Bears or Packers? Cardinals or Cubs? Fighting Illini or Hawkeyes (or Wildcats) ?
The answers to those questions always vary depending on who you ask but what they do share in common is that they're all great rivalries that have accumulated much respect through time. The same goes for a few rivalry matchups in a fantastic slate of football games that await in Week 3 of the IHSA football season in Central Illinois.
Metamora (2-0) looks to stay unbeaten against Washington (0-2), who's determined to make a statement following two tough losses. Eureka and Dee-Mack are both without a loss through two weeks, but only one will continue that streak after Friday. Plus, a budding football rivalry between Limestone and the 2-0 East Peoria Raiders takes place as well.
Elsewhere, Peoria High will rematch with non-conference juggernaut Morris, who the Lions beat in a 2022 state semifinal that featured 132 total points and good conference matchups abound in the Illini Prairie, Lincoln Trail/Prairieland and Central State Eight.
The best teams after 2 weeks: Central Illinois football power rankings: Sept. 11, 2024
Washington hosts Metamora in our WMBD Game of the Week, which you can watch live and for free on ciproud.com on Friday with pregame coverage starting at approximately 7:10 p.m. and kickoff at 7:30. The Heart of Central Illinois matchup between Eureka and Dee-Mack will be featured as our weekly Small Town Throwdown with our audio broadcast of that game beginning at approximately 6:45 PM on clutchsportsil.com with kickoff coming at 7.
Our staff has made their picks and comments for 10 of the best games in the Central Illinois area this week, along with their season records listed below. Broadcasters for our broadcasted games are ineligible to pick winners for the games that they are broadcasting and will pick the winner of an 11th game instead.