Preview: Crystal Lake South at McHenry

When: today at 7:45 p.m. at McCracken Field

Last year: CL South 13, McHenry 7

Last week: CL South 31, Prairie Ridge 14; CL Central 41, McHenry 27

Outlook: McHenry is in a desperate situation. With 3 losses already and Cary-Grove still to play in Week 9, the Warriors will pull out all the stops to notch a win against CL South. Otherwise, any realistic hope of making the postseason for the 21st straight season will evaporate. "They have their backs against the wall, so they could come out in almost anything and play with a lot of emotion. If things start going well for them, they could build on that. So our goal is to weather the storm for the first five minutes, put some points on the board and get them second-guessing." The season has gone far better for the Gators, who have a new 3-3-5 defense and a sophomore quarterback helming the offense. Last week, they gave future opponents extra homework to do by demonstrating an ability to throw the ball, hardly the program's forte. With nine Prairie Ridge defenders in the box, Stuglis and staff elected to throw the ball instead, and quarterback Drew Ormseth finished with 239 yards passing and 3 touchdown strikes. "It was a little bit of a surprise to us that the kids reacted so well to that," Stuglis said. "And Drew grew up." Having confidence in the passing game will only help as the season progresses, but the Gators still prefer to run the ball with its three-headed monster of senior Derek Mortensen (57 carries, 319 yards, 3 TDs) and juniors Colin Masterson (38-319-3) and Kameron Scott (33-118-1). Masterson is averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Defensively, the Gators have to prepare for the kitchen sink. The Warriors sometimes line up in a spread formation and quarterback Ryan Michel has thrown for over 300 yards. But the Gators are more concerned with their own game and executing their assignments. "I think we're improving each week," Stuglis said. "If we can keep doing that, it's all you can ask for from an inexperienced team. They're starting to get experience and believe in themselves." CL South junior linebacker John Walsh is expected to return to action tonight after sitting out last week with an illness.