Main event airs at Carmel

Carmel officials have got it rough this week.

Not only are they bracing themselves for the onslaught of fans that are expected to attend tonight's highly anticipated neighborhood grudge match against Libertyville, they're also preparing for a media crush that will include reporters and photographers from multiple newspapers as well as the crews of at least three radio stations.

One of the stations is a big one -- WMVP 1000-AM. Each week, the station picks a game of the week in the Chicago area and broadcasts a live, one-hour wrap-up show after the game that includes highlights as well as reports from other big games.

The other stations on hand will be WKRS 1220-AM and 103.5 KISS FM.

"We've been running all over the place trying to get all this set up (for the radio stations)," said coach Andy Bitto, who is also Carmel's athletic director. "But it's kind of neat. It's fun for the kids."

Bitto says that he is expecting at least 5,000 to 6,000 fans for the game, which is only the second match-up in history between the two schools in football.

The first and only other time Carmel and Libertyville hooked up was in 2000 in a Class 5A state playoff game. Libertyville won the game.

Since then, both programs have won state championships, making the short stretch of Route 176 that separates the two schools "Football Central" in Lake County.

A match-up between the two neighboring heavyweights is a local football fan's dream come true.

"I asked the kids the other day how many of them were at that game back then (in 2000)," Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski said. "And most of them raised their hands.

"It should be like a playoff atmosphere. A lot of people wanted this (series) to happen a long time ago. We're really looking forward to it."

Parking will be at a premium on Carmel's campus so officials are encouraging fans from both schools to park at nearby Marytown along Route 176 and take Carmel's free shuttle to the stadium.

Addition by addition: Wauconda has found a quarterback who can throw the ball. Garrett Dorsey completed 9 of 15 passes for 180 yards last week in the season opener.

It's a welcome addition --not only to the passing game, but to the rushing game as well.

The Bulldogs will still get the ball into the hands of star running back Brad Wisniewski as much as possible. But they'll be able to keep him fresher and much less of a target since they can mix in some passes every now and then as well.

Last year Wisniewski was rushing the ball more than 30 times a game and was the sole focus of every defense he faced since the Bulldogs' passing game wasn't much to write home about.

"Last year, we just weren't able to throw the ball and now that we can, it's just such a big help to Brad," Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski said. "He may get a few less carries, but with the carries he does get, I think he's going to be even more productive because the entire defense won't be focused on him."

Wisniewski, who rolled up 1,735 rushing yards last year, is already on the short list of some major Division I schools. Kozlowski says he's getting contacted by teams in the Big Ten, MAC and Mountain West.

"There are some kids who already have offers," Kozlowski said. "Brad doesn't have that yet, but he's one of the lucky seniors who is being looked at pretty carefully by some major schools. They want to see his tape, they want to check in. I think he's definitely in the mix out there."

Good points: Grayslake North is still looking for its first win in school history. But there is more than just anecdotal evidence that this year's senior-laden team is much better than the one that went winless last year with absolutely no seniors on the roster.

The most points Grayslake North scored in a game last year was 13.

The Knights more than doubled that in their season opener against Lakes last week by scoring 27 points. And in that one game, they also scored more than half of the points they scored all of last season.

With 4 shutouts in the mix, Grayslake North scored a total of only 49 points in 2006.

"Even though we lost last week, there were still a lot of positives to come out of it," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "Lakes had a great season last year and they've got a great program over there. To be in that game with them, in a position to win, we're pretty happy.

"We obviously aren't the same team we were last year."

Koz and kickers: Some coaches are always on the hunt for a decent kicker -- only to never really find what they're looking for.

And then there's Glen Kozlowski, who seems to be tripping over steel-legged kickers over at Wauconda.

A few years ago, one of the Bulldogs' most potent weapons was the leg of kicker and punter Anthony Santella, who is now a punter at the University of Illinois.

Now, Kozlowski has found his next star kicker.

Senior Keith Wilson, a standout midfielder on the school's soccer team, will pull double duty this fall and also kick for the football team. And although he's never played football before, he's already become a big hit with Kozlowski.

In last week's victory over Huntley, Wilson nailed 2 field goals. They were from only 25 and 23 yards out, but they were far from gimmees.

"They were both from the far hash," Kozlowski said. "They were challenging field goals and he hit them easily. He's also been doing great on kickoffs. He can kick into the end zone, which is great for us."

Kozlowski says Wilson simply needs to remember that he is indeed needed for kickoffs.

"It's so funny because you can tell he's never played football before," Kozlowski laughed. "We're calling for the kickoff team and he's over getting a drink of water, talking with someone. I'm going to have to start yelling 'GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL' to get his attention and make him feel more comfortable."

Good fit: Some good athletes have played quarterback at Vernon Hills. But few would have been able to match current starter P.J. Marsek in one important area.

"It's his speed," Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken said. "He's one of the quickest we've ever had at this position."

And that's working out great for Vernon Hills, an option team that relies heavily on the mobility of its quarterback.

"We are a running football team," Monken said. "We look for quarterbacks who can run and P.J. is extremely quick. I don't know if he's even 160 pounds yet, but he so quick that it's hard to get a clean shot on him."

Marsek certainly seemed tough to track down in last week's win over Niles West. He rushed for 172 yards on 17 carries and scored 2 touchdowns.

The Cougars also got 151 yards and 2 touchdowns out of running back Larry Guerrero.

College ball:: There was a silver lining to last week's rainy weather for Grant coach Kurt Rous.

Because the Bulldogs' opener against Johnsburg got postponed from Friday until Saturday, he was able to do some advance scout work on tonight's Week 2 opponent, Grayslake Central, in person.

He was thankful for the rare opportunity, because not only does Grayslake Central have a brand new coach that no one has any film on, but the offense he runs is very unique to the area.

Central coach Nick Goshe grew up in Ohio, stayed there to play college ball at Division III power Mount Union College and eventually joined the staff as an assistant coach after he graduated.

He has implemented the Mount Union offense at Grayslake Central.

"It's very different from what we're used to seeing," Rous said. "For example, we do a lot of angles and smoke and mirrors with our option and they come right at you with straight dives. They also do a lot of play action, a lot of passing. It seems like they do more passing than running.

"It's a very distinct offense, very much a college-style offense. We've never seen anything like it. I just hope our guys aren't in awe of it."

Hello again: It's always good to get a little help from your friends -- especially when they know the ins and outs of your offense as well as you do.

So when new Antioch coach Brian Glashagel makes his calls to the coaches at Carmel each week, he's multi-tasking.

"I talk to guys like (Carmel offensive line coach) Ben Burg all the time," Glashagel said. "I mean, I would call him any way just because he's such a good friend. But it's also great because if we're having a problem with a certain play, or if there's just something I have a question about, they're the ones to ask."

After all, Glashagel modeled his offense after Carmel's extremely potent triple option. One of his coaching stops before landing the job at Antioch was as an assistant at Carmel. He was there for 10 years, including the Corsairs' state championship season in 2003.

"I really like the offense, but it also happens to be a great match with our players," said Glashagel, whose team got him a win last week in his coaching debut by rushing the ball for 263 yards. "I think that's why we've had success with it already.

"We have some really fast backs in Dan Larson, Steve Lorenzi, Cameron White, Ken Karagiorgas and Matt Romani. I think this offense is perfect for them."