Let the conference race begin! After two weeks of non-league action, Little Illini Conference football teams stay in-house for the rest of the regular season. The next seven weeks will determine not only a champion but also who will earn the right to play in the IHSA state tournament.

Here is the lineup for Week 3:

FRIDAY

Olney (2-0) at Lawrenceville (1-1), 7:00 p.m.
Olney, now the top-rated LIC team, according to Massey, carries an 11-game regular-season win streak into the fray after blistering Salem, 31-6… Tigers QB Gavyn Cothern passed for 195 yards last week after rushing for 305 yards two weeks ago… Lawrenceville comes in on a high after beating Carlyle 34-12 to end a 12-game losing streak… Indians defense has some pop to it, forcing six turnovers last week… Massey says: Olney 46, Lawrenceville 12.

Paris (2-0) at Marshall (2-0), 7:00 p.m.
Paris moved up to third in LIC ratings, according to Massey, after dominating Charleston, 48-14 last week… The Tiger ground game generated seven rushing touchdowns and 335 yards… The defense limited Charleston to 172 yards in total offense… Marshall is off to its’ best start since 2018… The Lions want to pound it as well… They got 178 yards on the ground from veteran RB Lucca Giannavola… Massey says: Paris 42, Marshall 18.

Robinson (1-1) at Mt. Carmel (0-2), 7:00 p.m.
Robinson looks to bounce back after a 63-0 loss to a very good Class 4A Benton team… Maroons hope to get QB Reese Johnson back to his Week 2 form when he threw two first-half touchdowns in a win over Charleston… Mt. Carmel may be 0-2 for the second straight season, but that didn’t stop the Aces last year when they still made the Class 3A playoffs… Sophomore QB River Deisher ran for 100 yards last week after throwing for 165 in Week 1… Massey says: Mt. Carmel 40, Robinson 20.

SATURDAY

Newton (1-1) at #6 1A Casey-Westfield (2-0), 7:00 p.m.
Perhaps the best matchup of the week… Newton hopes to bounce back from a 35-28 loss to Trenton Wesclin… Eagles QB Hayden Mulvey leads the LIC in passing yards, with 476 … He has two straight 200-plus games in the air… Even with all-state RB Luke Karras at the controls, Casey-Westfield’s defense and special teams have been the headline grabbers… Warriors added a pic-6 last week to two TD returns in Week 1… Massey says: Casey-Westfield 42, Newton 14