Week 3 Tri Cities football preview

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."

Private School

Aurora Christian (2-0) at Rockford Christian Life (1-1)

Game time: 7 p.m. today

Last year: Aurora Christian 42, Rockford Christian Life 6.

Last week: Aurora Christian 35, St. Edward 33; Rockford Christian Life 32, Christian 19.

Players to watch: Quarterback Jordan Roberts is always the player to watch for the way he leads the Eagles' offense. Last week, he came up with a huge hit on defense to force a fumble and deny St. Edward a chance at a late score and possible victory. Roberts is up to his usual tricks offensively with 400 yards and 4 TDs, and he could add many more yards and touchdowns to those totals tonight. Sophomore Matt Morse has been his favorite target through two games with 11 catches for 159 yards, while Michael Friend and John Smith both have 7 receptions.

Outlook: This will be Rockford Christian's Life first game against someone outside their own city after starting the season with a 24-7 loss to Rockford Lutheran.

Bottom line: This matchup hasn't been very competitive in recent years. Playing two Suburban Catholic Conference teams the past two weeks should prove a great way to prepare Aurora Christian for another successful run in the Private School League.

Luther South (0-2, 0-0) at Wheaton Academy (1-1, 0-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m., today, Wheaton College.

Last year: Did not play.

Last week: Mooseheart 26, Luther South 12; Genoa-Kingston 50, Wheaton Academy 7.

Outlook: After Wheaton Academy returned to football with a bang in its opener the Warriors were brought down to earth. Though athletic at the quarterback and wideout spots, Week 3 foe Luther South will offer a more level playing field as the Warriors enter conference play. Execution and toughness on the line of scrimmage is the goal, giving quarterback Brian Pell a chance at hitting receivers Anthony Ritchie and Jake Jones in stride. A defense that allowed Genoa-Kingston 400 first-half yards will be bolstered by the addition of 6-8, 290-pound tackle Karl Ellis.

Upstate Eight

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.