Scouting Lake Forest at Crystal Lake South
Class 6A
No. 8 Lake Forest Scouts (7-3) at No. 1 Crystal Lake South Gators (10-0)
When: Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ken Bruhn Field
Last week: In first round action, Crystal Lake South def. Grant, 28-7; Lake Forest def. Shepard, 45-25.
Playoff history: CL South is making its 10th straight playoff appearance and 16th overall. The Gators reached state semifinals in 2005 and 2008. Lake Forest is in the playoffs for the 19th time and the fourth time in five years.
Head coaches: Chuck Spagnoli, Lake Forest; Chuck Ahsmann, Crystal Lake South
Just the facts: The Gators have a decided edge in playoff experience, led by quarterback Drew Ormseth. The senior will be competing in his eighth playoff game in three seasons... Lake Forest scores 33.6 points per game and allows 19.6.
Lake Forest leaders: Rushing: Owen Williams (111 carries, 916 yards, 15 TD); Passing: junior Jordan Beck (36 of 49, 448 yards, 5 TD), senior Paul Carollo (58 of 100, 796 yards, 7 TD); Receiving: Jacob Hellinga (19 rec., 271 yards, 5 TD), David Dever (114 rec., 211 yards);
Crystal Lake South leaders: Rushing: Drew Ormseth (118 carries, 884 yards, 14 TD), Bolek Mikulec (152 carries, 868 yards, 7 TD); Passing: Ormseth (61 OF 113, 1,158 yards, 17 TD, 3 Int.); Receiving: Kenny King (26 rec., 489 yards, 6 TD), Brad Walovitch (9 rec., 319 yards, 4 TD);
Line on Lake Forest: The Scouts rotate quarterbacks Beck and Carollo, not because one adds a different dimension but because they're equally talented and both deserve to play, coach Chuck Spagnoli said. The Lake Forest offense reflects CL South's. “Offensively, they remind us of us more than any team we've faced because they run so many different formations and they do so many different things,” Gators coach Chuck Ahsmann said. CL South's offense is driven equally by the legs and arm of Ormseth. “He's such an elusive guy,” Spagnoli said. “It's difficult to practice against what he does because so much of it happens on the fly. Certainly, he's the key to what they do as far as scoring points. But the offense isn't necessarily geared around him because they've got a great front and a really good tailback. They obviously want to run the ball on you. And when they struggle with that they have a good opportunity to throw the ball down field. It's as multiple an offense we've seen as far as balance.”
Line on Crystal Lake South: The Gators came out a tad sluggish in their playoff debut, though they ended up dominating Grant from a statistical point of view. “What we've focused on this week is we have to continue to play defense the way we did last week, and we have to get better offensively,” Gators coach Chuck Ahsmann said. CL South's 3-3-5 defense limits opponents to 11.4 points per game. “We've seen some 3-3 this season, but probably not quite the way they play it, which is pretty aggressive,” Spagnoli said. “It's going to be a heck of a task for us.”
Advancement: The winner will play the winner of today's 3 p.m. game: No. 5 Morgan Park (9-1) at No. 4 Prairie Ridge (9-1)