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St. Francis (6-1) at IC (4-3)

KICKOFF: 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, Lewis Stadium at Plunkett Field, West Street and Utley Road, Elmhurst

LAST YEAR: St. Francis 36, IC 26

OUTLOOK: After surviving a potent passing attack in its 40-38 Suburban Catholic Conference win over Marmion Academy Saturday, IC will go up against one of the best running backs in the state.

Senior Matt Kachmer (6-foot, 190 pounds) has rushed for 1,227 yards on 112 carries (11 yards per carry) and has scored 23 touchdowns, despite being held to under 20 yards in St. Francis' 28-12 win over St. Edward Friday. Kachmer did have two sacks in the win. In a win over DeKalb Sept. 5, Kachmer rushed for a school-record 412 yards, which was the 13th highest reported total in Illinois High School Association history. He had 175 yards and five TDs against IC last season.

St. Francis, which returned seven starters from last year's 3-6 team, is 4-1 in the Suburban Catholic Conference, including beating Driscoll (27-7 Sept. 12) for the first time since 2000 and ending the Highlanders' 25-game winning streak.

Senior Jeff Reckards (6-0, 160) is in his second season as the starting quarterback and has thrown for about 700 yards with five TDs and two interceptions. Senior Brett Robinson (6-0, 170) is the leading receiver (26 catches, 400 yards, 3 TDs). Senior fullback Stan Bobowski (6-0, 190) is tough to stop and also is one of the team's top defenders as a linebacker. Senior receiver/defensive back Ryan O'Donnell and senior center/defensive end Jason Lombardi also are two-way standouts for St. Francis.

IC still needs to win one of its final two games to secure a playoff berth. Five wins should be enough for the Knights, who have plenty of playoff points based on opponents' wins. After playing St. Francis, IC plays at Aurora Central Oct. 24.

For scores and highlights, visit pioneerlocal.com after the game.