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Week 3: Scouting the North Suburban

Libertyville Wildcats (1-1) at Warren Blue Devils (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Libertyville lost to Batavia, 24-10; Warren def. New Trier, 7-3.

Skinny: It was a defensive gem for Warren last week in an upset win over New Trier. The Blue Devils had several big stops on fourth down late in the game, including a New Trier drive with about 3 minutes remaining. Caden Fox and Collin Patrick also had fumble recoveries for the Blue Devils and the defense hurried New Trier quarterback Reed Bianucci all night long ... Warren head coach Bryan McNulty put the win in perspective for his team, saying that the New Trier game sets the tone for the Blue Devils' season each year. Warren has lost the previous three matchups against New Trier ... The Warren offense was led by quarterback Ian Schilling, who completed 15-of-29 passes for 172 yards. He accounted for the Blue Devils' only score, a 34-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Short ... Speaking of tough defense, Batavia made it tough for Libertyville to get its offense going, particularly on the ground. The Wildcats rushed for only 23 yards last week. Leading rusher Brendan Bazar had all 23 yards on 15 carries. Libertyville was also limited to just 10 first downs and was intercepted twice. Libertyville head coach Mike Jones said his team did not handle Batavia's pressure well ... Last year, Libertyville defeated Warren, 28-26.

Stevenson Patriots (1-1) at Lake Forest Scouts (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Stevenson lost to Muskegon (Mich.), 28-7; Lake Forest def. St. Viator, 20-14 in overtime.

Skinny: Lake Forest moved to 2-0 the hard way, outlasting St. Viator last week in overtime. Lake Forest senior Bryan Ooms had two of his biggest plays of the game in the extra session. He blocked a St. Viator field goal attempt and then he scored a touchdown for the Scouts that ended the game. He rammed his way into the end zone from 1-yard out. It was his second touchdown run of the game. Lake Forest quarterback Jack Mislinski completed 9-of-14 passes for 141 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown pass ... Stevenson met up against a determined Muskegon team from Michigan. Last year, the Patriots edged Muskegon on its own field in Michigan. This time, the Big Reds returned the favor and dominated the ground game, outgaining Stevenson 406 yards to just 6 yards. The Patriots were most effective on their first drive of the game, which yielded their only touchdown. Backup quarterback Cole Okmin hit Alex Capstick with a 15-yard touchdown pass. Okmin completed 25-of-35 passes for 260 yards. Capstick had 10 catches for 167 yards. Muskegon is the winningest program in the history of Michigan high school football. Okmin said the Patriots, who would cancel out good plays with mistakes and penalties, can't beat the really good programs such as Muskegon with such inconsistency ... Last year, Stevenson defeated Lake Forest, 43-12.

Waukegan Bulldogs (0-2) at Lake Zurich Bears (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Waukegan lost to West Aurora, 40-0; Lake Zurich def. Montini, 28-7.

Skinny: Lake Zurich flexed its rushing muscles last week as the offensive line blew Montini off the ball and opened big holes for star running back Joey Stutzman. Stutzman rolled up 3 touchdowns and 207 yards on 31 carries. He was part of an offensive explosion for Lake Zurich, which set a school record for first downs in a game with 28. The Bears' defense was also impressive, allowing just 10 first downs and 54 Montini rushing yards. Lake Zurich squashed a late Montini drive with a sack by linebacker Jack Sanborn ... Waukegan managed only 75 yards offensively in last week's shutout loss. The Bulldogs will be hoping to avoid another decisive shutout. Last year, Lake Zurich blanked Waukegan, 42-0.

Mundelein Mustangs (1-1) at Zion-Benton Zee-Bees (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Mudelein def. Streamwood, 40-0; Zion-Benton def. Vernon Hills, 49-0.

Skinny: Both Mundelein and Zion-Benton rebounded from decisive Week 1 losses and posted decisive Week 2 wins. Mundelein rolled up 487 yards of total offense against Streamwood and was especially effective on the ground. The Mustangs rushed for 5 of their 6 touchdowns. Quarterback Anthony Norris and receiver Isaiah Wellman led the way with 101 and 61 rushing yards respectively ... Zion-Benton quarterback Jerome Crawford was a handful last week for Vernon Hills, which is the defending state runner-up in Class 5A. He rushed for a touchdown and threw for three touchdowns. Jordan Chisum added 2 rushing touchdowns for the Zee-Bees. Last year, Zion-Benton defeated Mundelein, 56-21.

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