Football: Scouting Week 8, Northwest

Elk Grove (0-7, 0-3) Rolling Meadows (6-1, 3-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Elk Grove 34, Rolling Meadows 33

Outlook: Elk Grove coach Larry Calhoun said last week that his team was "afraid of the end zone." The Grens will need to quickly overcome their fears if they hope to upend Rolling Meadows. Last year the two teams turned in one of the most exciting games in recent memories. But the Grens, who scored just 7 touchdowns this season, will need some firepower to keep up with Meadows. The Mustangs did not seem to miss a beat as Luke Pavlakis came on to play quarterback for RJ Mattucci. There was no word whether Mattucci would return for the homecoming game, but Pavlakis, who threw for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns, looked more than capable for the challenge.

Hersey (4-3, 1-1) at Wheeling (3-4, 1-2)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Hersey 37, Wheeling 29

Outlook: Hersey has begun to put things together on both sides of the ball. The Huskies are coming off their best performance of the season in their dominant win over Elk Grove. Cole Monckton continues to impress, scoring on a pair of long touchdown passes and returning his fifth interception of the season for another score. Monckton will lead a defensive charge that will look to put the clamps on the Wildcats' 1-2 punch of Amani Dennis and Isaac Branch. Despite missing he first two games with an injury, Branch has rushed for 418 yards while Dennis has 365 yards rushing and has thrown for another 662 yards. Wheeling, which had 92 yards in penalties last week, needs to avoid the yellow flags if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Buffalo Grove (4-3, 2-1) at Prospect (1-6, 1-2)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Buffalo Grove 7, Prospect 5

Outlook: Despite their loss last week, Buffalo Grove was able to find a huge positive in the game in the return of Trey Cervantes. Playing with a cast on his left arm, Cervantes was able to drive the Bison down the field at the end of the game and finished 7-of-13 for 108 yards. With Cervantes back in the lineup, the Bison can move John Maddux back to strong safety full time. Prospect is also gleaming after the play of Matt Drew, whose breakout game helped the Knights to their first victory at an OT thriller against Wheeling. Drew, who was also injured earlier this season, also came up big last week. He threw for 225 yards and a touchdown and rushed for four other scores.

Conant (3-4, 1-2) at Fremd (5-2, 2-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Conant 28, Fremd 17

Outlook: The Vikings were stunned by crosstown rival Palatine last week and it could happen again if they overlook the Cougars, who broke a 3-game losing streak. Fremd, which meets Barrington next week but can ill afford to look ahead, got outplayed at the line of scrimmage last week. The Vikings rushed for just 94 yards, which was nearly 200 yards under their average, as Palatine allowed the Vikings just 37 offensive plays. Fremd also allowed nearly 200 yards on the ground, and that's where Conant could go to find success. The Cougars found their lost ground game last week in Jake Jakubosky, who rushed for 145 yards, and quarterback Kyle Bradley, who ran for 83 yards and threw for another 101. Conant needs this victory to keep its playoff aspirations alive.

Schaumburg (1-6, 0-3) at Hoffman Estates (3-4, 0-3)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Schaumburg 35, Hoffman Estates 7

Outlook: Schaumburg, which has beaten Hoffman 15 consecutive times, will look to get its running game going early. Despite his team's lack of success, Schaumburg running back Justice Macneal-Smith is quietly having a solid year with 652 yards on 134 carries. Hoffman Estates needs a victory to remain playoff-eligible; the Hawks are in pursuit of their first playoff appearance in 20 years. They should have Jeff Mayes and Dante Cleveland both back after the duo left last week's game with injuries. Penalties, which have haunted Hoffman all season, could be a factor as both teams neared 100 yards in penalties last week. Look for Chady Bitre, who had just 14 yards rushing last week, to find more running room against a Schaumburg team that surrendered 238 yards on the ground last week.

Palatine (5-2 3-0) at Barrington (7-0, 3-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Barrington 27, Palatine 0

Outlook: The showdown in the West came a week earlier than most expected. But Palatine showed that it can handle most everything that has been thrown at them this season. The Pirates came up with a solid game plan last week and then executed it to perfection. They played keepaway from Fremd, running 68 plays to Fremd's 37. They will need to repeat that effort if they want to hold off Barrington. The Broncos have been dominant, especially over the last 4 weeks when all of their games have ended in a running clock. Look for the Barrington linebacking corps of David Danhauer, Jake Coon and Mark Bornhofen to try to put the clamps on Palatine's Chris Cornelius, who has rushed for an MSL-best 1,068 yards.

Glenbrook North (3-4, 2-1) at Maine West (1-6, 0-3)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Glenbrook North 50, Maine West 0

Outlook: Maine West's defensive woes continued last week after allowing 47 points and have given up an average of 42 per game. The offense has not been much better, scoring just 5 touchdowns in the last 5 games. And it gets worse for the Warriors as they face a Glenbrook North team that desperately needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Warriors will need to stop Spartan running backs Nick Karis and John Clark, who rushed for nearly 350 yards and 4 touchdowns last week.

St. Viator (4-3, 3-2) vs. St. Patrick (2-5, 0-5) at Hanson StadiumWhen: Saturday, 11 a.m.

Last year: St. Patrick 41, St. Viator 13

Outlook: The Lions look to become playoff eligible with a win over the Shamrocks on the hard green surface of Hanson Stadium. With the season on the line last week, the Lions put it all together with 450 yards of offense against a quality Marian Central team. Tyler Johnston was sharp, throwing for 264 yards and 4 touchdowns to bring his season total 1,962 yards and 13 touchdowns. St. Patrick, which has beat the Lions the last 3 times they have played, should have a challenge in keeping up with Lions receivers Ben Dickey (50 receptions, 753 yards), Matt Darling (32 receptions, 334 yards) and Sal Cannella (24 receptions 343 yards). St. Patrick, which will start five sophomores, has allowed 36 points per game in conference play while losing their last 5 games.

Leyden (1-6, 1-3) at Willowbrook (1-6, 1-3)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Willowbrook 28, Leyden 21

Outlook: It was an emotional first victory of the season for coach Tom Cerasani and his Eagles. Leyden rallied around their coach after his mother passed away earlier in the week, scoring 52 points. That was more than the Eagles had scored in their previous 6 games combined. Leyden will look to continue that offensive surge against a Willowbrook team that gave up 50 points last week and has allowed 33 points per game. Leyden quarterback Tom Pajor is coming off his best game of the season, finishing 8-of-14 for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Westminister Christian (2-5, 2-5) at Christian Liberty Academy (0-7, 0-7)When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Last year's result: Westminister Christian 33, CLA 28

Outlook: It will be the final home game and senior day for the Chargers, who have just three seniors on their roster. CLA continues to struggle on both sides of the ball, allowing an average of 55 points per game while the offense has scored just 3 touchdowns. They hope to turn that around against Westminister, who the Chargers barely lost to last season as the Warriors picked up the programs' first varsity win.