More Fox Valley football previews

St. Charles East (1-0) at Geneva (1-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Geneva 35, St. Charles East 14, second round 7A playoffs

Last week: St. Charles East 31, Batavia 21; Geneva 49, Dundee-Crown 7

Players to watch: Thirty-six carries, 342 yards, 7 touchdowns, 42 points. That's what Geneva running back Michael Ratay and St. Charles East running back Wes Allen combined to do in their respective games last week. Impressive, isn't it? You want to know what's more impressive? They put up those amazing numbers without playing in the second half. While these backs are extremely gifted, they both have outstanding offensive lines who will be tested tonight. Geneva will try to move the Saints' junior-heavy line with tackles Joshua Spudich and Mark Lindholm and ends Jonathan Voytilla and senior Jeff Marsh. The Saints offensive line will face its own battle against junior tackle Frank Boenzi and seniors Trey Hemming, Andrew Clausen and Cory Hofstetter. "People say it's won in the trenches but with Michael (Ratay) he can do so much and gives us the most props," Vikings right guard Bryce Biel said. "You just have to play the game you know how to play and it starts with pushing the line." Both quarterbacks saw their first varsity action behind center last week and both delivered. Beitzel completed 8 of 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown while Tim Russell of the Saints connected on 11 of 16 passes for 142 yards. Russell also threw and rushed for a touchdown. Outlook: After not facing each other since 1978, the teams squared off in the second round of the Class 7A state playoffs last fall. Both teams began the new season with new quarterbacks and wide receivers, but returned with their star running back. Each team has good experience on the offense and defensive lines, with Geneva having more experience, so expect overtime to be worked in the trenches. "I think it's going to be an early season tester for both teams to see if we're heading in the right direction to reach all your goals," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "It'll be a playofflike atmosphere early and exciting for the kids so I'm happy for them." Last year the Vikings were able to use a balanced attack, gaining 168 rushing yards (134 yards and 3 rushing TDs from Ratay) and 198 in the air. Can they do it again tonight? "Well, we watched the Batavia tape and boy did they control the lines," Wicinski said. "It's a concern and they were tough as nails last year. They seem committed to a Tri-Cities sweep so we're aware of their capabilities up front and imagine it'll be a challenge for us." A nice mixed attack could bode well for the Saints too. "You never know what's going to click," St. Charles East coach Ted Monken said. "They complement each other and it doesn't always have to set the other up. We had over 300 rushing yards last week and were a little heavy there but we want to control the clock and take some pressure off Wes." In order for St. Charles East to knock off its second Tri-Cities team in as many tries they'll have to win the battle in the trenches. Geneva has not lost a home game in the regular season since Oct. 20, 2006 against Batavia. "The running game with Ratay worked really well against Dundee-Crown and what they do is similar to us and our ground game," Monken said. "We've got our work cut out for us and they've got a stout D-line."

Bottom line: There's no doubt that the Saints, with several starters back, remember what happened when they played the Vikings last year. Dave Mashal left with a knee injury and the Vikings ended their season in convincing fashion. But the Vikings respect the Saints tremendously, and with plenty of their own starters back, understand that they've got their work cut out for them. This should be a dandy and an excellent gauge for the teams as they head into conference play.

Marmion (1-0) at Kaneland (1-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Marmion 42, Kaneland 38

