Football: Scouting Lake County, Week 6

THURSDAY'S GAMES

NORTH SUBURBAN LAKELake Forest (4-1, 1-1) at Warren (3-2, 2-1)When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Lake Forest def. Libertyville, 29-20; Warren def. Mundelein, 42-12.

Skinny: The Warren offense has been lighting up the scoreboard the last two weeks. Averaging 14.7 points over the first three weeks of the season, the Blue Devils have put up 43 and 42 points over their last two games, wins over Libertyville and Mundelein. Last week, Warren rolled up 452 yards of total offense against Mundelein as running backs Darrius Crump and VaShaun Wright went nuts. Crump rolled up 183 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries and Wright had 121 yards on 10 carries…Warren's passing game was also in sync as quarterback Jay Nickell completed 5-of-7 passes for 149 yards. Illinois-bound receiver Caleb Reams had 2 catches for 79 yards. Both were touchdowns…Lake Forest was balanced last week in a win over Libertyville, tallying 148 rushing yards to 143 passing yards. The Scouts separated themselves on special teams. They scored 6 points on a pair of field goals by Kyle Gattari. Lake Forest also scored off a Libertyville free quick as Wesley Janeck ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown. Lake Forest's only loss came to Stevenson in Week 4, 34-17.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Stevenson (5-0, 2-0) at Lake Zurich (3-2, 2-1) When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Stevenson def. Lakes, 21-3; Lake Zurich def. Zion-Benton, 40-6.

Skinny: Stevenson knows better than to put too much stock into Lake Zurich's 3-2 record. Last year, the Patriots opened with two straight losses and were 3-2 heading into Week 6. But Stevenson went on to play in the state semifinals. "One year ago, people were questioning the 3-2 Patriots," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "We believed in ourselves, and I am sure Lake Zurich believes in themselves. Don't let the record fool you. Lake Zurich runs the ball well on offense and has an aggressive defense. They have very good skill players, like (Ben) Klett." Klett, a junior running back for the Bears, scored 3 touchdowns last week against Zion-Benton, one on a rush and two on passes from junior quarterback Joey Lindstrom. Lake Zurich did most of its damage on the ground via Zane Lodico (126 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns) and Zach Hilt (94 yards). Meanwhile, the Lake Zurich defense also came up big, rolling up 5 interceptions…The Stevenson defense was stout last week as well, holding a Lakes offense that had been averaging 43.8 points per game to just 3 points. The Eagles managed just 159 total yards. Aaron Saper had 17 tackles, Jimmy Marchese had 13 tackles, Jason Vravick had 13 tackles and Nischay Vallabhaneni had 12 tackles for the Patriots…Offensively against Lakes, Stevenson got a big game out of senior running back Jack Joseph, who scored 2 touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards. Quarterback Willie Bourbon also connected on 17-of-27 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown to Northwestern bound burner Cameron Green (6 catches, 71 yards).

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Zion-Benton (3-2, 1-1) at Libertyville (3-2, 1-2)When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Zion-Benton lost to Lake Zurich, 40-6; Libertyville lost to Lake Forest, 29-20.

Skinny: Libertyville coach Mike Jones will be interested to see if his players will be paying attention tonight: to the details. "A lot of what has happened (over losses the last two weeks), is our lack of attention to detail," Jones said. "There are things we're not doing, little technique things we've emphasized in practice, like squeezing blocks, not allowing offensive linemen to get into the second level of our defense. We're just not executing the details and it's making a difference…Offensively, Libertyville moved the ball last week, rolling up around 400 yards. But the Wildcats couldn't do the little things necessary to get into the end zone often enough. "All the yards don't mean anything if you can't punch it in," Jones said. "We've got to do better there." Libertyville quarterback Riley Lees had another big game, rolling up 329 yards by himself. He rushed for 134 yards and completed 9-of-21 passes for 195 yards. He rushed for a touchdown and passed for another. The Wildcats also got 86 rushing yards out of Taylor Rossmann…Last week against Lake Zurich, Zion-Benton was led by Marcese Gonzalez, who rushed for 121 yards and scored the Zee-Bees' only touchdown in the final minute of the game.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVERMundelein (0-5, 0-3) at Antioch (4-1, 3-0)When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Mundelein lost to Warren, 42-12; Antioch def. Grant, 37-12.

