Football: Lake County previews, Week 6
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
Grant (5-0, 3-0) at Vernon Hills (3-2, 2-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Grant def. Wauconda, 21-17; Vernon Hills def. Round Lake, 41-28.
Outlook: For the second week in a row, Grant is playing in an extremely significant game. Last week, the Bulldogs took on Wauconda, the only other team in the Prairie Division that had a perfect overall record. Now, they're up against Vernon Hills, the only other team that has yet to lose a Prairie Division game. "Our kids know how much this means," Grant coach Kurt Rous said. "We've never won the Prairie Division title outright and that's what we really want. Right now, Vernon Hills is in our way."...To clear a path, the Bulldogs plan to turn quarterback Pavel Zurkowski loose again. He ran over, around and through Wauconda's defense last week for a game-high 148 rushing yards. Grant also got major contributions from backs Joe Loris (103 yards) and Izzy Rodriguez (54 yards). "Pavel is a nice quarterback for their scheme and they've got all those other kids back there," Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken said. "They give you a lot of things to think about. I think this is as good a Grant ball club as I've seen. They got into a rhythm with their offense early against Wauconda. We have to try to find a way to break that rhythm."...Vernon Hills runs a similar option offense to Grant's. Quarterback P.J. Marsek rushed for only 19 yards last week but was still nursing an injury from the previous week. Monken believes he will be back to 100 percent for this game. Larry Guerrero (134 rushing yards, 1 touchdown against Round Lake) and Tyler Mooney (80 yards, 2 touchdowns) are also solid options out of the backfield...The Cougars also have a brand new weapon in receiver DaVaris Daniels. Just a freshman, he took a kickoff return 92 yards for a touchdown last week and also caught 4 passes for 116 yards, including one that went for a 39-yard touchdown.
Lakes (1-4, 0-3) at Wauconda (4-1, 2-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Last week: Lakes lost to North Chicago, 20-0; Wauconda lost to Grant, 21-17.
Outlook: Both Wauconda and Lakes are looking to get back on track. Of course, the one difference is that Lakes has been looking to do so a lot longer. While Wauconda lost its first game of the season last week, Lakes lost its fourth in a row. The loss to North Chicago also marked the second straight game in which Lakes suffered a shutout. In Week 4, Grant blanked the Eagles, 29-0. "But Grant was probably the only team that really handled Lakes," Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski said. "I've watched a lot of film on Lakes and it seems like a couple plays here and a couple of plays there, they could be 4-1. It's kind of a scary deal."...Still, the Lakes offense mustered only 103 total yards last week. Quarterback Justin Hotle completed 8 passes for 56 yards and Josh Gaido rushed for 50 yards...Wauconda, on the other hand, moved the ball much better against Grant. The Bulldogs rolled up 270 yards of offense, including 125 rushing yards from running back Brad Wisniewski. Wauconda had a couple of chances in Grant territory in the waning minutes of the game, but came up short. "We just have to get better in our techniques," Kozlowski said. "We had the opportunity to win the game, but Grant made the plays at the end and we didn't."...Wauconda receiver Davis Mills is coming off a huge game. He connected with quarterback Garrett Dorsey for an 80-yard touchdown and also had a couple of big plays on defense, including a sack in crunch time.
Antioch (2-3, 0-2) at Round Lake (1-4, 0-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Antioch lost to Lake Forest 31-0; Round Lake lost to Vernon Hills 41-28
Outlook: It's homecoming for the Panthers, but their spirits might have taken a hit this week, when it was learned running back Ray Bryant suffered a deep contusion late in the game against Vernon Hills. His status for tonight is questionable, coach Doug Moss said. Bryant is having a great year, with 902 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. "Ray's having an outstanding year," Moss said. "He's a workhorse for us. He's had some big yards. He has great vision, and a lot of yards he's earned just by his hard work." Also for Round Lake, starting right tackle Matt Weber, who had missed first month of the season with a wrist injury, got hurt Wednesday. Antioch, which scored 101 points in its first four games before being shut out by Lake Forest last Saturday, features running back Cameron White and wide receiver Lamarr Pottinger. The Sequoits will get back quarterback Matt Romani, who suffered a high-ankle sprain against Wauconda in Week 4, then didn't play against Lake Forest. "He's good," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. "He'll be suiting up (and starting). It's big for us." Glashagel reported that defensive end Nick Elkin hurt his knee in practice Wednesday. "He's one of our good defensive players," Glashagel said.
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC
Carmel (4-1, 3-00) at St. Patrick (2-3, 1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Where: Hanson Stadium
Last week: Carmel def. St. Joseph, 56-8; St. Patrick lost to Marist, 10-0.
Outlook: Carmel is hoping to stay perfect in the East Suburban Catholic Conference in spite of the fact that conditions for this game probably won't be. "We have to go down in the city and play on regular Astroturf (not the more forgiving FieldTurf that Carmel is used to)," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "It's also their homecoming and the game probably won't start until 9 p.m. because there will be a public league game there before ours. It'll be tough to play down there."...But the Corsairs have shown some fortitude in rebounding from their crushing season-opening defeat to Morgan Park. Since then, they've won four straight games and only a 9-6 victory over Libertyville in Week 2 has been close. "I think we've been playing some great defense and we've been getting some excellent play out of our special teams," Bitto said. "We've been running the ball pretty effectively, too. We'll run the ball (against St. Patrick) until they figure us out. They're big and they play a college 4-3 defense and they try to make it hard to run against them." But Carmel has so many runners to contend with. Mike Taylor, Geoffery Fields, Jack Berg, Sean Madison and Andrew Rapinchuk all had about 50 rushing yards last week...St. Patrick started out the season playing a lot of I-formation but Bitto says that quarterback Chris Casey is starting to throw the ball more. One target is 6-foot-6 tight end Ryan Konoplca. The ground game is headed up by running backs Adam Nitche and Luis Sanchez. "They haven't been executing very well lately," Bitto said of St. Patrick. "They didn't score last week, so we'll see what they do."
NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVER
North Chicago (3-2, 2-1) at Stevenson (2-3, 2-1)
When: noon Saturday
Last week: North Chicago def. Lakes, 20-0; Stevenson def. Mundelein, 34-14.
Outlook: It's homecoming at Stevenson -- not that the Patriots need one. They've had only one road game all season -- last week's game at Mundelein. What Stevenson needs is to continue its current streak. The Patriots have won two in a row after having lost their first three games, which is unheard of for the program. "We're still basically the same team we were at the beginning of the year," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "We just lost to some very good teams early on. We made some mistakes that killed us, and there were a few things in every game that we needed to work on. But we've corrected those mistakes. I think we feel pretty good about things now."...Mitz has got to feel really good about his quarterback, Zach Wujcik. The 6-foot-4 junior torched Stevenson's record books when he rolled up 316 passing yards. The old record for most passing yards in a single game belonged to Bobby Gianinni, who finished with 276 yards in 2002. "He played well," Mitz said. "It helps any team to have your quarterback throwing like that."...North Chicago, on the other hand, tries to do the most damage on the ground. Jimon Hill and quarterback Blake Collins get a lot of carries out of the option. The two combined for more than 100 rushing yards last week. "You really have to defend all phases of the option or they're gone," Mitz said of North Chicago and its speedy backs. "They'll just run by you."
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
Warren (2-3, 2-1) at Lake Forest (5-0, 2-0)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Last week: Warren def. Zion-Benton, 35-6; Lake Forest def. Antioch, 31-0.
Outlook: Lake Forest, which has been impressive thus far, gets into the meat of it schedule. The Scouts finish up the season with the three perennial powers in the North Suburban Lake -- Warren, Libertyville and Stevenson, as well as 2006 Class 7A state runner-up Lake Zurich. Lake Forest and Lake Zurich are the only teams undefeated in Lake Division play...Lake Forest has been potent both on the ground and through the air this season. Running back Gregory Friedman was a horse last week against Antioch. He returned from an arm injury to roll up 230 yards on 22 carries. Miles Smith, the son of Bears coach Lovie Smith, is also a threat coming out of the backfield. Meanwhile, a rotation at quarterback gives defenses an unusual look. Both James Borrasso and Thomas Rees get about the same number of snaps and both can run and throw the ball. Two weeks ago against Mundelein, Borrasso had 4 touchdown passes. Last week, Rees threw for one...Defensively, Lake Forest has given up only 32 points (6.4 ppg) all season -- best in the Lake Division...Warren's defense, on the other hand, has already surrendered 122 points (24.4 ppg) this season. However, last week, the Blue Devils pitched a shut out for three quarters before allowing Zion-Benton to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter...Warren has been relying heavily on its rushing game and sophomore sensation Greg Kennedy. He gave the Blue Devils an immediate spark against Zion-Benton when he ran in a 79-yard touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage. He wound up with 140 yards on 13 carries and 3 touchdowns...Warren's offensive line -- James Poliquin, Nick O'Brien, Anthony Yarc, Greg Zech and Eric Church -- has been opening up huge holes for Kennedy.
Mundelein (2-3, 0-2) at Libertyville (2-3, 0-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Mundelein lost to Stevenson 34-14; Libertyville lost to Lake Zurich 9-2.
Outlook: There is no Joy in Mundelein. Not considering senior safety Kevin Joy registered 15 solo tackles and an interception against Stevenson, only to be diagnosed with mono. "He played the game of his life sicker than a dog," Mustangs coach Dave Whitson said. While Joy figures to miss at least the next couple of games, running back Mike Matranga, a transfer from Carmel who'd been playing more lately, got hurt in practice Tuesday. Middle linebacker/running back Cody Gokan has missed the last two games with an injury and might not play again tonight, on homecoming. "We're not deep enough with kids yet," Whitson said. Mundelein, which has lost three of its last four, will be playing a Libertyville squad, which has also dropped three of its last four. While the Wildcats have scored only 68 points, they've allowed only 64. "They have a very, very good defense," Whitson said. Libertyville's offense will try to get healthy against a Mundelein defense that has surrendered 129 points.
Zion-Benton (1-4, 0-3) at Lake Zurich (4-1, 3-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Zion-Benton lost to Warren 35-6; Lake Zurich d. Libertyville 9-2.
Outlook: Lake Zurich's offense, which is coming off its first single-digit-point effort of the season, will not get a boost tonight from senior Dan Kalcsics. The senior has missed the last two games with mono, and while he started practicing Tuesday, coach Bryan Stortz said Kalcsics is still not 100 percent and likely will not play tonight. The Bears have won four in a row since an Opening Day loss to undefeated Fremd. "We played well in spots (against Libertyville), but we need to execute better in crucial situations," Stortz said. One constant for the Bears, as it was last year during their march to the Class 7A state championship game, has been its defense against the run. "Our defensive run game has been outstanding," Stortz said. "Week in and week out, they've been doing a great job." Stortz gave credit to all 14-15 players his team plays on defense. "They've all been outstanding," Stortz said. Zion-Benton has lost three in a row, with its only win against winless Niles West, but Stortz won't take the Zee-Bees lightly. "It's the same thing (every year)," Stortz said. "They are always a very blue-collared, tough group. They play hard and play to the whistle, and they've got some good athletes. That's the scary thing about them."
FOX VALLEY FOX
Grayslake Central (0-5, 0-1) at Crystal Lake Central (3-2, 0-1)
When: 7:45 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Johnsburg 33-6; Crystal Lake Central lost to Prairie Ridge 41-7
Outlook: Crystal Lake Central has lost two in a row, surrendering 83 points in the process to Woodstock and Prairie Ridge. The Tigers are seeking their second straight playoff berth, and the schedule might favor them. After playing Grayslake Central tonight, Crystal Lake Central faces Johnsburg (2-3), Huntley (2-3) and Grayslake North (0-5). Grayslake Central continues have problems scoring points. The Rams have mustered just 26 all season, while having allowed 178.
Grayslake North (0-5, 0-1) at Prairie Ridge (5-0, 1-0)
When: 7:45 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grayslake North lost to Huntley 48-21; Prairie Ridge d. Crystal Lake Central 41-7
Outlook: This could get ugly early. Prairie Ridge is ranked sixth in the Associated Press Class 6A poll, while Grayslake North is still seeking its first win since its inaugural varsity season last year. Prairie Ridge is tied for first place in the FVC Fox with Huntley and Johnsburg, but the Wolves figure to win the title, which they shared last season with Crystal Lake Central. Prairie Ridge is averaging 37.2 points per game and surrendering 12.8 per contest.