Scouting Week 3 in the Fox Valley area

Aurora Central Catholic (0-2) at St. Edward (0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Greg True Field

Last week: Aurora Christian 35, St. Edward 33; Harvard 33, Aurora Central 14

Last year: Aurora Central 41, St. Edward 28

Outlook: Is this the week St. Edward gets its elusive victory? The Green Wave have dropped 22 straight games dating back to the 2004 season, when they posted a 45-14 victory against the very same Chargers from Aurora Central. But this St. Edward team is much improved from the two previous squads responsible for the bulk of that losing streak. In two games the older, wiser, Wave has averaged 37 points, losing both by a combined total of just 7 points. "I think we've made a ton of improvement," third-year coach Mike Rolando said. "(The players) need to get over the hump with a victory to realize they are as good as they are." As for the streak? "I don't know if the streak bothers anyone," Rolando added. "I wouldn't trade the 20 losses I've been a part of here for anything because we had to rebuild this program from scratch and we did it with kids who were loyal to St. Ed's, loyal to this program. I'll always remember the five seniors on this team for sticking it out with us." Versatile senior running back Matt Ardiente has rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries with 8 receptions for 80 yards and another score. Senior quarterback Ryan Gilbert has completed 18-of-40 pass attempts for 204 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions. The St. Edward defense will have its hands full with ACC quarterback Mike Adams, who last week in a loss to Harvard threw for 231 yards and 1 touchdown. His top target is Mark Adams, who caught 8 of those passes for 136 yards and a score. "They run well with their quarterback and running back in that spread formation," Rolando said."

Bartlett (1-1) at Larkin (0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Memorial Field

Last week: Bartlett 33, Oswego 22; Jacobs 75, Larkin 58

Last year: Larkin 22, Bartlett 21

Outlook: Tonight's Upstate Eight Conference opener between the Bartlett Hawks and the Larkin Royals at Elgin's Memorial Field is a rematch of one of the most exciting games of 2006, when Larkin overcame a 21-6 fourth-quarter deficit to win 22-21 behind quarterback Cam Kinley's 2 touchdowns in the final minutes. Kinley has picked up where he left off in 2007. The area's leading passer by a mile after two weeks, the senior has already thrown for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns, including last week's monster game against Jacobs in which he completed 21-of-38 passes for 463 yards and 7 scores en route to 58 Larkin points. "Obviously, they are very talented on offense and we have our work cut out for us," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said of the Royals. "Our (defensive backs) improved from the first game to the second game. They definitely have a challenge ahead of them. We have to try to score more points than they do. That's going to be very difficult." Maybe. Maybe not. The Larkin defense allowed 75 points, mainly because it surrendered 618 yards rushing to Jacobs. The Royals have allowed 141 points in two losses. How Bartlett attacks the vulnerable Larkin defense is the big question. The Hawks are coming off a 33-22 win against Oswego, a quality win against a perennial playoff team in which they rushed for 236 yards, led by junior running back Fabian Libreri's 208 yards on 16 carries. But unlike past Bartlett teams, these Hawks have shown the ability to throw the ball. In a Week 1 loss at Glenbard North, junior quarterback Josh Hasenberg (6-foot-1, 185) threw for 364 yards and a touchdown. Larkin coach Dave Bierman expects Bartlett to target the Royals front seven early and often with the rushing game. "I would think they'd try to muscle us," Bierman said. "The last two weeks teams have been able to run against us, so I would expect Bartlett to use the pass as a compliment to the run." Bartlett is a young team overall but a talented one. The Hawks start 16 juniors and return just two starters on defense from last season. That defense, which has allowed 57 points in two games, figures to get its best test of the young season tonight.

St. Charles North (0-2) at Streamwood (0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Millennium Field

