Everyone's chasing Neuqua Valley

Any discussion concerning Upstate Eight Conference football starts with Neuqua Valley.

The Wildcats were the league's undefeated champions for the third straight year in 2006. In fact, they haven't lost a UEC contest since stumbling in the 2003 conference opener against Bartlett.

Neuqua Valley has since rattled off 25 straight wins against Upstate Eight competition and is taking aim at a fourth straight title behind returning running back Anton Wilkins (996 yards, 17 TDs) junior quarterback Alex Lincoln, tight end Reggie Miskel (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) and top linemen David Bollweg and Jeff Radek, the latter of whom is committed to Northwestern.

St. Charles North coach Mark Gould certainly is impressed, but said there are several teams who could challenge.

"Neuqua Valley is probably picked at the top of the conference by many and Bartlett is very good and (St. Charles) East has made leaps and bounds," Gould said.

"I think you have to give the nod to Neuqua. They're just that good," said Larkin coach Dave Bierman, whose Royals reached the playoffs last season as a 5-4 team. "But I think Waubonsie's going to be up there, too."

St. Charles North, fresh off the school's first playoff victory, should prove to be strong defensively, thanks to experienced returning linebackers Tom Najarian, Vince Ursini, Jake Juriga and Brandon Nothnagel.

A battle at the quarterback position between juniors Nick Neari and Sean McGushin continues. Both are more runner than gunner in the mold of graduated signal-caller Jeff Pechan, meaning both are adept at keeping the ball in St. Charles North's Wing-T offense.

However, the competition gets much tougher this season for the North Stars due to a tougher nonconference slate combined with a rotating Upstate Eight schedule that pits the North Stars for the first time against perennial UEC playoff teams Neuqua Valley and Bartlett.

North also scheduled games against annual playoff participants Cary-Grove and McHenry instead of Fremd and Glenbard East.

St. Charles East is shooting for its third straight playoff appearance after finishing second in the league last season behind Neuqua Valley with a 5-1 record.

The Saints, according to fourth-year coach Ted Monken, need to improve along the offensive line. Only one starting blocker returns in front of junior running back Wes Allen.

A Saints' strength should be a fast, swarming defense, led by returnees Dave Mashal at tackle, defensive back Tom Kuebel and middle linebacker Mike Hoscheit.

Like Gould, Monken sees several competitive teams.

"There really aren't any slam dunks out there," Monken said. "South Elgin will have their first year of seniors and they're ready to play. Streamwood's coach had success elsewhere so they'll continue to be improved and Neuqua Valley, you'd be naïve not to have them on the top. They have the edge on just about anybody but Waubonsie Valley's numbers are up and they do a great job and all of these coaches are working hard and it's becoming more balanced. All I can say is that I hope we're a top half team, but you never know until you start playing those games."

Waubonsie Valley, which was one of 18 teams statewide that missed the playoffs last year despite finishing 5-4, could have enough talent to break the Wildcats' stranglehold on the league's top spot.

The Warriors return nine starters on defense, including nose tackle Dwight Harris, middle linebacker Spencer Merritt and defensive back Kevin Garbis, who returned interceptions for touchdowns in three straight games last season.

Another defensive stalwart is weak-side safety Josh Daniels, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, according to Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy. Daniels, who also toted the ball on offense last season, will only play defense this year.

Instead, the rushing chores will fall to returning running back Rich Tornolone and Naperville North transfer Kenny Harrington, who last season ran for 329 yards and 5 touchdowns on 51 carries for the Huskies.

Expect both runners to pound the right side of the line behind returning linemen Nick Capristo, Brett Einbecker and A.J. Lindeman.

In all, the Warriors return eight starters on offense, including junior quarterback Tyler Castro (52-for-122, 632 yards, 3 TDs, 10 interceptions).

Bartlett rallied from an 0-4 in start to reach the postseason for the seventh straight season in 2006. Most of Bartlett's talent lies in its junior class, which went 9-0 as freshmen and 7-2 as sophomores. The Hawks' roster consists of 15 seniors, 45 juniors and 4 sophomores.

Despite such relative inexperience, fifth-year coach Tom Meaney believes this group has enough to reach the playoffs for the eighth straight season despite the fact seven of Bartlett's nine opponents were playoff qualifiers a year ago.

"It's going to be tough," Meaney said of reaching the postseason again, "but I think the kids are up for it."

Larkin returns experienced senior quarterback Cam Kinley, who threw for 1,474 yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on 81-for-69 passing. His leading returning receiver is senior Nick Bee, who caught 20 passes last year for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Dillon Smith, who played in the defensive secondary last year, will transfer his speed to the tailback position in Larkin's spread offense.

Lake Park has two returning defensive starters, including linebacker Chris Buonavolanto. A two-year starter in the secondary, J.J. DeHaan, will switches to offense where he will use his 4.5 speed at wide receiver.

The Lancers will be quarterbacked by sophomore quarterback Larry Nawrat, who was tutored over the summer by Jeff Christensen, father of Jake Christensen, who starred at Lockport and now plays for the University of Iowa.

Nawrat will be protected by the likes of Andy Kasper (6-2, 200) and Bobby Hauschild (6-6, 285). Haushchild, who ranks among the top students in his class, is being wooed by Vanderbilt, Indiana, Northwestern and Harvard.

Elgin's fortunes rest largely on the performance of top-notch running back Kenny Williams, who also plays linebacker. Williams rushed last season for 1,156 yards and 9 touchdowns in 186 attempts. He also caught 14 passes for 174 yards and 2 scores.

Returning quarterback Tom Roth, a junior, must be productive in order to keep defenses from focusing solely on Williams. In his debut season as a sophomore for the Maroons, Roth threw for 557 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, completing 49-of-110 pass attempts.

South Elgin went 0-9 in its debut season as a varsity team in 2006. With benefit of a year of experience, this senior-dominated squad should earn more than just its first win -- the Storm should also earn some respect around the league.

"You can't bypass South Elgin, who has some talented kids and could be the sleeper," said Gould.

Senior quarterback Pete Scaffidi III (1,289 yards, 6 TDs) and speedy junior receiver Josh Smith (37 catches, 592 yards, 7 TDs) could develop into one of the more prolific passing combinations in the UEC.

Streamwood should be improved under second-year coach Cal Cummins, who notched his first win as Sabres coach last year in a 56-7 blowout of East Aurora in Week 9.

Senior Gabe Roman and junior Noel Rivera are battling for the starting spot at quarterback. They'll be protected by all-UEC tackle Nick Milne.

Daily Herald Sports Writers David Oberhelman and John Lemon and correspondent Chris Walker contributed to this report.