Libertyville, Carmel brace for 'huge game'

It's only Week 2 of the new high school football season, but already the folks at Libertyville High School find themselves in playoff mode.

Sort of.

Usually, ordering up extra bleachers for the end zones isn't necessary until the playoffs - when the games get bigger, and so do the crowds. But all rules get thrown out the window when a neighborhood rivalry game is on the docket.

Tonight's nonconference tilt between Libertyville and Carmel, which are separated only by about a mile of Route 176, seems to have the entire community buzzing - and in need of seats.

Normal capacity at Libertyville is about 5,000, but the extra bleachers bring that total to about 7,000 and guesstimates are that not a single seat will remain. In fact, Libertyville officials are expecting that fans will also spill into the standing room areas that circle the field by the fences.

"It's a huge game for both schools," Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski said. "The crowd is going to be great."

It was last year at Carmel, where the host Corsairs won on a last-second field goal, 9-6.

That was the first time Carmel and Libertyville had ever played during the regular season. The only other time the two teams had faced off was in a Class 5A state playoff game in 2000.

Libertyville won that game in front of another standing room only crowd.

Since then, Carmel and Libertyville have been two of the most successful programs in Lake County. Carmel won a state title in 2003 and Libertyville followed that up by claiming a state title in 2004.

"This is awesome for the community," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "When you have two great teams with so much tradition playing each other and you're right down the street from each other, it's always neat to see how that's going to play out."

Still hurting: Carmel standout fullback Jackson Davenport will miss the big rivalry game.

He went down late in the third quarter of Carmel's victory over Joliet Catholic last week and injured the same left knee that was recently repaired after an ACL tear.

On Monday, Bitto said that the exact nature of Davenport's new injury wasn't yet known but that he was scheduled for an MRI that day.

In just three quarters, Davenport rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries. He also scored a touchdown.

QB du jour: Just like many voters are undecided as to whom they'll vote for in November's presidential election, the football coaches at Libertyville are undecided about their quarterback situation.

At least for the moment.

Head coach Randy Kuceyeski says he needs to see more out of senior Campbell Stemper and junior Matt Persin before he can cast his vote one way or the other.

Both quarterbacks got a significant amount of playing time in last week's loss to Barrington.

"Both of them are very good, but our goal is not to play two quarterbacks every game," Kuceyeski said. "We don't want to rotate them in every other series or something like that.

"It's really going to come down to a game-time decision. We'll play it week by week and see who has the best week of practice."

Statistically, Persin, who guided the sophomores to a perfect 9-0 record last season, is a bit ahead in the game-performance department.

Against Barrington, he completed 5-of-11 passes for 130 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown pass to Josh Trees.

Stemper, who was the varsity back-up last season, completed 3-of-8 passes for 23 yards. He also threw an interception.

"Matt is pretty cool under pressure, I like that about him. He's got a nice sense of the game" Kuceyeski said. "But I'm also not ready to throw my senior (Stemper) on the bench. Campbell struggled a little bit against Barrington, but he also does a lot of nice things and has the experience that Matt doesn't have."

Sounds like Kuceyeski has a tough decision on his hands. Luckily, the two players involved won't make the situation any tougher.

Kuceyeski says that for as skilled as Stemper and Persin are, they're even better sportsmen.

"They have both handled this situation so well," Kuceyeski said. "They are both so supportive of each other and they're out there pulling for each other. That's rare.

"As coaches, we think that's great because we're not worrying about egos or some disgruntled quarterback. We've just got two great kids who want the best for the team."

QB du jour 2: While Libertyville would rather not get into a quarterback rotation, Grayslake Central might make a point of it.

Both Kevin O'Rourke and Mike Gentile took snaps in last week's loss to Antioch, and both wound up with about 60 yards. Gentile also tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass.

"We could be that team with the two-headed quarterback monster," Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe said. "Kevin is our No. 1, but Mike brings so many other talents to the game. That gives us a lot of flexibility because then we can move Kevin over to wide receiver and let him make plays there.

"We kind of like the idea of having them both out there because it really gives the defense a lot to think about."

Sir, yes, sir: Good thing offensive linemen are known for their toughness.

Because at Grayslake Central, the toughness of the offensive linemen is put to the test every day by a drill sergeant.

Make that a colonel.

Chuck Wittington is the offensive line coach for the Rams. He is also a colonel in the U.S. Army and is recently back from a tour in Iraq.

He was a volunteer coach for the Grayslake Central freshman team in 2006 but missed all of last season because of his tour. To let Wittington know they were thinking of him, the Rams sent him care packages that included treats, game films, stats and newspaper articles about the season.

Wittington, a local businessman, returned home last spring.

"We're so happy to have Chuck back," Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe said. "He's been great with the linemen. Those big boys kind of thrive on that straight-laced kind of discipline and that's exactly what Chuck provides."

