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Showdowns loom in Big 12

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Thursday, September 18, 2008 12:19 AM

Each week, the stakes get higher for Champaign Central's football team.

Now 3-0 and tied for fourth in the latest Class 5A poll, the Maroons will host Bloomington -- ranked 9th in Class 6A -- on Friday at Tommy Stewart Field, a game that features significant Big 12 title implications. A loss would likely end Bloomington's hopes of a crown. A Central loss would knock them fromthe pool of unbeatens, which right now is a select group: Central, Decatur MacArthur and Danville.

Central faces a few obstacles. First, the Maroons beat Bloomington a year ago, a defeat that the Purple Raiders no doubt will be eager to avenge. Second, Bloomington is boosted by the return of tailback Darrelynn Dunn, who rushed for 95 yards on 10 carries against Urbana last week. Dunn will represent Central's biggest defensive challenge to date.

The Maroons are seeking their first 4-0 start since 2002, when Drew McMahon led the team into a Week 5 showdown against 3-1 Centennial. That Central team was in a similar spot as this one; those Maroons started 4-0 against teams with a combined record of 3-13. The current Maroons are unbeaten against a trio of opponents whose combined record is 1-8.

In any case, a Central win would put the Maroons in rare territory. Prior to 2002, the last time Central started 4-0 was 1982. And a win would just continue to raise the stakes: In Week 5, Central plays host to MacArthur, which certainly will beat Eisenhower this week to run its record to 4-0. And that game would become the biggest to date in the Big 12 race.

--The Big 12 favorite? Has to be Danville, which already owns a win against Bloomington and has the "easiest" remaining schedule. (Easy? Not really. Just the least difficult.) What might be the Vikings' two most treacherous games will be at Whitesell Field: Oct. 10 vs. Central and Oct. 17 vs. Normal Community. The Maroons figure to be 5-0 heading into a dandy matchup at MacArthur on Oct. 3.

--Stat of the Week: Central tailback Denzel Stewart is averaging 13.4 yards a carry. That's ridiculous. Of course, it's no secret what Bloomington's defense will try to do on Friday. Should be interesting to see how the Maroons respond, and what surprises coach Dave Jacobs might have in store for the Purple Raiders.

--I'll be at Central-Bloomington, and I can't wait for Friday night to get here. This should be fun. Until then, enjoy your evening of Friday night football.