Let's try this again, shall we?

Last week my Game of the Week was Lincoln-Way East at Homewood-Flossmoor, and even though I arrived two hours early (two hours early!) I got shut out at the gate. Can you believe it? A regular-season game was sold out before game time? (I ended up seeing an even better contest, Thornton at Lincoln-Way North, but that's beside the point.)

I really, really want to see the Vikings and the Harley-Hampton twins, above, before they face Loyola in the 8A final on Thanksgiving weekend. (I should get one more look at the Ramblers next week against Mount Carmel.) I could try and see H-F when they host Bolingbrook (4-3) in Week Nine, but I was planning on watching Riley Lees and Libertyville at home against Lakes (5-2). (There's a lot to consider here and a lot of moving parts.)

So instead I'll see the Vikings as they travel to Sandburg (6-1) this Friday. It's my Game of the Week. (Save me a ticket, will ya?)

Homewood-Flossmoor, of course, is the No. 1-ranked team in both the Tribune and the Sun-Times and No. 6 in MaxPreps. (Only No. 6?) Sandburg, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found in the Chicago papers and is ranked No. 65 in MaxPreps.

While there had been some consternation over H-F's schedule (it hadn't beaten a winning team until last week) and its defense (it allowed 29 points to Stevenson), the Vikings put all of that to rest in its impressive 28-3 victory over Lincoln-Way East.

To refresh your memory, here's their 2015 schedule (home team in CAPS):

Homewood-Flossmoor 56, DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH 15
Homewood-Flossmoor 43, STEVENSON 29
Homewood-Flossmoor 67, STAGG 6
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 60, Joliet Central 0
Homewood-Flossmoor 48, LOCKPORT 0
Homewood-Flossmoor 44, JOLIET WEST 6
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 28, Lincoln-Way East 3

Sandburg, as I mentioned, gets no love from the local sportswriters even though it boasts a 6-1 record with a signature victory over perennial power Bolingbrook. And its only loss of the season was in Week Two at the hands of Lincoln-Way North (7-0), who's beaten everyone they've faced.

Here's Sandburg's schedule so far:

Sandburg 28, NAPERVILLE NORTH 21
Lincoln-Way North 27, SANDBURG 14
SANDBURG 38, Bolingbrook 20
Sandburg 28, LOCKPORT 21
SANDBURG 41, Stagg 34
Sandburg 55, JOLIET CENTRAL 19
SANDBURG 35, Joliet West 14

So are the Eagles some sleeper team that could knock off the big, bad Vikings when no one's looking (except me)? My Magic 8 Ball says, "Don't count on it." As you can see, the Orland Park school has only defeated H-F once since Craig Buzea took over the program in 2010. 

2014: HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 47, Sandburg 18
2013: Homewood-Flossmoor 48, SANDBURG 10
           HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 49, Sandburg 14 (playoff)
2012: HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 21, Sandburg 8
2011: SANDBURG 31, Homewood-Flossmoor 28
2010: HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 29, Sandburg 24

2009: SANDBURG 24, Homewood-Flossmoor 13
2008:
2007: HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 13, Sandburg 7
2006: Homewood-Flossmoor 27, SANDBURG 20
2005: HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR 20, Sandburg 7
2004: SANDBURG 24, Homewood-Flossmoor 10

Will Friday night's result be any different? I don't think so, but it could be a better game than anyone is expecting. And if there's an upset, I'll be there.

As always, I'll be live-tweeting the game @BoringOldWhtGuy.