Last week: Kaneland 31, Burlington Central 7; Marmion 33, South Elgin 7

Players to watch: Kaneland's sophomore quarterback Joe Camiliere had a very nice debut last week, completing 16 of 24 passes for 213 yards and 2 TDs. He also rushed for 39 yards. Last week was also a nice debut for Blake Serpa (25 rushing yards, 94 reception yards, 2 TDs, 43.3 average yards per punt). Junior Ryley Bailey, who made a nice impression last season, was the recipient of two of Camiliere's throws, but he may have made a bigger difference defensively where he had 2 INTs. These three are just a few of the many different players who should be fun to watch tonight and throughout the season for the Knights. Similarly, the offense of the Cadets clicked nicely in last Friday's opener with Bobby Winkel rushing 18 times for 128 yards and a touchdown and Sean Fichtel collecting 3 catches for 68 yards from quarterback Ricky Bird. Defensively, the Cadets yielded 205 passing yards last week, which is a concern against the aerial-happy Knights. Colin Hirsch, who had a 99-yard interception return for a TD last week, will look to make another big play or two tonight. Outlook: The loser of this game might look back at what could've been if they fall short of the playoffs, especially because of the history of these two schools. Marmion is coming off its first playoff appearance since 1998 and Kaneland saw its 12-year playoff streak come to an end last year. Both teams were impressive in their openers, with the biggest concern coming from Marmion's 13 penalties and 130 yards. "Avoid turnovers and penalties," Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. "Most high school teams will beat themselves." Marmion will also need to improve on its 1-of-3 performance on PATs last week. Both quarterbacks were solid last Friday, with Camiliere making his varsity debut and Bird returning after suffering a stroke soon after the team's playoff loss last fall. "Joe was a little nervous at first and we could've probably hit a couple of deep balls early," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "But he came back strong after throwing that pick." And then there's Bird. "He invested so much into last season," Thorpe said. "He was in big games and went a whole season at quarterback. When you come back for senior year you should be better and relaxed and able to read defenses and that's what he's doing. He's doing it with confidence and being in the fire before, he should execute at a high level." Another close contest is expected after last year when the teams combined for just under 900 total years, especially when you throw in the fact that last year's sophomore Kaneland squad edged Marmion's 21-18 and now many of those juniors will be contributing. "We're concerned. They have some good, talented players," Fedderly says. "Their quarterback throws a nice deep ball and they got a couple on us last year." Whether or not this year's Kaneland defense can put a stop to such big plays remains a big question. One person the Knights need to halt is Fichtel who had 11 catches and 154 receiving yards against them last year. "He has unbelievable hands," Thorpe said. "Get the ball in the area and he's going to catch it. He makes all the easy catches and the great circus catches."

Bottom line: Both teams face a challenging conference schedule so jumping into conference play with a 2-0 record would be huge. Each squad was able to stop its opponent last week, but whether or not each can do it against a much more talented offensive opponent remains to be seen tonight in Maple Park.

West Chicago (1-0) at Batavia (0-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Batavia 41, West Chicago 0

Last week: West Chicago 13, Evanston 0; St. Charles East 32, Batavia 21

Players to watch: Senior running back Kyle Duhig (9 carries, 67 yards) played a key role last week when Bai Kabba left with a knee injury. Kabba is out for this content so look for Duhig and perhaps some other players, including Ryan Webb, to perhaps get involved in the backfield. Quarterback Jordan Coffey, who didn't start against West Chicago last year and only attempted one pass in that contest, completed 18 of 43 passes for 191 yards last week. He was intercepted once, but rebounded with 3 touchdown passes. The Wildcats utilize a double-wing offense so look for running backs Alex Pirela, Chris Jackson and quarterback A.J. Romanelli to be heavily involved in their attack.

Outlook: It was five years ago when the Bulldogs fell 34-7 to West Chicago to drop to 0-2. They haven't begun a season 0-2 since then and although West Chicago shut out Evanston last week, they're dealing with a completely different animal tonight with Coffey and company. "We feel we were good other than winning the game (last Friday)," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "What's important to me is the kids putting it behind them right away and we had a good practice right away on Monday." Winning in head coach Hal Chiodo's debut was nice for West Chicago last week, but a much more daunting task awaits Chiodo, who led Morton to the playoffs in 12 of his 13 years at the school. "We had the opportunity to send our freshmen staff there," Gaspari said. "We feel good about what we have to go on, our game plan, and we're excited to open up at home." West Chicago, which has made the postseason just 3 times in the last 34 years and which last won a state title months after Nixon resigned from office, could be on the upswing but they're young with just four returning starters.

Bottom line: Batavia made a valiant bid for a come-from-behind victory last week, but Bai Kabba's knee injury, two unsportsmanlike penalties and a misread pre-game ritual overshadowed it. As long as Duhig can give the Bulldogs a balanced offensive attack, Batavia Nation should have plenty to cheer about in their home opener.

St. Charles North (0-1) at McHenry (1-0)

Game time: 7:45 p.m.

Last year: McHenry 20, St. Charles North 13

Last week: Cary-Grove 24, St. Charles North 21; McHenry 18, Larkin 7

Players to watch: North Stars quarterback Nic Neari completed 11 of 22 passes in the opener last week. He was more impressive against McHenry last season when he completed 17 of 31 passes for 228 yards and 2 TDs. McHenry is certainly aware of what he's capable of so it should be interesting to see how things play out. Running back Jordan Huxtable had more than half (17) of the North Stars rushing attempts (33) last week. In his opener, McHenry quarterback Ryan Michel threw a touchdown pass to Nico DeLorenzo and Jimmy Machometa had a 9-run TD run.

