Lake County football previews, Week 3
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
Warren (0-2) at Libertyville (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Warren lost to Maine South 40-13; Libertyville lost to Carmel 9-6
Outlook: Warren is staring at an 0-3 record for the first time since 1998, when the Blue Devils started the season with losses to Buffalo Grove, Bremen and Stevenson. They finished by winning 4 of their remaining 6 games that season. In order to pull off the upset tonight, Warren needs to play much better defensively than it did against a good Maine South team last Saturday, when the Hawks busted out to a 40-0 lead by halftime. The Blue Devils got second-half touchdowns from Darrien Pitts (1-yard run) and Ryan Maguire (21-yard pass from Zach Shaw). Greg Kennedy rushed 13 times for 50 yards (3.8 average). For the second week in a row, Libertyville held its opponent to single-digit points, but the Wildcats need to turn it up a notch on offense. The defense has allowed only 1 touchdown, but the Wildcats have scored only 2 themselves, both on Opening Night against Barrington. Libertyville's ground game struggled against Carmel, netting only 61 yards on 21 attempts.
Lake Zurich (1-1) at Stevenson (0-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Lake Zurich def. East Aurora, 65-0; Stevenson lost to Glenbrook South, 21-14.
Outlook: Looks can be deceiving and so can records. That's the biggest point about Stevenson that Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz is trying to drive home to his players. The Patriots may be winless, but they've played two of the better teams in the state. Week 1 opponent Loyola is ranked No. 7 in Class 8A while Glenbrook South, which escaped with a 7-point victory when Stevenson lost a fumble just 2 yards outside the end zone with a minute to play, is No. 10 in Class 8A. "I don't think Stevenson's record is indicative of what kind of team they are at all," Stortz said. "That team has a lot of really good skill players and linemen and the coaches there always do a great job of preparing those kids."... A total of three lost fumbles crippled Stevenson against Glenbrook South. Otherwise, the Patriots were solid. They ran for 118 yards, thanks to 114 from Steven Haynes alone. Quarterback Zach Wujcik also put together a solid effort. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 160 yards...While Stevenson has been fairly balanced so far this season, Lake Zurich is going heavy on the run. Last week, the Bears rolled up 317 total yards of offense -- 289 of which came on the ground. Interestingly, not one player for Lake Zurich had more than 42 rushing yards. It's been rushing by committee among Dan Kalcsics, Jon Janus and Adam Simpson. "All of those guys are very, very quick," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "The good thing is, our defense is pretty quick. Except for a few plays, we've been real happy with how our defense has been playing."
NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVER
Round Lake (1-1) at Mundelein (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Round Lake def. Maine East, 40-6; Mundelein lost to Waukegan, 19-7.
Outlook: Neither Round Lake nor Mundelein has given up too many points this season. Round Lake's defense is allowing 13 points per game while Mundelein is at 16 points per game. "We're pretty stingy -- and we're a lot better at that than last year," Mundelein coach Dave Whitson said. "Last year in the first two games, we gave up 45 and 49 points. Defense has been one of our strengths this season." The Mustangs will have their hands full this week with a Round Lake offense that got 208 rushing yards from a single player (Ray Bryant) and scored 2 touchdowns on passing plays. Wide receiver Jerome Brown had both touchdown catches and totaled 49 receiving yards on 3 catches. "Round Lake is a really good football team right now," Whitson said. "They've got a lot of weapons. They're fast and they've got great backs." ... The Mustangs aren't too shabby in the rushing department themselves. Mundelein got 93 rushing yards out of Brian Arnold last week. But Mundelein was hampered by costly penalties and mistakes last week that came at the most inopportune times. "We would convert on a third-and-20 and then we'd fumble," Whitson said. "We can't let the momentum change like that."
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
Antioch (2-0) at Grant (2-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Antioch def. Grayslake North, 34-23; Grant def. Grayslake Central, 35-7.
Outlook: This is tonight's only matchup between unbeatens in Lake County and that has people talking. "The kids are saying that they've heard even more people than usual are planning on being out at the game," Grant coach Kurt Rous said. "I can't remember the last time we played anyone where we were both 2-0." Grant hasn't started 2-0 since 2001. That season the Bulldogs shot out to a 4-0 record with victories over Warren and Libertyville in Weeks 3 and 4...Grant's strong start this year can be attributed to a balanced offense that rolled up 371 yards last week. Wide receiver Tom Bychowski has been red hot to start the season. He caught 10 passes in each of the first two games and he's also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each game. With 115 yards going to Bychowski last week, quarterback Pavel Zurkowski tallied 142 passing yards overall. He completed 13 of 24 passes. On the ground, the Bulldogs are also potent. Izzy Rodriguez rushed for 125 yards last week. "We've got to stop their running game, but we can't just focus only on that," said Antioch coach Brian Glashagel, whose team runs an option offense similar to Grant's. "They're going to be running and running and then all of a sudden try to go deep on us with that really good receiver (Bychowski)."...Antioch's option offense is much more straightforward. The Sequoits are all about the run. Last week against Grayslake North, they rolled up 401 yards on the ground alone. Quarterback Matt Romani finished with 132 yards while backs Cameron White and Dan Larsen tallied 124 yards and 90 yards respectively. "Matt is really turning into a leader back there and we've just got a lot of speed in our backs," Glashagel said. "I also think a big key is that our offensive line is starting to get a lot of confidence. They're starting to feel like they can take over the line of scrimmage."
Lakes (1-1) at Vernon Hills (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Lakes lost to Crystal Lake Central, 28-21; Vernon Hills lost to Highland Park, 19-15.