Goshe said the offensive line was one of the bright spots to come out of last week's loss to Antioch. The Rams managed to get four running backs at least 50 yards or more each.

"We wanted to be able to really run the ball and be physical," Goshe said. "We were able to do that because our line did such a nice job."

A field what? When Antioch lined up in field goal formation last week against Grayslake Central, there were some confused looks along the sideline.

But who could blame the Sequoits? Field goals haven't exactly been their thing.

"It was kind of funny, everyone was like, 'What, we're going to kick a field goal,'" Antioch coach Brian Glashagel laughed. "We didn't kick a field goal all of last year."

Not one?

"Not one," Glashagel said.

Well, this year, the Sequoits have a reason to. Vinnie Holm, who's also pretty darn effective at running back (he had 2 touchdowns against Central), has nailed a 55-yarder in practice before.

Against Grayslake Central, he was good on his 22-yard attempt.

"We could not do that a year ago," Glashagel said. "To have that element, to be able to kick field goals instead of having to go for it when you really don't want to, is huge."

Two QBs for Lakes: Coach Luke Mertens followed through on plans to use two quarterbacks this season during Lakes' 21-13 win at Grayslake North on Friday

Justin Hotle started the game and fellow senior Zach Percival came in for two series during the first half.

"Especially the offense we run, they take so many hits," Mertens said. "If one goes down, I want the other one to be ready."

Lakes uses a Northwestern-style, no-huddle spread offense, but early on, it didn't run very smoothly with either quarterback. The Eagles managed just 5 first downs and 81 total yards during the first three quarters and trailed 7-0.

Hotle ended up playing the entire second half and got Lakes on the board with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mike Scott about two minutes into the fourth quarter. Hotle finished the night completing 7 of 11 passes for 74 yards.

"Both quarterbacks know, he had the momentum, he had the offense moving, so he got to stay in the game," said Mertens, whose team hosts Crystal Lake Central tonight.

North gets defensive: Grayslake North's running game dominated time of possession last Friday against Lakes, but coach Steve Wood was even more impressed with his team's defense.

The Knights ended up losing 21-13, but kept Lakes off the board for three quarters. In the first half, North collected 4 quarterback sacks and stopped the Eagles on a fourth-and-1 at the Grayslake 38-yard line.

Marcin Maciocha had 1 sack and made the fourth-down stop for a loss. Linebacker Bill Smith, meanwhile, posted two sacks in a span of three plays late in the first half.

"I'm ecstatic about our defense," Wood said. That's the second-fewest points we've ever given up. We shut them out for three quarters and that's a good offense."

Lakes' final two touchdowns were set up by turnovers. A lost fumble at Grayslake North's 15-yard line set up the go-ahead score, while the Eagles clinched the win with an interception return for a touchdown with 1:30 remaining.

"We have to find a way to win," Wood said. "When you haven't won, that's tough. Everybody's waiting for that one mistake to happen. It's our job as coaches to convince them it's not going to happen."

Means to an end: There may be a simple explanation as to why Grant fullback Dan Hourihan has his coach searching his memory bank unsuccessfully.

"I cannot remember the last time we had a fullback rush for 187 yards," Grant coach Kurt Rous said of Hourihan, who did so in a win over Johnsburg. Hourihan also scored 2 touchdowns.

"I think it's all about the way he works in the weight room. He's a maniac in there. He's always there. He never misses. He just works so hard."

And Hourihan was rewarded for it before the season even began.

"Dan is just a junior, but he's already one of our team captains," Rous said. "He's a leader, and he leads by example. We knew coming into the season that he would fill a role for us and we're excited to see what else he can do."

Hourihan is also the placekicker for the Bulldogs.

Sad moment: Before Grant's first home game tonight (against Grayslake Central), the mood will change from festive to somber as a football player will be remembered by his grieving friends and teammates.

Joe Cardella, who was a 16-year-old junior at Grant, is shown with his teammates in this year's team picture. But that will have to be everyone's lasting memory of him.

He was killed the next day - Aug. 24 - in a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle accident near his home in Ingleside.

Cardella, who had just transferred to Grant from Rolling Meadows, would have played special teams for the Bulldogs this season.

"Joe was definitely well-liked and was already making a lot of friends," Grant coach Kurt Rous said. "He was a nice kid and a good athlete. It's just horrible what happened.

"Last week was a pretty tough week for our kids. We pulled them out of school so they could go to the wake. It's been hard, but they've handled it as well as they can."

Prior to the game, the team will present a framed jersey, the one that Cardella wore just hours before the accident for the team picture, to his family.

And, all of this season the Bulldogs will wear a black circular decal on their helmets that reads "Joe 10." Cardella would have been No. 10.

• Mike McGraw contributed to this report.