Week 7: Scouting the East Suburban Catholic
Joliet Catholic (0-6, 0-4) at Benet (5-1, 4-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: Keeping pace atop the ESCC is strong motivation for Benet regardless of Joliet Catholic's record. Marty Dosen is thriving at running back. Last week he had 166 rushing yards. The defense received a boost with the return from injury of linebacker Ryan Liszka.
St. Viator (4-2, 3-1) vs. St. Patrick (4-2, 2-2)Where: Hanson Stadium, Chicago
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Last year: St. Patrick 13, St. Viator 0
Outlook: This is a game between a pair of teams that have been headed in opposite direction the last two weeks. St. Viator seemed to be on the verge of a lost season two weeks ago after a loss to Benet. But the Lions have turned things around thanks to the play of quarterback Brian Hellgeth and the full-time return of tight end Cole Kmet. Hellgeth has thrown for 289 yards and 2 TDs during that span, while Kmet is coming off a game in which he had 6 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. After winning their first 4 games, St. Patrick has lost twice, being outscored 66-20 in those two games.
Carmel Corsairs (3-3, 2-2) at Marian Central Hurricanes (3-3, 1-3)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Carmel def. Notre Dame, 10-8; Marian Central lost to St. Viator, 48-32.
Skinny: Offense has been tough to come by this season for Carmel, which has scored 10 points each of the last two weeks and is averaging just 13.8 points per game, second-fewest in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. So last week, the Corsairs got a bang-up effort from its defense to win a defensive struggle against Notre Dame. Carmel held on fourth down three times, including a goal-line stand, and also intercepted Notre Dame twice…One nice offensive highlight for Carmel was a 73-yard touchdown run by Zaire Barnes (12 rushes for 140 yards)…Marian Central has lost three of its last four games. But offense wasn't a problem for the Hurricanes against St. Viator last week. They rolled up 435 yards. Quarterback Gavin Scott completed 16-of-39 passes for 193 yards and ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Running back Brian Niemaszek rushed for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns on 12 carries.