Outlook: Both Lakes and Vernon Hills were extremely close to entering this game with spotless 2-0 records. Lakes scored in the waning seconds last week and then tried on on-side kick but time ran out. And Vernon Hills was on the wrong side of a back-and-forth game. "We're excited to get into conference and see what we can get going there," Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. "Vernon Hills is one of the best teams in the conference. I remember last year, they gave us fits with their defense. And they were very physical with us. I anticipate the same kind of game plan this year." The Vernon Hills defense must contend with a Lakes team that is not afraid to throw the ball. Quarterback Randy Ratajczyk completed 21-of-31 passes for 267 yards last week. His top target this season has been Kevin Guirand, who hauled in 8 passes for 153 yards last week. "They've got a lot of nice athletes at wide receiver," Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken said of Lakes. "And their quarterback is a good passer, but he can also run with the ball. They give you a lot of different looks offensively." Vernon Hills, on the other hand, is very much run-oriented. But when pressed, the Cougars can also throw the ball quite well. Quarterback P.J. Marsek completed 10-of-22 passes for 138 yards last week. Receiver Herman Lynn caught 5 of those passes for 70 yards. Marsek is also a major threat on the ground. "(Marsek) is a really fast kid," Mertens said. "Vernon Hills runs the ball really well. Option football is always tough to stop. We're going to have to be very disciplined defensively."
Wauconda (2-0) at North Chicago (1-1)
When: 7 p.m., today
Last week: Wauconda def. Marengo, 56-7; North Chicago lost to Simeon, 9-8.
Outlook: Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski is pretty sure North Chicago has set its alarm for this game. "They won't be asleep this time," Kozlowski said. "That won't happen this year. They're well aware of us this year." Last season in Week 4, the Bulldogs pulled off a 26-22 upset victory over North Chicago, which has consistently been one of the top teams in the North Suburban Prairie Division. "They're the elite team in the Prairie," Kozlowski confirmed. "They've got kids with size, kids with speed. Every year it seems like they have at least several Division-I caliber players. This year, they've been using two quarterbacks and they're both good. They throw the ball extremely well." Wauconda, meanwhile, has shown the ability to throw or run the ball. Quarterback Garrett Dorsey couldn't have been much more proficient last week. He went 5-for-5 with 181 passing yards. His top target was Davis Mills, who caught 4 passes for 156 yards. On the ground, the Bulldogs got yet another top-notch performance out of Brad Wisniewski, who rolled up 96 yards last week on just 11 carries. "We are staying very balanced and we like that," Kozlowski said. "Garrett is moving very well and every week he gets more confident. The way he's playing really helps Brad because defenses can't key on him this year like they did last year."
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
Marian Catholic (2-0) at Carmel Catholic (1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Marian Catholic d. Bloom 27-14; Carmel d. Libertyville 9-6
Outlook: Marian Catholic has followed up last year's 7-4 season by winning its first two games, including a 34-28 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor on Opening Night. Marian Catholic blitzed Bloom in the battle of Chicago Heights last Friday night by scoring 27 consecutive points. Blazing Trojans running back Malcolm Allen scored on a pair of short runs and kicker Dan Roque booted field goals of 23 and 27 yards. Allen rushed for 147 yards on 29 carries, while Brandon Sherman gained 102 yards on 11 carries. Carmel has scored just 1 touchdown in each of its first two games -- both by quarterback David Venegoni -- but the Corsairs' option attack has moved the football. Carmel is averaging 245 yards per game on the ground, with Venegoni's 141 rushing yards leading the team. Mike Taylor and Geoffrey Fields have rushed for 125 and 116 yards, respectively.
FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE
Grayslake Central (0-2) at Crystal Lake South (2-0)
When: 7:45 p.m. today
Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Grant 35-7; Crystal Lake South d. Glenbard North 15-13
Outlook: Grayslake Central effectively utilized the swing pass against Grant in the first half last Friday night, but the Rams had trouble getting on the field after halftime, and when they did, they were playing catch-up and couldn't move the ball. First-year head coach Nick Goshe started senior Greg Bey at quarterback for the second straight week, but in the fourth quarter he had Bey at wide receiver with Kevin O'Rourke at QB. O'Rourke caught 2 first-half passes for first downs. Defensively, the Rams couldn't contain Grant quarterback Pavel Zurkowski (88 rushing yards, 142 passing yards), nor running back Israel Rodriguez (125 rushing yards, 3 TDs). Tonight, Grayslake Central faces a Crystal Lake South team that looks headed to the state playoffs for the seventh year in a row. The Gators opened the season with a 37-23 win over Crete-Monee.
Grayslake North (0-2) at Cary-Grove (1-1)
When: 7:45 p.m. today
Last week: Grayslake North lost to Antioch 34-23; Cary-Grove lost to Prairie Ridge 16-14
Outlook: Cary-Grove won't be in a good mood after seeing its 29-game regular-season winning streak come to an end. The Trojans opened the season by beating St. Charles North 16-9. Grayslake North was competitive against both Lakes and Antioch, and with a little luck could be 2-0, or at least 1-1. Knights hard-running senior Robbie Nesbitt rushed 19 times for 106 yards against Antioch, after gaining 145 yards on 16 carries against Lakes. Against Antioch, quarterback Nick Harrington threw for 191 yards (10 of 22) and a touchdown. Stephan Kalina and Jimmy Butler were his top targets with 4 and 3 receptions, respectively. Defensively for Grayslake North, linebacker Steve Palade was in on 14 tackles.