across the board who run and tackle when they meet the ball carrier.
• Long-time coaching staff that allows them to make changes to the game plan at halftime or during the game.
• Special teams have been an asset all season long 
• The West Suburban Conference has a few loud environments they play in 
• Close games (4 out of 10 games have been 1 score games).

Players to Watch: Villa Park (Willowbrook)

Arthur Palicki - Dual threat QB, 4-year varsity performer, Mid Major D1 offers, good size at 6'-4"

KJ Rhodes  - WR, DB, KR, Standout two-sport star (basketball & football), very much like Hononegah star Isaiah Houi

Last season, the Warriors of Villa Park (Willowbrook) were 5-5 after playing many underclassmen. This season with the extra seasoning, they finished 2nd in the West Suburban Gold Division just behind undefeated Downers Grove South.

In October 2017 head coach Nick Hildreth was named Chicago Bears “Coach of the Week.”

Hononegah Indians Football Rockton, IL Kelsey Field

The Hononegah Indians come into today's tussle undefeated at 10-0 and have a unique schedule in that they haven’t played a non-conference opponent all season long. Last week they won the Level 1 game against Auburn 56-12.

Players to Watch: Hononegah Indians

• Cole Warren – Dual threat QB, can throw to all levels of the field. The Hononegah senior is starting to pop up onto more and more college radars - as his team has success, he gets more and more followers.
• Isaiah Houi - SB, DB, KR – The Northern IA verbal commit has the chance every play to make a game-changing play.

How to Watch the Game:

• Kickoff from Hononegah's Kelsey Field is 2 p.m – Purchase Tickets Here
• Listen to the game here
  or download the Big Radio App here
• Watch the game online on the NFHS Network
  -Search for Hononegah Varsity Football – A subscription is required for online viewing.

Thank you to @honofootball for use of the image.

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