Hononegah travels to Freeport to tangle with the Pretzels in Week 5

Week 5 of the 2024 Hononegah football season sees Hononegah traveling to Freeport to take on the Pretzels. Hononegah comes into the game with a shutout victory over Guilford 35-0 in the 2024 Homecoming game.

Earlier this week, Hononegah was informed by the IHSA that  they would forfeit their Week 3  game against Harlem (38-13 win) because of a transfer/eligibility paperwork issue with one student-athlete.

With the win/loss change official now, Hononegah sits in 2^ndplace with Boylan in the NIC-10 conference race (3-1). Belvidere North and Harlem are tied for 1^st place (4-0).

Freeport is 2-2 on the season, having lost a couple of heartbreakers to  Boylan (14-3 in Week 1 and a  35-27 double overtime Week 2 game at Belvidere North). This season Freeport has used the ground game and a solid defense to try and move to the top of the NIC-10 standings. The 26 upperclassmen committed themselves during the offseason to get bigger, stronger, faster and do everything they can to get to the IHSA playoffs. The Pretzels offense is led by senior Payton Woker at QB and senior running back Cameron Verner (488 yards and 8 TDs). Unlike previous seasons, the Pretzels wanted to use their skill and speed to win this season. They have changed their thought process and now want to control the clock and game. This is why when you watch Freeport Friday night, you will notice a very run-heavy offense as compared to last season when they threw for 17+ TDs as a team.

Hononegah comes into this one doing what they do: run the ball behind the best offensive line in the NIC-10 plus a dominant defense. The Hononegah defense has studs at each level. The D-line changes the line of scrimmage, the linebackers run down every running back and shallow pass that comes into their area, and the no-fly zone is ready to knock balls down and knock the heads off of any receiver who gets the idea that they can catch a pass. The beauty of this year's Hononegah team is that it's not 1, 2, or 3 players that make this team good. It’s the collection of talent which makes them dominant week to week in the NIC–10.

As always, if you can’t make the trip to watch Hononegah LIVE check out the Big Radio app and listen to the tones of Andy Gannon as he brings you every play and sound of the Hononegah Indians football team. The game can be viewed on the NFHS network (SEARCH Freeport, IL) with a paid subscription. Kickoff from Freeport is slated for 7:15 p.m.

Numbers to keep an eye on for Freeport:

• #1 Cameron Verner RB, SS
• #2 Payton Woker QB, DB
• #10 Deon Woodall WR, DB
• #72 Jamichael Penticoff-Delaine is the largest Pretzel at 6’4” 255 lbs

A self-described sports evangelist, Harold Bone is the Rockton-Roscoe News sports editor who is committed to finding stories behind-the-box scores and discovering engaging sports content. Got a story idea? Contact Harold via email at harold@roscoenews.com and follow him on Twitter at @SPRTSEDRRNews.