Last week: McHenry 20, St. Charles North 13; Dundee-Crown 49, Streamwood 14

Last year: St. Charles North 44, Streamwood 7

Outlook: The Sabres took it on the chin from a program against which they felt they could compete in Dundee-Crown, but the emotion-filled Chargers had other ideas. D-C exploited the Streamwood run defense for 283 yards rushing. Offensively, look for the North Stars to hold the football a little tighter and a little safer. They fumbled the ball six times and lost three of them in last week's loss to McHenry. Quarterback Nick Neari had a breakthrough performance throwing the ball last week, but he also lost two fumbles. Neari completed 30-of-52 passes for 347 yards. Where the North Stars should be able to find success tonight is on the ground, where they've struggled this season. They need to get the running game in gear and it should happen against a Streamwood team that has given up 83 points. Neari (25 rushes, 57 yards), Kyle Harmon (13 rushes, 25 yards), Nic Higgins (7 rushes, 17 yards) and Colton Hinrichs (7 rushes, 4 yards) should have opportunities to work their way thought the Sabres' defense. Wide receiver Jonathan DeMoss is expected to return to the lineup after being injured the past couple weeks. Tim Janeway had a big fumble recovery last week that gave the North Stars a chance to almost come back. Perhaps he can make a big play early in this one to help propel the North Stars to their first victory of 2007. The injury bug has hurt Streamwood already as wide receiver Derrick King and starting quarterback Noel Rivera have missed some time. Gabe Roman took over for Rivera last week. The North Stars have dominated the Sabres, having beaten them five straight years after losing their first meeting during their inaugural season. After losing by 7 points in their first two games this fall, the North Stars aren't going to take anyone lightly -- even a Streamwood team that's been outscored by almost 50 points. "Defensively we've played pretty well," North Stars coach Mark Gould said. "Against Cary-Grove we had a few missed assignments and last week we didn't play as aggressive or hit as hard in the first half but we played much better in the second half."

Elgin (1-1) at Kankakee (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Kankakee

Last week: West Aurora 21, Elgin 13; Kankakee 18, Shepard 0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: A near miss last week against West Aurora has the Maroons hungry for a second nonconference win prior to the next week's Upstate Eight Conference opener against South Elgin. Elgin worked hard on special teams this week after that phase of the game broke down in Week 2. West Aurora returned a punt for a touchdown, notched a long kickoff return and recovered two errant long snaps to gain favorable field position. "We really feel our special teams need to be shored up quickly," Elgin coach Tom Kim said. "On film we've got kids jogging, not executing their assignments. We harped during two-a-days that special teams would win and lose games for us, so we have to improve immediately." Two areas where Kim has been pleasantly surprised thus far are the offensive line and at linebacker. The Elgin defense revolves around its five athletic linebackers: Kenny Williams, Jamal Cook, Robert Hayes, Cody Thomas and Ben Harris, but a key figure not to be overlooked is senior nose guard Terrell Walker. "Terrell's been the catalyst; It all starts with him," Kim said. Defensive back Tom Bauers made a one-handed interception last week despite having his broken hand in a cast. The Maroons will try to stop Kankakee running back Jalon Banks, who ran for 190 yards last week against Shepard, mostly out of the I-formation. He has 230 yards in two games. The Kays are quarterbacked by junior Charles Smith (5-10). Kankakee coach Cornell Middlebrook said his team must play physically to beat Elgin. "Compared to the first week (a 20-14 loss to Bradley-Bourbonnais) we were much more physical up front against Shepard. "Most of our linemen have never played football before, so they got a good game under their belts and worked hard on their assignments last week. Elgin's offense has a lot of speed, and (running back Kenny) Williams can run you over or make you miss, so we are emphasizing wrapping him up. We have to have 11 players running to the football defensively." Linebacker Mario Bailey is Kankakee's leading tackler.

East Aurora (0-2) at South Elgin (0-2)

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Millennium Field

Last week: Geneva 29, South Elgin 12; Lake Zurich 65, East Aurora 0

Last year: East Aurora 30, South Elgin 20

Outlook: The Tomcats edged the Storm last season for their only win. South Elgin, which is itching for its first victory as a varsity program, would like nothing better than to earn its first win at the 'Cats' expense. "There were a few things that happened in this game last year that I can guarantee will pick up the competitive spirit on our side," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "I know the guys are really looking forward to it." Said East Aurora coach Bill Bryant: "I don't think it was a situation where it was a player vs. player type of thing. It was just a matter of they were a young program that had a chance to beat us, but we came up with big plays and got some big calls. This year we know they are a team to be reckoned with. They are a good team with a lot of good skill people." One of those skilled players for the Storm, junior receiver Josh Smith, will miss this week and likely next week's game against Elgin with a leg injury after he was twisted up in a pileup. But wide receiver is South Elgin's deepest position. East Aurora was decimated last week by Lake Zurich, a game McCarty scheduled because "to learn how to be the best, you have to play great competition." The Tomcats will compete without tailback Michael Turner, who has an unspecified leg injury. One player that will be in the lineup is Robert McGowan, who gave the Storm fits last year by snaring 4 interceptions and running back a kickoff for a touchdown.

