Scouting Dundee-Crown at Crystal Lake South

Dundee-Crown (0-4) at Crystal Lake South (4-0)

When: 7:15 p.m. Friday at Ken Bruhn Field

Last year: Crystal Lake South 55, Dundee-Crown 7

Last week: Crystal Lake South 24, Prairie Ridge 20; Grayslake North 28, Dundee-Crown 14

Outlook: The Gators have won five straight in this series and nine out of 10. They enter their homecoming game ranked No. 7 in Class 7A. The Chargers seek their first win of the season in the Valley Division opener for both Fox Valley Conference teams. Each boasts a talented quarterback. Last week, CL South third-year starter Drew Ormseth rebounded from a fumble at the 1-yard line by throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass on the Gators' next possession. One possession later, he used his ability to scramble to guide his team down the field for an insurance touchdown. He has thrown for 448 yards and rushed for 362 yards on 48 carries, the fourth-highest rushing total in the Fox Valley area this season. Ormseth is protected by one of the biggest offensive lines in the state. "They're a really good team. I don't seen any weaknesses anywhere," D-C coach Mike Davis said. "They're big, fast, strong, quick, physical, their quarterback's really good and they two-platoon so they're fresh. It's going to be a tough game. Our defense is playing better and giving us a shot. Hopefully, we can get some first downs, keep them off the field and do some positive things." D-C's offense is driven by second-year starting quarterback Tanner Kotlan, the leading passer in the area. The senior has completed 71-of-139 attempts for 1,011 yards and 7 touchdowns, but he has been intercepted 12 times. "They can throw the ball around and they have the ability to make some big plays so you just can't take anything for granted," said CL South first-year coach Chuck Ahsmann, who was named Chicago Bears Coach of the Week Thursday. "We want to start fast. That's the one thing we read in all the articles is how we've started slow in the first half. That's not who we want to be, but it's who we are at this point. As we get into conference play, it's going to get harder to win if we're always trailing at halftime. We want to be the team that starts fast." Ahsmann said running back Bolek Mikulec (376 yards, 3 TD) had shaken off the remnants of the flu bug and by midweek was running as hard in practice as he has all season.