Football: Lake County Week 4 previews
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
Warren (1-2, 1-0) at Lake Zurich (2-1, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Warren d. Libertyville, 32-17; Lake Zurich d. Stevenson, 16-7.
Outlook: This might seem almost like a home game for Warren, which is already very familiar with Lake Zurich's field. In Week 1, the Blue Devils played New Trier at Lake Zurich since New Trier's field was flooded and unplayable after a storm. The Blue Devils, who lost that game, are hoping for a better outcome, but know they'll face another formidable opponent. Lake Zurich has won its last two games thanks to a potent rushing attack that features Adam Simpson and Jon Janus, and a stingy defense. Because of players like Brent Marks, Tyler Lafontaine, Wade Self, John Brewer, Tony Pecho and Will Koukal, the Bears have given up only 7 points over the last two weeks. "That's a very good football team," Warren coach Dave Mohapp said of Lake Zurich. "They have a lot of weapons. They've got their offense moving and their defense is really tough."...Warren also favors a punishing rushing attack. Sophomore Greg Kennedy has been sensational in his varsity debut. Last week, he rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. "That kid can move," Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said of Kennedy. "He's very explosive. They've got a lot of speed on offense and their offensive line has improved since the beginning of the season. They're tough."...Warren has another weapon in kicker Steve Fox, who nailed four field goals against Libertyville...Lake Zurich fullback Dan Kalcsics is questionable for this game. He underwent tests for mononucleosis earlier this week.
Mundelein (2-1, 1-0) at Lake Forest (3-0, 1-0)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Last week: Mundelein d. Round Lake, 48-29; Lake Forest d. Zion-Benton, 26-6.
Outlook: Lake Forest will break in its new football stadium, which is located at its west campus at Route 60 and Waukegan Road. Along with its new digs, the Scouts have a sparkling record and are playing some of the best football of fifth-year coach Chuck Spagnoli's tenure. "Things are going pretty well right now," Spagnoli said. "Our defense has been playing outstanding. That's been the key to our success. We've been forcing turnovers and keeping teams out of the end zone." Spagnoli says that the Scouts have forced at least 10 turnovers in the first three games and that it all starts with a very capable defensive line, which includes Addison Sadewater, Scott Covert, Nick Garafoulis and Alex Baranewski...Mundelein's big, bruising offensive line should be up to the challenge. The Mustangs have been moving the ball well lately. They rolled up 286 yards on the ground against Round Lake and had enough time to throw the ball effectively. Quarterback Mike Petlak completed 5-of-7 passes for 123 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kennedy. "We had a pretty good game last week," Mundelein coach Dave Whitson said. "Just about everything was working. The kids are really starting to believe in themselves." Defensively, the Mustangs have got to believe that if they stop Lake Forest's run-oriented offense, which features backs Greg Friedman and Miles Smith, they'll be in good shape. However, the Scouts also get a lot of yardage out of passes to 6-foot-6 receiver Kevin Finney.
Zion-Benton (1-2, 0-1) at Stevenson (0-3, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Zion-Benton lost to Lake Forest 26-6; Stevenson lost to Lake Zurich 16-7
Outlook: Stevenson finally plays an unranked team, but don't expect the Patriots to take anyone lightly at this point of the season. Stevenson, which is seeking its 19th straight playoff berth, has opened with losses to Loyola (ranked sixth in the AP Class 8A poll), Glenbrook South (ninth in Class 8A) and Lake Zurich (second in Class 7A). Those three teams are a combined 8-1. Stevenson needs to establish a running game. The Patriots were limited to 75 rushing yards against Lake Zurich. Steven Haynes leads the team with 128 rushing yards. Quarterback Zach Wujcik has completed 40 percent of his passes for 383 yards. Zion-Benton and first-year head coach Kelly Rice followed up a 24-0 loss to Deerfield in Week 1 with a 31-0 shutout of Niles West, before falling to Lake Forest last week.
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
Wauconda (3-0, 1-0) at Antioch (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Wauconda d. North Chicago, 30-19; Antioch lost to Grant, 29-20.