Burlington Central (1-1) at Byron (0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Byron High School

Last week: Burlington Central 35, Sycamore 21; Rock Island Alleman 29, Byron 20

Last year: Burlington Central 49, Byron 19 (second round of Class 4A playoffs)

Outlook: It's definitely a different look at Byron this season, including the Tigers' first 0-2 start since 1992. "I would say we're a little stunned by being 0-2," said fourth-year Byron coach Ben Dalton. "There's some pride and character being tested here. Your character is kind of exposed when you're 0-2." Long a program that thrived on its smashmouth running game, Dalton has instituted a spread out shotgun style this year. "People are wondering about it," he quipped. "I'm getting some e-mails, that's for sure. But with the skill people we have this year we decided to spread it out some this year." Don't think that Byron's 0-2 start has been against weak sisters. The Tigers, who haven't had a losing season since 1992, opened with a 29-6 loss to a Germantown, Wis., school that would be Class 6A in Illinois. "It wouldn't matter how many times we played them, we'd lose," Dalton said. Then came last week's 29-20 setback to Rock Island Alleman, which had opened the season with a loss to six-time state champ Driscoll. "Alleman was good but we made too many mistakes in that game," Dalton said. "That's a game we could have won." Byron was penalized 9 times for 75 yards and had 4 turnovers against Alleman. The Tigers were led offensively by junior QB David Boyle, who was 15 of 30 for 231 yards. Junior Brady Scheffler caught 5 passes for 98 yards. Junior Kyle Smith led the ground game with 91 yards in 10 carries. Dalton knows his team will have to play solid defense against Burlington Central, which came back from a 21-7 halftime deficit last week to beat Sycamore. "They did a real nice job," Dalton said. "That was a real nice comeback." Dalton says the key to his team beating the Rockets tonight will be to contain speedy BC quarterback Dan Hagberg, a senior who led the comeback last week by rushing for 269 yards -- 255 in the second half -- and 3 touchdowns. "They run the football very well and they have a quarterback who is a state qualifying hurdler. He's very fast and he's a game-breaker. He busts tackles and nobody can catch him. We'll have to keep him contained. The fullback (Greg Dickson) and the Wagner kid (Jason) are good athletes but the quarterback, he's a game-breaker." On the other side of the ball, BC coach Aaron Wichman knows Byron is not your typical 0-2 team. But having seen spread offenses against Kaneland and Sycamore the last two weeks, the task of preparing for Byron's new offense becomes a little easier. "They're a little different than the Byron of old in that they're spreading it out and throwing the ball more but they're similar to what we've seen in Kaneland and Sycamore," Wichman said. "We played real well on both sides of the ball last week and now this week we have to be consistent for the whole game. It does help that we've seen spread offenses the first two weeks and our run defense improved against Sycamore so we're confident going in this week."

Hampshire (2-0) at Genoa-Kingston (2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. today at Genoa-Kingston Stadium

Last week: Hampshire 35, Winnebago 19; Genoa-Kingston 50, Wheaton Academy 7

Last year: Hampshire 20, Genoa-Kingston 18

Outlook: This Big Northern Conference crossover matches two of the league's three remaining unbeatens. Richmond-Burton is the other. Hampshire got its running game in gear last week as junior fullback Joe Moore ran for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns against Winnebago. He has 297 yards and 5 TDs this season. "I was happy we were able to get our run game going," said Whip-Purs coach Dan Cavanaugh. "We need that balance on offense because Genoa-Kingston has a real good core group back from last year and they gave us all we could handle physically last year. They've won their first two games 92-7, so I'm expecting the same this year." The Cogs put 35 points on the board last week in the second quarter of a blowout against first-year program Wheaton Academy. Quarterback Chris Wilkins completed 4-of-7 passes for 145 yards. Three of his passes went for touchdowns. Tailback Kevin Billington added 142 yards on 10 carries and scored twice in G-K's variation of the wing-T offense. "They run with a lot of off-set backs and run some cross buck," Cavanaugh said. "In fact, it's a little like looking at ourselves. They are a balanced team that likes to run and throw, but they'll shove (Billington) down your throat until they can't or don't have to." Hampshire's offense has threats in quarterback Trace Teboda (17 of 33, 283 yards) and tight end T.J. Burzak (9 catches, 164 yards, 4 TDs).