Skinny: Mundelein wound up losing by 30 points last week to Warren, but at halftime, the Mustangs were down 14-12, and that gives them hope in a tough season. "Our spirits are high because that shows us how far we've come. We were right in the game in the first half against a very good Warren team, and last year, we had a running clock in six games," Mundelein coach George Kaider said. "But at halftime, we were physically drained. Almost every starter for us goes both ways, They wanted to keep fighting, but their bodies just couldn't keep up." Senior running back Rob Hamilton was tough to keep up with. He rushed for 101 yards for Mundelein, while also playing defense and returning kickoffs. "He ran the ball with authority," Kaider said of Hamilton. "One time on fourth down, he broke four or five tackles to get us a first down. He has dominated at times this season." Kaider says that junior quarterback Colten Fisher also has shown improvement. "He understands what we want to accomplish," Kaider said of Fisher. "And he's gained a lot of trust in our option/veer offense. He calls most of our plays at the line of scrimmage."…Mundelein's defense is looking to be strong on the line of scrimmage against an Antioch offensive line that paved the way to 262 rushing yards last week against Grant. Alan Taylor ran for a game-high 144 yards. "They've got backs who can run you over," Kaider said of Taylor and teammate Griffin Hill. "Antioch's offensive line really comes off the ball hard. We've got to be ready for that."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIEWauconda (3-2, 1-1) at Grant (1-4, 1-2)When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Wauconda def. North Chicago, 47-6; Grant lost to Antioch, 37-12.

Skinny: After two straight losses, Wauconda rebounded last week to get a 41-point win over North Chicago. "If you pointed to us at the beginning of the season and told us we'd be 3-2 after five games, we'd all be pretty happy," Wauconda coach Dave Mills said. "We're in a good spot. Our drive is to make the playoffs. We knew we were pretty athletic, the issue was our inexperience. But our younger guys are playing pretty well." Junior quarterback Kevin Malisheski has been playing like a veteran for much of the season. He completed 7-of-11 passes last week for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 3 touchdowns. "He made all the right reads and our offensive line did a great job," Mills said. "We were able to really execute."…Grant has struggled to execute at times this season. But even though multiple drives stalled out last week at Antioch due to penalties or turnovers, the Bulldogs still ran for 233 yards. Jeremy Bredwood had 105 yards on 12 carries and Tim Hollins added 81 yards against Antioch. "Every film we've watched, every time we've seen them, we've seen that they have the ability to move the ball," Mills said of Grant. "They've got a big offensive line and they have some running backs who can make big gains. The ball moves, unfortunately for them, they sometimes shoot themselves in the foot and get bogged down a bit."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Vernon Hills (3-2, 2-1) at Lakes (4-1, 2-0)

When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Vernon Hills def. Round Lake, 50-0; Lakes lost to Stevenson, 21-3.

Skinny: There might not be much of a defensive presence in this game. These are the two highest-scoring offenses in the North Suburban Prairie Division. Vernon Hills is averaging a division-best 41.8 points per game. Lakes is at 35.6 points per game but was averaging 43.8 points per game before scoring just 3 points against state-ranked Stevenson last week. Vernon Hills is led by red-hot quarterback Connor McNamara, who is making a run at the school's record for passing yards in a season. He's already got 1,200 passing yards and the record is 2,100 yards, set by current assistant coach Jason Newburger, a star quarterback in the earliest years of the school, which opened to all grades in 2000. "We like to give Jason a hard time about the records," Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said with a laugh. "Connor is breaking all kinds of records and will get more. He's helping us put a lot of points on the board. We try to go at a fast pace and Connor is getting really comfortable with that. He's a real student of the game and is always studying film to find ways to help us be even better on offense." McNamara hooked up with Kiwanne Durant most often last weekend against Round Lake. Durant caught 13 passes for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns. McNamara passed for 305 yards and completed 22 of 41 attempts…Meanwhile, the Vernon Hills defense, which had been giving up 27.3 points per game, got its first shutout of the season last week, and kept big plays in check. "Our Achilles heel this season is that we are very susceptible to the big play," Bellecomo said. "About 80 percent of the time, our guys play well, but 20 percent of the time, we're giving up big plays that sometimes have really hurt us. But when you are young on defense, that's sometimes going to happen." Vernon Hills starts five sophomores on defense: Jeff Rosenstock, Nick Marras, Trey Hommer, Drew Winegardner and Andrew Smith…The Vernon Hills defense can take relief in the fact that it won't have to face Lakes running back Devyn Cedzidlo. Two weeks ago against Wauconda, Cedzidlo rushed for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns. But last week against Stevenson, he left the game at the beginning of the second half with a leg injury. "He has a broken fibula and is out six to eight weeks," Lakes coach Luke Mertens said of his leading rusher. "He will make a full recovery." While that's good news for Cedzidlo, it's not such great news for the Eagles, who will miss his presence in the backfield. "Devyn was named all-conference as only a sophomore last year, which speaks to his talent level. His absence will create a hole for our offense," Mertens said. "Someone will need to fill that void to enable us to finish our season the way we would like to finish."…Lakes will look for more out of senior receiver/running back Jake Balliu, junior quarterback Jordan Mercure and junior running back Izayah James.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Round Lake (1-4, 0-2) at North Chicago (0-5, 0-3)When: 7 p.m., today

Last week: Round Lake lost to Vernon Hills, 50-0; North Chicago lost to Wauconda, 47-6.

