advertisement

Scouting St. Charles North at Elgin

St. Charles North (2-3, 1-1) at Elgin (3-2, 2-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Field

Last meeting (2006): St. Charles North 35, Elgin 21

Last week: Elgin 28, Larkin 7; Geneva 35, St. Charles North 34

Outlook: The Maroons try to keep the momentum rolling against the North Stars, a team they've beaten just once in four meetings. The Elgin offense came to life last week after senior Lee Jackson replaced Jake Meyer at quarterback late in the first quarter. Jackson's ability to avoid the rush and scramble for yardage brought a new dimension to the position. Elgin coach Dave Bierman was unwilling to tip his hand Thursday as to who will start at quarterback against the North Stars, a team that has allowed 227 points in 5 games (45.4 avg.). "My opinion is they'll both play, but we'll see what happens," Bierman said. "(The North Stars) are a better defensive team than what's shown with points. They've had some individual breakdowns and have given up some points because of special teams, but they're pretty quick up front and their middle linebacker is a big kid who runs well. Offensively, their quarterback (Matt Shiltz) is mobile and has thrown for some touchdowns and run for touchdowns on draws. They have a nice fullback and a nice receiving corps. The one that sticks out is (Josh Mikes). He's real smooth. He'll take a 5-yard route and take it all the way." The Elgin special teams were effective last week against Larkin, particularly the punt return team. A long return by senior Jordan Dean set the Maroons up on the Larkin 15-yard line and they scored shortly thereafter. Elgin defensive back Will Wood will miss this game due to an ejection last week. The Elgin defense has allowed only 78 points this season (15.6 avg.). St. Charles North's offense averages 35.2 points per game. This isn't a must-win for Elgin, but it's close. The Maroons have the fewest playoff points (15) of the 70 schools in Class 7A, and will likely have to win 3 of their last 4 games to make the playoffs. "With our points situation, we're going to need 6 wins," Bierman said. "They're all key from this point on. You should be expecting to win anyway, so that's not pressure."