Call this Showdown Week 1. The three teams currently tied for first place in the Little Illini Conference football race – Casey-Westfield, Mt. Carmel, and Olney – will spend the next three weeks sorting things out. Maybe.

This week, the featured game is Mt. Carmel at Olney. The homestanding Tigers can take their status from “playoff eligible” to “clinched” with win No. 6. But, the improving Golden Aces, after dropping two non-conference games to start the season, would like to end Olney’s celebrated 14-game winning streak, the longest in school history.

However, there is another showdown this week that transcends time itself. Marshall plays at Casey-Westfield in the latest installment of a decades-old neighborhood rivalry between these two founding members of the LIC.

Here’s the lineup for Week 6, with conference and season records listed in parenthesis. All games are on Friday this week.

Mt. Carmel (3-0, 3-2) at Olney (3-0, 5-0), 7:00 p.m.
Mt. Carmel has held each of the last 4 opponents to under 70 rushing yards… Sophomore QB River Deisher had a breakout night last week vs. Paris, rushing for 187 yards on 19 carries (1 TD), while throwing for 109 yards and one score on 7-of-8 accuracy… Olney QB Gavyn Cothern is set to go over the 1,000-yard mark on the ground for the second straight season (he’s at 938 now)… Cothern has scored 15 of Olney’s 21 rushing touchdowns… Sophomore RB Xander Owusu-gyan is now up to 605 yards total on the ground… Massey says: Olney, 38-28.

Marshall (1-2, 3-2) at #5 1A Casey-Westfield (5-0, 3-0), 7:00 p.m.
This long-standing rivalry pits the last two charter members of the LIC… Casey-Westfield moved up two spots to No. 5 in the latest AP Class 1A poll… Warriors RB Nick Fouty scored 4 touchdowns last week vs. Lawrenceville… Marshall RB Lucca Giannavola has rushed for 873 yards and 12 touchdowns… Sophomore QB Luke Brodie is 20-of-39 in the air for 370 yards… His favorite target has been Kaiden Sanders, who has 18 receptions for 186 yards and 3 TDs… Josef Stafford leads the team in tackles with 49… Massey says: Casey-Westfield, 42-7.

Newton (0-3, 1-4) at Paris (1-2, 3-2)
Newton played undefeated Olney even in the first half last week… Eagles QB Hayden Mulvey had a big night vs. The Tigers, throwing 4 TD passes on a 17-of-34, 258 yards night… RB Quincy Fulton led the way on the ground last week with 93 yards on 18 carries… Paris hopes to kick start the offense, after Mt. Carmel held them to 88 yards last week (only 62 yards on the ground)… Paris RB Carter Crippes had 162 yards vs. Lawrenceville… Massey says: Paris, 39-18.

Lawrenceville (0-3, 1-4) at Robinson (1-2, 2-3)
Lawrenceville opened the season with a 34-12 win over Carlyle, snapping a 13-game losing streak,,, Indians have had second-quarter leads over Olney and Paris… QB Isaac Vennard was 10-of-17 for 141 yards and 3 TDs vs Olney… Robinson QB Reese Johnson has thrown for 473 yards (41-of-79) and 6 touchdowns… Johnson is also the leading ballcarrier with 268 yards on 74 carries… Maroons picked up a big win last week against Marshall, snapping a 3-game losing streak… Massey says: Robinson, 40-14.

This story has been updated.