Outlook: There's a subtle connection between these two teams. First-year Antioch coach Brian Glashagel was wearing Wauconda purple and gold just last season. He was an assistant coach with the Bulldogs. "Antioch is very well-coached, I know that," Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski said. "Brian's doing a great job. They might have been 0-9 this year, but he's done a great job of combining the junior and senior classes and getting them to play hard. And they fly to the football. They're a very fast and athletic team. It's going to be a tough game. Antioch is good and confident."...Then again, the Bulldogs are feeling pretty good about themselves, too, having just knocked off North Suburban Prairie perennial power North Chicago. Wauconda kept up its balanced offense. Running back Brad Wisniewski rolled up 180 yards and quarterback Garrett Dorsey completed 3 passes for 69 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to Davis Mills. "Wisniewski is a big-time player," Glashagel said. "But you can't just tee it up on their run game. Dorsey is an athlete at quarterback."...Speaking of athletes, the Sequoits have a few themselves. Antioch can also be very balanced. The Sequoits prefer to run with backs like Cameron White leading the way. He had 113 yards and 2 touchdowns last week. But quarterback Matt Romani showed another side of his game by completing 7-of-16 passes for 139 yards against Grant. Receiver Lamarr Pottinger had 5 receptions for 162 yards.
Grant (3-0, 1-0) at Lakes (1-2, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Grant d. Antioch 29-20; Lakes lost to Vernon Hills 22-20
Outlook: Defense was expected to be Grant's strength this season, but it's been the Bulldogs' offense that has helped propel coach Kurt Rous' team to a 3-0 start. Quarterback Pavel Zurkowski has proved elusive and was at his best against Antioch last Friday night, rushing for 177 yards on 23 carries. Zurkowski and running back Izzy Rodriguez have gained 315 and 288 yards on the ground, respectively. Zurkowski has also made plays with his arm. Wide receiver Tom Bychowski has caught 26 passes for 279 yards. Grant, which is allowing 16 points per game, is led defensively by Izzy Montemayor, Bobby Madlener and Bud Staton. Joe Loris has a team-best 2 interceptions. Lakes has lost two straight since holding off Grayslake North in its season opener. The Eagles are scoring (69 points), but giving up too many points (77). Two of QB Randy Ratajczyk's favorite targets have been Brent Gruber and Kevin Guirand. They combined to catch 13 passes against Vernon Hills last Friday night.
North Chicago (1-2, 0-1) at Round Lake (1-2, 0-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: North Chicago lost to Wauconda, 30-19; Round Lake lost to Mundelein 48-29.
Outlook: Both North Chicago and Round Lake will be looking to rebound after double-digit losses last week. "We knew Mundelein was going to be tough because they're so big and physical on both sides of the ball," Round Lake coach Doug Moss said. "And they pretty much dominated the line of scrimmage." Round Lake still mustered 322 yards of offense -- 282 of which came on the ground. Two backs, Ray Bryant and Cameron Gillespie, have been getting the majority of the handoffs. They rolled up 257 yards between them against Mundelein. They'll try to expose North Chicago's rush defense just like Wauconda did last week. Wauconda rushed for 193 yards and 3 touchdowns on North Chicago...Meanwhile, North Chicago will take to the air. The Warhawks passed the ball 27 times against Wauconda and quarterback Blake Collins threw 2 touchdown passes -- both to Marquise Miller. One of the touchdown passes went for 86 yards. "They really like to throw a lot and that's something that we don't see very often," Moss said. "Most teams around here want to run the ball. A big key for us will be not giving up the big play."...Round Lake linemen Brandon Cartwright and Vince Nicoline will try to put pressure on Collins. The return of outside linebacker Corey Case from a shoulder injury could also help the Panthers.
NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVER
Vernon Hills (2-1) at Libertyville (1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Vernon Hills d. Lakes 22-20; Libertyville lost to Warren 32-17
Outlook: It's the second-ever meeting between the two District 128 high schools. Libertyville won the inaugural meeting in 2004, 46-3, en route to a 14-0 season. "I've always been a big believer that you can't start a rivalry until each team beats the other," Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken said. "But I understand it's a big game for the community because it's two schools from the same school district playing each other. It'll have a big atmosphere and big crowd, but when it comes down to it, it's still a small-division school against a big-division school." Vernon Hills quarterback P.J. Marsek was injured in the fourth quarter against Lakes last Friday, and back-up James Hallendorf engineered a last-minute scoring drive, but Monken said Marsek is expected to play tonight. Vernon Hills sophomore inside linebacker E.J. Lannon made 16 tackles against Lakes, while senior cornerback Ryan Flis had 2 interceptions and recovered a fumble. Libertyville has lost two in a row and already has more losses than it did last season. The Wildcats have scored just 36 points. "They're a very good team. You can see on film," Monken said. "They've played three solid ballclubs (Barrington, Carmel, Warren) to start the season."
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC
Carmel (2-1, 1-0) at Notre Dame (3-0, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Last week: Carmel def. Marian Catholic, 28-7; Notre Dame def. St. Joseph, 49-0.
Outlook: Something's got to give. Notre Dame has pitched two straight shutouts and Carmel is finally catching its offensive groove. The Corsairs rolled up 308 yards of offense and got touchdown runs from quarterback David Venegoni and backs Geoffery Fields and Mike Taylor last week. "Notre Dame is really good on defense," Andy Bitto said. "They've given up only 14 points all year. But we've been playing a lot better offensively. We rushed for more than 230 yards last week and scored in the red zone, which we had trouble with earlier."...Notre Dame's offense could also give the Corsairs' some trouble. The Dons have put a major emphasis this year on passing, and have been quite proficient at it. Quarterback Zach Abraham is throwing the ball well and he's got some quality receivers in Ryan Irwin and Tim Swieton. "They really throw the ball a lot," Bitto said. "But few teams pass a lot and beat us. We do a good job against the run and it's just hard to be consistent in the passing game when you can't run the ball that much." Bitto says his front three -- defensive linemen Steven Lester, Michael Zegar and Charlie Wifler -- will get a workout trying to shut down Notre Dame's run game while keeping pressure on Abraham.
FOX VALLEY CROSSOVERS
Crystal Lake South (3-0) at Grayslake North (0-3)
When: 7:45 p.m. today
Last week: Crystal Lake South d. Grayslake Central 48-6; Grayslake North lost to Cary-Grove 63-14
Outlook: Crystal Lake South is ranked third in the AP Class 7A poll behind top-ranked Rolling Meadows and Lake Zurich. Coach Jim Stuglis' Gators pounded Grayslake Central last Friday night as quarterback Ian Ormseth completed 11 of 14 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns, all in the first half. South running backs T.J. Galloway (3 TDs, 81 rushing yards), Derek Mortensen (83 rushing yards) and Joe Thomas (31-yard TD) all had big games. Grayslake North is 0-12 in its young history, but the Knights are at least scoring some points (64) and, in fact, jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Cary-Grove. The Knights scored only 49 points all last season. In Week 4 last year, Crystal Lake South shut out Grayslake North 47-0.
Jacobs (1-2) at Grayslake Central (0-3)
When: 7:45 p.m. today
Last week: Jacobs lost to Johnsburg 28-20 Grayslake Central lost to Crystal Lake South 48-6
Outlook: Jacobs' option attack can put points on the board, as the Golden Eagles showed in a 75-58 win over Larkin in Week 2. Jacobs also scored 14 and 20 points in losses to Prairie Ridge and Johnsburg, respectively. Coach Dean Schlueter's team is led offensively by running backs Darius Bowers (539 rushing yards, 11.2 average, 7 touchdowns) and Bobby Molinaro (168 rushing yards, 6.7 average) and quarterback Kyle Magnuson (192 rushing yards, 6.6 average). Grayslake Central has been outscored 110-20, but the Rams' first three opponents (Antioch, Grant, Crystal Lake South) are a combined 8-1.