Prairie Ridge (2-0) at McHenry (2-0)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at McCracken Field

Last week: Prairie Ridge 16, Cary-Grove 14; McHenry 20, St. Charles North 13

Last year: Prairie Ridge 43, McHenry 35

Outlook: No letdowns. That was the theme at Wolves practices this week after last Friday's game-winning 42-yard field goal by Cullen Fahey ended Cary-Grove's 29-game regular-season winning streak. "It's been a matter of talking to the guys about staying focused," Wolves coach Chris Schremp said. "It was a great win, but in the grand scheme we didn't win anything other than one game. We didn't win conference and we didn't win state. If we go ahead and lose to McHenry, how much does the win against Cary mean? I think our guys have gotten the message." Shremp is concerned with McHenry's wing-t offense, which includes athletic receiver Mark D'Angelo, who has 6 receptions for 128 yards and 1 touchdown. Senior running back Mark Iglesia has rushed for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a pair last week in a win at St. Charles North. A week earlier the Warriors put up 66 points and 657 yards against Larkin. PR answers with rushers Sam Campbell (30 carries, 180 yards, 3 TDs) and scat back Joe Rategan (22-141-1). The Wolves are a team that knows who they are after important wins at Jacobs and against Cary-Grove. "We saw some good senior leadership from our guys with the chips down and us losing against Cary," Schremp said. "We had guys step up and make some plays under pressure both offensively and defensively. That was great to see and it wasn't something we always had last year."

Huntley (1-1) at Woodstock (1-1)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at Larry Dale Field

Last week: Huntley 33, Elmwood Park 6; Glenbrook North 13, Woodstock 6

Last year: Huntley 14, Woodstock 13

Outlook: The way Huntley coach Steve Graves tells the story of last year's 1-point win over the Blue Streaks, the Red Raiders should have all gone out and bought lottery tickets after the game. "We had Lady Luck on our side when we completed a long pass late in the game," Graves said. "If it wasn't for that, they would have won the football game. We knew we were a little bit lucky there and I hope we're lucky again this year." The play Graves spoke of was a 47-yard pass play from quarterback Casey Popenfoose to Nick Naranjo that set up Dan Clayton's game-winning catch on a 15-yard slant. Scoring against Woodstock's defense will be much tougher sledding than Huntley experienced against Elmwood Park. Woodstock coach Steve Beard puts his best athletes on defense. "The strength of our team right now is defense," said Beard of a unit that limited Hoffman Estates and Glenbrook North to 27 combined points. "Then we concentrate on special teams, then offense." Huntley's defensive weakness thus far has been the deep pass. The Raiders have to keep Woodstock junior quarterback Derek Brown (1,079 yards as a sophomore) from going deep while simultaneously containing running back Cole Freund, who rushed for 130 yards on 24 carries last week. "First, you have to take away the deep pass," Graves said. "Our first concern is that our corners and safeties have to do a lot better job of defending the deep pass because we know they're going to take their shots down the field. The second thing is, of course, (Freund) is very quick. When you study him on film, he's not only quick, but he runs very tough like a fullback. He has a great combination of speed and quickness and isn't afraid to run straight ahead and lower his pads." Woodstock is averaging 4 turnovers a game.

Johnsburg (0-2) at Jacobs (1-1)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at Jacobs Athletic Field

Last week: Jacobs 75, Larkin 58; Richmond-Burton 20, Johnsburg 10

Last year: Jacobs 32, Johnsburg 6

Outlook: The cheerleaders stopped doing push-ups to count off Jacobs' points after the Golden Eagles scored their fifth touchdown of the game midway through the second quarter last Friday against Larkin. "Being the considerate guy I am, I wanted to give our cheerleaders some more upper body strength," joked Jacobs coach Dean Schlueter of the final point total. "We did some things on offense better than we did against Prairie Ridge in Week 1, that's for sure." This week the Eagles face another team with a hard-to-stop receiver: C.J. Fiedorowicz (6-7, 225), who has 11 catches for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Skyhawks are quarterbacked by junior Jerad Grundy, but they are having trouble punching the ball in for scores once in the red zone. Last week against Richmond-Burton, Johnsburg drove into enemy territory 7 times but scored 10 points and twice failed to score after broaching the 10-yard line. Sophomore running back Justin Peete ran for 110 yards. "I think they're a pretty good team," Schlueter said of Johnsburg. "They've played a couple of tough opponents and gotten some bad breaks. I think they're a lot better than their record. They are a scrappy, hard-nosed team on both sides of the ball, and they have some weapons that can hurt you in Fiedorowicz and the sophomore tailback. Grundy has a good arm and is poised back there." Jacobs has poise, too. Running back Darius Bowers is coming off a phenomenal performance in which he ran for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns and caught an 80-yard scoring pass. Johnsburg hasn't started 0-2 since 2001. Jacobs expects to get defensive lineman/linebacker Tyler Gehr (6-5, 224) back from injury this week.