Skinny: The red zone has had Round Lake seeing red lately. "Last week against Vernon Hills, we were in the red zone three times in the first half and we couldn't punch it in," Round Lake coach Jordan Eder said. "On one of those, we ended up fumbling and then they scored and before we knew it, we were down 29-0. When we went over film with the kids, the encouraging thing was showing them just how close we were. If we clean up some things and don't have those red zone stalls, we're right in the game." Round Lake was dealt a tough blow two weeks ago against Zion-Benton. Starting quarterback Cole Steger suffered a leg injury and now he's on crutches with an air cast. He missed last week's game against Vernon Hills. "He was being tackled and as they brought him down, his foot got rolled up under him," Eder said. "He also hurt his back against DeLaSalle (in Week 2). Obviously, not having him hurts."…Steger's replacement, Ron Steadman, filled in admirably. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 92 yards last week against Vernon Hills. Steadman will play until Steger returns. He was being reevaluated this week by his doctors…Against Wauconda last week, North Chicago managed just 119 yards of offense. The Warhawks' only touchdown came on a 40-yard interception return by Charles Brown.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

FOX VALLEY FOXGrayslake North (3-2, 2-0) at Crystal Lake Central (3-2, 1-2)When: 7:15 p.m., today

Last week: Grayslake North def. Prairie Ridge, 47-27; Crystal Lake Central lost to Woodstock North, 48-27.

Skinny: After giving up 40-plus points the previous two weeks, Grayslake North was focused on being a little stingier last week on defense. The Knights wound up having their second-best defensive effort of the season against a tough Prairie Ridge team. The Wolves scored 27 points on Grayslake North. "We knew coming in that we needed to play better defensively and we really challenged them in practice," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said after the game. "We held them to just 14 points through three quarters." Meanwhile, the Grayslake North offense put up its second-most points of the season as running back Titus Booker continued to rack up the yardage. For the second week in a row, Booker rushed for a school record. His 360-plus yards against Prairie Ridge beat out the record 329 yards he rushed for the week before against Normal West. "I think we're improving a lot each week," Booker said. "We're playing hard for each other. Long term, we want to make it deep into the playoffs. We're really focused on that."… Crystal Lake Central is usually focused on defense. The Tigers are allowing 20.2 points per game, least in the Fox Valley Fox. That average was even lower, at 13.3 points per game, before they gave up 48 points last week to Woodstock North…Offensively, Ryan Williams is Crystal Lake Central's go-to running back.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

FRIDAY'S GAME

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLICCarmel (3-2, 2-1) at St. Viator (3-2, 2-1)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Carmel def. St. Patrick, 28-20; St. Viator def. Notre Dame, 21-14.

Skinny: Carmel will have its hands full with a fast-paced, up-tempo offense that features jack-of-all-trades St. Viator senior Ben Dickey. "He's one of the best receivers in the league," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "But he also plays running back and defensive back. He's everywhere. We've got to contain him. He's one of a lot of really good athletes on that team." St. Viator quarterback Tyler Johnston spearheads a spread offense that can put a lot of points on the board. He threw 3 touchdown passes last week in a win over Notre Dame. His other main target is Matt Darling. Meanwhile, running back Joey McIntyre was an 800-yard rusher last year. "It's a team that is hard to control," Bitto said of St. Viator, Carmel's most natural Catholic rival. "The last three or four years, our games have been really close," Bitto said…Carmel was efficient on offense last week against St. Patrick, which held onto the ball for about 30 minutes. "They did a nice job of keeping the ball away from us," Bitto said. "But we were still able to get about 300 yards of offense and average about 6 yards per carry." Sophomore Rondel Jamison led Carmel with 128 rushing yards on 19 carries. He also scored 2 touchdowns. "He's got really good vision," Bitto said of Jamison. "You think he's going to get 3 yards and he gets 6 yards." Meanwhile, Carmel Quarterback Matt Huiras completed all 3 of his passes for 89 yards last week to tight end Noah Turner.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

SATURDAY'S GAME

NonconferenceDanville (0-5, 0-3) at Grayslake Central (0-5, 0-3)When: 2 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Danville lost to Normal West, 48-28; Grayslake Central lost to Woodstock, 50-15.

Skinny: Grayslake Central was in a similar position last week, playing a team in Woodstock which had also yet to get a win. Again, one of these teams will come away with its first victory and the Rams are hoping that it is them this time. "The energy was there, there was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm last week," Grayslake Central coach Jason Schaal said. "Unfortunately, we had a setback right before half. They scored on a last-second play before halftime to go up by 1 point. Then they returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown and the wheels kind of fell off from there. We just struggled after that." Grayslake Central's quest to win its first game was made even tougher by the absence of starting quarterback Luke Shepherd. The junior suffered a concussion against Jacobs the previous week and will be out a minimum of two weeks. Senior Anthony Fitzgerald stepped in for the Rams. He made sure to get the ball to Cameron Schwartz, who rushed for more than 100 yards…Danville is coached by B.J. Luke, who was a successful coach at Waubonsie Valley for 17 years. "He's a very good coach," Schaal said of Luke. "I played at Naperville North and Luke was the coach at Waubonsie at the time. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to coach against a really great coach. Danville may be 0-5, but they've got some big boys and a really good receiver in Tavion Boyd. We're going to have to use our quickness to our advantage."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw