Football previews: Lake County, Week 7
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
Libertyville (3-3, 1-2) at Zion-Benton (1-5, 0-4)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Libertyville d. Mundelein 20-17; Zion-Benton lost to Lake Zurich 55-6
Outlook: This is essentially a must-win for Libertyville, and the Wildcats should get it against a Zion-Benton team that has lost four in a row and has scored only 63 points. Libertyville's defense, meanwhile, is the strength of the team. Libertyville needs to win two of its last three games to be playoff-eligible, and the Wildcats finish up with two formidable opponents in Stevenson and Lake Forest. Among the Wildcats who played well on defense against Mundelein were Justin Dietz, Dan Dickson, Jon Darling, Austin Powell, Chris Kepinski, Andrew Jones, Jacob Painter, Tom Nield and Brian Taylor. The Wildcats won the game on Alvaro Castro's 23-yard field goal with less than a second left. Castro earlier booted a 40-yard field goal.
Stevenson (3-3, 2-1) at Lake Forest (5-1, 2-1)
When: 1 p.m., Saturday
Last week: Stevenson d. North Chicago 49-6; Lake Forest lost to Warren 16-8
Outlook: Once 0-3, Stevenson is now playing as well as any team in the NSC. The Patriots have outscored their last three opponents -- Zion-Benton, Mundelein and North Chicago -- by a combined margin of 128-34. They've been sparked offensively by junior quarterback Zach Wujcik, sophomore running back Mark Weisman and a defense that picked off 5 passes against North Chicago. Weisman rushed for 112 yard and 2 scores in the Patriots' third straight win. The previous week against Mundelein, Wujcik passed for a school-record 316 yards. Stevenson is expected to have veteran running back Geoffrey Matthews back after he was held out of last Saturday's game due to suffering an infection in his surgically repaired knee. In suffering its first loss of the season last Saturday, Lake Forest was limited to a season-low 8 points and 230 yards of total offense by Warren. The Scouts feature a good quarterback in James Borrasso, as well as running back Gregory Friedman (76 rushing yards vs. Warren). The Scouts' Kevin Finney (6-6, 210) is among the best wide receivers around. He hauled in 8 passes against Warren.
Mundelein (2-4, 0-3) at Warren (3-3, 3-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Mundelein lost to Libertyville, 20-17; Warren def. Lake Forest, 16-8.
Outlook: Mundelein and Warren are coming into this game from opposite ends of the spectrum. The Blue Devils have been enjoying their dramatic upset victory over previously unbeaten Lake Forest while Mundelein has been stewing over a last-second loss to Libertyville, which got a field goal with .7 seconds left from kicker Alvaro Castro. "It was a well-played game and a great team effort on our part," Mundelein coach Dave Whitson said of his team's play against Libertyville. "But it's frustrating. So many things go through your mind when you don't win a game like that."...Whitson isn't questioning his players' heart. The Mustangs, who shot out to a 10-0 lead, gave Libertyville all it could handle. Running back Jamell Ross rolled up 132 yards and the defense was active. On one play, Sean Santiago stripped the ball and Kurt Mellor scored on a 21-yard fumble return. "It's easy to doubt yourself after a game like that," Whitson said. "But there really were so many positives and our kids really are starting to believe in themselves more and more. We were right there."...Whitson thinks his team will have to give the exact same kind of effort this week against a surging Warren team. "We're going to have to bring our 'A' game, no question," Whitson said. "They've got some nice, quick runners at Warren that we've got to stop."...The Blue Devils got a big game out of fullback Aaron Dahlke last week and sophomore Greg Kennedy continues to give defenses fits. And starting back Darrien Pitts should be back from an injury...Warren coach Dave Mohapp says that his defense, which got 18 tackles out of linebacker Tom Hajnos last week, will need to step up big again. "Mundelein is a big physical team up front that can run the football really well. (Ross) can really do some damage."
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
Antioch (3-3, 1-2) at Lakes (1-5, 0-4)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Antioch d. Round Lake 38-24; Lakes lost to Wauconda 44-29.
Outlook: It's Year 3 of the cross-town rivalry, with each team having won once. Antioch took the inaugural battle in 2005, 42-7, before Lakes exacted revenge last year with a 31-13 victory. Antioch snapped a three-game losing streak against Round Lake, as sophomore running back Steve Lorenzini carried 30 times for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cameron White added 92 rushing yards on 13 attempts for the Sequoits, who got back quarterback Matt Romani after he missed the team's previous game with an ankle injury. Lakes has not won since Opening Night, when the Eagles held off Grayslake North. Lakes' 29-point explosion against Wauconda had to be encouraging for the Eagles since they had been shut out in their previous two contests. Quarterback Randy Ratajczyk rushed for a pair of scores and also threw a TD pass. Lakes' 98 points scored are the fewest in the NSC Prairie, while its 170 allowed are only four shy of Round Lake. While offensive guard Alex Hawkins has played well week in and week out, the Eagles' O-line has been banged up all season. NIU-recruit Richard Hayes (shoulder) has toughed it out. "Every week we've had a different lineup in on the offensive line," Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. "That's a pretty important position to have some consistency in." Wide receiver Brent Gruber has been the Eagles' most consistent player on offense, Mertens said. The defense is led by safety Marcus Williams (knee), who's also played hurt this season. It's a matchup of contrasting styles. "They're more deliberate (on offense)," Mertens said of the Sequoits, "where we're more quick-strike."
Vernon Hills (3-3, 2-1) at North Chicago (3-3, 2-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Vernon Hills lost to Grant 29-28; North Chicago lost to Stevenson 49-6
Outlook: This almost promises to be a competitive game. North Chicago has won 5 of the 7 games between the two teams, but four of the contests have been decided by 8 or fewer points. Vernon Hills has scored 69 points in its last two games, and a big reason why has been the play of freshman DaVaris Daniels, who was called up in Week 4 and scored 2 touchdowns against Round Lake. The wide receiver followed up by catching another TD pass against Grant. He had 5 receptions on the night. The Cougars' option offense also features shifty QB P.J. Marsek and running back Larry Guerrero, who rushed for 84 yards against Grant. North Chicago hopes to get back QB DeShawn Chambliss, who missed the Stevenson game with an injury. Regardless of who their quarterback is, the Warhawks like to air it out. Running back Jimon Hill is the team's featured back and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD against Stevenson. This is a big game since both teams since need to win 2 of their remaining 3 to be playoff-eligible. Vernon Hills finishes up with Antioch and Wauconda, while North Chicago will play Grant and Antioch the next two weeks.
Round Lake (1-5, 0-3) at Grant (6-0, 4-0)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Last week: Round Lake lost to Antioch, 38-24; Grant def. Vernon Hills, 29-28.
Outlook: Grant is trying to keep its undefeated season going, while Round Lake, which has lost four games in a row, is trying to stop the bleeding. "It would be nice to get back on track," Round Lake coach Doug Moss said. "And it would be nice to play the role of spoiler. It would be nice to say that we got them."...Round Lake's chances of doing that will improve dramatically if running back Ray Bryant is able to perform at full strength. He was slowed last week by a deep contusion on the foot. "There's no way we're going to take this game lightly," Grant coach Kurt Rous said. "Bryant is a heck of a running back and if he's ready and we play defense like we did last week, he could run for 600 yard on us."...The Bulldogs allowed Vernon Hills to match them touchdown for touchdown. They also gave up 165 rushing yards. "Some of our guys on defense weren't doing what they were supposed to do and kind of forgot their responsibilities," Rous said. "And because of that, Vernon Hills was able to open up some pretty big holes. We can't do that this week."...Grant probably wouldn't mind a repeat performance from the offense, though. Once again, quarterback Pavel Zurkowski ran the ball well (102 yards), and he also was right on the money with his passes. He completed 10-of-18 passes for 146 yards, including the winning touchdown to receiver Tommy Bychowski. "I just love Grant's overall athleticism," Moss said. "They've got so many good athletes. They might not be huge, but all their guys are athletes and they work really well together. Grant is a very solid team."
NSC crossover
Wauconda (5-1, 3-1) at Lake Zurich (5-1, 4-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Wauconda def. Lakes, 44-29; Lake Zurich def. Zion-Benton, 55-6.
Outlook: What's going to give? Wauconda has one of the most potent, prolific rushers in all of Lake County in Brad Wisniewski, who can roll up 250 rushing yards like it's no big deal. But Lake Zurich boasts one of the area's stingiest defenses against the run. Last week, the Bears suffocated Zion-Benton, which finished with minus-12 rushing yards. That kind of effort by the Lake Zurich defense is not uncommon. "(Wisniewski) is one of the top backs we've seen all year," Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said. "He's got good size and speed. He's got great vision. He's a very powerful runner. But if you focus too much on Wisniewski, they can put up numbers passing the ball with their play action game."...As gaudy as some of Wisniewski's numbers can be (he torched Lakes for 257 yards last week), the Bulldogs aren't just a one-man team. Quarterback Garrett Dorsey, who threw for a touchdown last week and has a couple of good receivers to work with, is dangerous. The running game is also bolstered by Jamey Carey and Mike Pecka...Lake Zurich is similar in that way. The Bears are most dangerous on the ground with an army of running backs, like Jon Janus, Adam Simpson and Dan Kalcsics, who is trying to make his way back into the lineup after missing the last two games with mononucleosis. But quarterback Bobby DeLeo has shown he can also be a weapon. He threw for 233 yards last week against Zion-Benton. "It's kind of like pick your poison with Lake Zurich," said Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski, whose team is having one of its best season in the program's history. "We'll try to stop the run first and foremost, but we've also got to watch the quarterback. It's like I keep saying, there's a reason they're rated one of the top teams in Class 7A. They've got weapons at every position, they're explosive, fast and strong. This will be the toughest team we've faced all year."
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC
Nazareth (4-2, 3-1) at Carmel Catholic (5-1, 4-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Nazareth d. St. Joseph 49-6; Carmel d. St. Patrick 35-14
Outlook: Carmel has won five straight since an Opening Night loss to Morgan Park, but the Corsairs should get challenged tonight by the Roadrunners, who already have more wins than they did all last season. One of Nazareth's 3 wins last year came against Carmel, 40-28. The Roadrunners, who average 34 points per game, trail Carmel and Joliet Catholic by a game in the ESCC. Carmel has put up 162 points in its last four games. The Corsairs are led offensively by quarterback David Venegoni, who's rushed for a team-high 491 yards (5.7 average) and 10 touchdowns. Geoffrey Fields has gained 429 yards on the ground (5.8 average) and scored 4 TDs. Mike Taylor (270 rushing yards) and Matt Berg (187) have also contributed to the Corsairs' ground attack. The Carmel defense features safeties Ryan Williams (team-high 58 tackles) and Chris Salvi (43 stops, team-high 4 interceptions). Charlie Wilfer has 5 sacks, and Aaron Kwasigroch has 3 interceptions.
FOX VALLEY
Grayslake Central (0-6, 0-2) at Grayslake North (0-6, 0-2)
When: 7:45 p.m., today
Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Crystal Lake Central, 41-20; Grayslake North lost to Prairie Ridge, 48-7.
Outlook: Both of these teams are craving a victory and one will finally get it. At Grayslake Central, new coach Nick Goshe is still in search of his first win. And at Grayslake North, where every player returned from last year's inaugural varsity season, the Knights are hoping to get their very first win in school history. "This is a big deal to the kids," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "Last year, Central was the favorite. This year, the roles are kind of reversed. I would think on paper, we're the better team. But that doesn't really mean much. They've got good coaches and really good kids playing at Central. It should be a great game."...Grayslake Central features a solid running back in Rich Smith, who gained 73 yards last week against Crystal Lake Central, but the Rams really seem to love to air out their offense. Quarterback Kevin O'Rourke completed 16-of-25 passes for 209 yards last week. "They've got a couple of speedy receivers, too," Wood said...Grayslake North sticks to the ground a bit more with running back Robbie Nesbitt leading the way. He rolled up 120 yards last week against Prairie Ridge. "Robbie has been everything we've expected him to be," Wood said. "And our offensive line is so much better this year than last year."