Crystal Lake Central (2-0) at Dundee-Crown (1-1)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at the D-C Bowl

Last week: Dundee-Crown 49, Streamwood 14; Crystal Lake Central 28, Lakes 21

Last year: Crystal Lake Central 35, Dundee-Crown 0

Outlook: Dundee-Crown enjoyed a laugher last week and, boy, did it feel good. One Dundee-Crown parent approached coach Mike Davis after the 49-14 victory and said, "It's been a long time since we had one of these." The trick now is keeping the ball rolling against a team that blew the Chargers out last season. Newfound confidence from a victory should help. "We've talked about not being satisfied with just 1 win," Davis said. "We brought up the fact that Central was more physical than we were last year and pushed us around." The teams already have a common opponent in Streamwood. D-C beat the Sabres 49-14 in Week 2; CL Central beat Streamwood 34-21 on the road in the season opener. The Tigers run a variation of the wing-t offense. They didn't throw a pass last week against Lakes. Their offense features junior fullback Anthony Degani, who has rushed for 237 yards and 5 touchdowns in two weeks. "He's a stud," Davis said. "Their wingbacks are quick and they'll run it down your throat. Their defense is aggressive and they'll hit you. They are physical, so this should be a good game. I'd be very disappointed if we don't come out and give them everything we've got." The Chargers' 1-2 punch of running backs Matt Cutinello and Ian Salvatini combined last week for 237 yards and 6 touchdowns on 30 carries. "I think Dundee-Crown is better than they were last year based upon the films we've seen," Tigers coach Jon McLaughlin said. "They have been playing with more emotion than they have in the past. They are getting off the ball better and staying on their blocks. They aren't fancy -- just here-it-comes kind of football." The Chargers' running game gets a tougher test in the Tigers, who last week held Lakes to 102 yards rushing.

Grayslake North (0-2) at Cary-Grove (1-1)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at Al Bohrer Stadium

Last week: Prairie Ridge 16, Cary-Grove 14; Antioch 34, Grayslake North 23

Last year: Cary-Grove 68, Grayslake North 0

Outlook: Cary-Grove's regular-season winning streak is over at 29 games after losing to Prairie Ridge, and the Trojans have areas to address, according to their coach. "We felt we didn't tackle well," Bruce Kay said. "We didn't execute on offense the way we needed to and we had too many penalties. We're disappointed in our performance and we're not accepting anything than our best performance." Kay said two mistakes typified the Trojans' lack of execution at PR last Friday: a pitch to the ground by the quarterback that went for a turnover on a play Kay said could have gone for a touchdown, and a botched hold on a field goal that gave Prairie Ridge excellent field position. "That lack of execution cost us dramatically, so did three holding calls and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty," Kay said. The Trojans lost offensive guard John Carroll (6-2, 242) to an injured leg. He'll likely be replaced by junior Brandon Coleman (6-3, 245). 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. "They are certainly an improved team from last year," Kay said. "They have quite a bit of athletic talent and some kids with some size who can run. Last year they were a new team that was intimidated and everything was new. We know it will be a different team this year."

Grayslake Central (0-2) at Crystal Lake South (2-0)

When: 7:45 p.m. today at Ken Bruhn Field

Last week: Crystal Lake South 15, Glenbard North 13; Grant 35, Grayslake Central 7

Last year: Crystal Lake South 55, Grayslake Central 12

Outlook: The injury bug has struck South for the third straight season. Division-I offensive line prospect Alex Misialek (6-4, 315) is lost for the year after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee last week. "I saw it happen right in front of me and I knew he was gone for the season," Gators coach Jim Stuglis said. "He was even wearing a knee brace and the brace snapped when he was rolled up on. Typical Alex, instead of being a lazy lineman, he was downfield trying to pick up an extra block." Senior linebacker Chris Reuter is also expected to miss tonight's game with a deep bone bruise. The Gators, ranked No. 3 in Class 7A, aren't taking the Rams lightly. "They play hard," Stuglis said of Grayslake Central. "They just haven't come out on top and won. We need to stay focused on what we do well and play at our level every time we take the field." 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.