Scouting Lake Zurich vs. St. Rita

CLASS 7A SEMIFINAL

No. 2 St. Rita Mustangs (11-1) at No. 5 Lake Zurich Bears (11-1)

When: 7 p.m., today

St. Rita's road to the semifinals: Def. No. 15 Highland Park, 28-19, def. No. 10 Machesney Park Harlem, 38-21, def. No. 3 Carmel, 21-0.

Lake Zurich's road to the semifinals: Def. No. 12 Jacobs, 41-7, def. No. 4 Prospect, 14-7, def. No. 1 Simeon, 17-14.

Winner gets: A spot in next Saturday's 4 p.m. Class 7A state championship game at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. The opponent will be the winner of today's other Class 7A semifinal between Wheaton Warrenville South (12-0) and Belleville East (10-2) in Belleville.

Playoff history: St. Rita is making its 11th straight playoff appearance since 2000. The Mustangs have won two state titles: 2006 and 1978. Last year in the Class 7A quarterfinals, St. Rita lost to Wheaton Warrenville South, 23-14. ... Lake Zurich is making its ninth straight playoff appearance. The 2007 Class 7A state champions have advanced to at least the state semifinals in four of the last five years. The lone exception was a first-round exit in 2008. Last year, the Bears lost in the Class 7A semifinals to Glenbard West, 21-17

Interesting item: St. Rita won its 2006 Class 7A state championship by defeating Lake Zurich in the title game, 35-21. Lake Zurich bounced back quickly, though. The following season, the Bears won the Class 7A championship.

Coaches: Todd Kuska, St. Rita; Bryan Stortz, Lake Zurich

Just the facts: St. Rita's only loss came in a Week 9 battle with Loyola, 24-21. The Mustangs tied with Loyola and Mt. Carmel for the Chicago Catholic Blue Conference championship. Each team went 4-1 in league play. St. Rita enters this game scoring 28.9 points and allowing 12.1 points per game. … Lake Zurich's only defeat came to North Suburban Conference Lake Division champion Stevenson (24-23) in a Week 6 game that was decided in the final seconds. The Bears score 26.3 points and allow just 9 points per game.

St. Rita leaders: Rushing: Jahwon Akui (283 carries, 1,565 yards, 22 TD), Travis Starks (80 carries, 758 yards, 8 TD); Passing: Brandon Johnson (55-of-90, 802 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT), Scott Thomas (21-of-47, 272 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT); Receiving: Mitch Saffold (31 receptions, 477 yards, 6 TD); Tackles: Matt Mullen (114 tackles), Charles Elmore (92 tackles).

Lake Zurich leaders: Rushing: Jacob Brinlee (161 carries, 1,394 yards, 14 TD), Mike Shield (96 carries, 438 yards, 8 TD), Zach Till (98 carries, 382 yards, 7 TD), Jon Mularz (73 carries, 419 yards, 3 TD); Passing: Till (44-of-86, 688 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT); Receiving: Jack Lynn (11 receptions, 117 yards), Jacob Brinlee (9 receptions, 163 yards, 1 TD)

Line on St. Rita: A Week 9 loss to Loyola that squashed St. Rita's hopes for an undefeated season might have been a blessing in disguise. “We will refer back to our loss to Loyola to emphasize that we must execute in all facets of the game for 48 minutes,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. “Lake Zurich is the most well-rounded team that we have faced this season. They are a complete team that can beat you in many ways.” … Ditto for St. Rita. The Mustangs are well-balanced as well. Running back Jahwon Akui has been a monster on the ground this season, rolling up 1,565 yards for an average of 142 yards per game. But even though the Mustangs are run-first out of the I-formation, they boast a potent passing attack as well. Quarterback Brandon Johnson has 802 passing yards so far this season. … Defensively, the Mustangs run a 50 defense and have seen a variety of offenses over the course of the season. But nothing quite like the Lake Zurich offense. “They have a very explosive offense that can also put together some time-consuming drives,” Kuska said of the Bears. “They are very solid.”

Line on Lake Zurich: For the last year, the Bears have lived with the hurt and disappointment of losing in the final moments of the 2009 Class 7A semifinals. They are ready to change their luck. “We have an experienced team and feel that our players will be prepared for this type of game,” Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said. … The Bears will need to stick with their strength, which is running the ball. They boast three players with more than 400 rushing yards on the season, including Jacob Brinlee, who has nearly 1,400 rushing yards. Last week against Simeon, Lake Zurich rolled up 275 rushing yards in a dominating performance on the ground. “We've been able to run the ball effectively,” Stortz said. “(St. Rita) is very good against the run. We will have to work very hard to run the ball against them.” … Stortz says the Bears will also need to create turnovers to slow St. Rita's powerful offense. “They are very big and physical. They run the ball well and have a nice play-action game,” Stortz said.