Outlook: "Guard the ball with your life." St. Charles North coach Mark Gould likely has said six similar words to his team throughout the week. McHenry recovered 4 fumbles, had 2 interceptions and 2 safeties in its victory last week. Last season, McHenry, which has made 20 consecutive playoff appearances, had 4 take-aways against the North Stars, and also benefited from the North Stars' 10 penalties for 80 yards in a 20-13 victory. The North Stars fumbled twice last week and threw an interception so they'll have to protect the ball better tonight or face the possibility of starting conference play at 0-2 just like they did a year ago.

Bottom line: The North Stars nearly overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit last Friday and their offense showed some nice signs as the game wore on. They need to continue that trend while at the same time avoiding turnovers if they want to head home with a victory.

West Aurora (1-0) at Elgin (0-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: West Aurora 21, Elgin 13

Last week: West Aurora 46, East Aurora 0; Plainfield Central 47, Elgin 25

Players to watch: West Aurora spread things around against East Aurora. No player reached double-figures in carries. Leon Spears' 48 yards rushing led the team. It was the defense that really stood out, holding East Aurora to 37 net yards and 1 completion.

Outlook: The Blackhawks kept things simple last week, attempting only 7 passes in a game they led by 40 points at halftime. They'll try to repeat last week's turnover margin: a spiffy plus-3 that included Kevin Costin's 24-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

Bottom line: Fans who can't get to the game can listen to a webcast at www.sd129.org, but with the way the Blackhawks looked in the opener, this is a team you want to see in person.

Aurora Christian (1-0) at Mendota (1-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Didn't play

Last week: Aurora Christian 22, Immaculate Conception 12; Mendota 28, Aurora Central 20

Players to watch: The Eagles hope to come into this one healthier than a week ago, when wide receiver Matt Morse out with illness though he might not be back tonight. On the plus side, their new field should be ready to debut next weekend. And with 2 touchdowns in last week's win, Aurora Christian senior Jordan Roberts is now 12 away from the state's record. His second TD pass came late in the fourth quarter to David Zielke and turned an opening defeat into victory. For Mendota, Jordan Fritz ran for a touchdown and threw for another, one of just two completions on the night. Chris Knapp (24 carries, 85 yards) and Matt Songeroth (12-103) joined Fritz (74 yards) in leading Mendota to 268 rushing yards.

Outlook: This promises to be one of the better matchups in the state, if the AP rankings are any indication. Mendota checks in as the No. 8 team in Class 4A, five spots behind the Eagles at No. 3.

Bottom line: Beebe was pleased with how the Eagles finished last week's game, but it will take a complete 48-minute effort to pull out a win on the road tonight.

Harvard (0-1) at Aurora Central (0-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Harvard 33, Aurora Central 14

Last week: Big Foot, Wis., 16, Harvard 8; Mendota 28, Aurora Central 20

Players to watch: Aurora Central gained 299 yards last week, and quarterback Mike Adams provided 264 of them - 169 through the air and 95 on the ground.

Outlook: The Chargers' spread offense was so ineffective in the first half against Mendota, Aurora Central coach Mike Curry went with a move that would make coaches from yesteryear smile - a full-house power-T formation backfield. What made it interesting was that Adams went from quarterback to halfback in the setup, with junior Alex Schaefer taking the snaps. It wasn't particularly effective, but it did produce ACC's only first down of the half. More importantly, it illustrated that Adams is a flexible offense weapon for the Chargers - and that Curry is not afraid to pound the ball along the ground if ACC's proflic passing game is stymied.

Bottom line: If the Chargers can continue with the form they showed in outscoring Mendota 20-7 in the second half last week, Aurora Central could charge into SCC play at 1-1.

Genoa-Kingston (0-1) at Wheaton Academy (0-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m., at West Chicago High School.

Bottom line: Genoa beat the Warriors 50-7 last year but last week lost 47-0 to CICS Longwood. Wheaton Academy ran for 330 yards - 167 by Chris Reddick, 103 by Brian Pell - but needs to bulk up a defense that allowed Momence to compile 422 yards of offense in a 46-25 Warriors.

Good news: Dan Smith returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown.

St. Francis (1-0) at DeKalb (0-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m., at Northern Illinois University.

Bottom line: First for St. Francis: a 40-0 whuppin' of Yorkville in the Spartans' first game under permanent lights. Now, a college stadium. DeKalb, a 20-7 loser to Ottawa, can't let Mark Kachmer run for 180 yards on 5 carries like he did last week. Brett Robinson, Mark Schmitt, Tony Vargyas, Nick Loizzo came from the secondary to deliver the hit.