Preview: St. Charles North (3-1, 1-0) at Bartlett (4-0, 2-0)

St. Charles North (3-1, 1-0) at Bartlett (4-0, 2-0)

Game time: 12 p.m. Saturday at Streamwood

Last year: Bartlett 36, St. Charles North 6

Last week: St. Charles North 42, T.F. North 7; Bartlett 30, Lake Park 7

Players to watch: Bartlett senior quarterback Josh Hasenberg has completed 59-of-89 passes for 686 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has two outstanding receivers in Alex Van Ness (2 touchdown receptions) and Cory Brown (3 touchdown receptions, 1 punt return touchdown). Senior running back Fabian Libreri has come along nicely this season for the Hawks. Although the Hawks prefer a pass-oriented attack, Libreri is averaging a little more than 15 carries a game (61 carries, 277 yards, 4 touchdowns). Defensively, the Hawks are led by linebacker Kyle Zelinsky (99 tackles in 2007) who is getting a lot of attention from Mid-American Conference (MAC) schools. The combination of the offensive line winning the trenches combined with downfield blocking has bode well for St. Charles North's Jordan Huxtable in the past two weeks as he's rushed for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 28 carries. The offense doesn't expect to have as much success against Bartlett on Saturday but Huxtable will need another strong performance. Sean McGushin (10-of-14 for 200 yards past two weeks) will start at quarterback for the North Stars although Nick Neari (1-of-3 on Friday) could see action as well. "Sean has played real nice so he'll start," North Stars coach Mark Gould said. "But in certain situation they might share some duties."Jon DeMoss had 4 catches, 2 for TDs, and 90 yards last week. "DeMoss at wide receiver is a heck of a force," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. "So we're going to have to play our best ball." Standout linebacker Jake Juriga continues to lead the North Stars' stingy defense.

Outlook: After outscoring its previous two opponents 96-7, St. Charles North heads to Streamwood to face a Bartlett team that has gotten off to the best start in school history. Not only do the North Stars want to remain undefeated in conference play, but they'd like to get back at the Hawks for drubbing them 36-6 last season in the first ever meeting between the two schools. "They haven't forgotten that at all and they realize this is a big game because (Bartlett's) been picked from the beginning," Gould said. "We know that last year they took it to us, but we also know they had a lot of good juniors too, so guys are excited to go out and compete against them." The Hawks are not just talented, but seasoned. "We have a lot of goals this year," Meaney said. "This group went 9-0 as freshmen, 7-2 as sophomores and some were called up to varsity that year. They have put in the time in the weight room, doing their running and four years of concentrating for now." One of Meaney's biggest concern is matching up with some of the speedy athletes on the North Stars' roster. "They have a lot of speed," he said. "With Huxtable, (Eric) Battle and Kyle Harmon, those are three quality backs and DeMoss is speedy and tall. They're a formidable opponent and good team." It should be interesting to see if the North Stars defense is up to the task to stopping the Hawks offensive attack. "They kind of downplay the run but on film they show they can do it," Gould said. "They are big upfront with big tight ends. The kids respect it and they present some problems because they can run." Still, the North Stars defense is playing well and is ready for its next huge test. "You can tell a good defense from how aggressive they are at attacking and getting to the ball," Gould said. "We're starting to get to that feel and fundamentally we've played really well." As a side note, Meaney could find himself eating dinner alone next week if the Hawks come away victorious. Meaney's twin daughters, Morgan and Katie, are cheerleaders at St. Charles North, while his son plays guard on the North Stars' freshman team.

Bottom line: The good news for the North Stars is this will be a good barometer for them to see where they're at right now. The bad news is that the Hawks have a lot of weapons which will make them tough to beat. From skilled and experienced offensive players to a defense that rarely allows itself to get beat, the North Stars face their biggest test of the season Saturday afternoon.

Kaneland (3-1, 2-0) at Batavia (2-2, 1-1)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Kaneland 31, Batavia 28

Last week: Kaneland 38, Sycamore 35; Batavia 34, Rochelle 28

Players to watch: How about the quarterbacks? Batavia's Jordan Coffey and Kaneland's Joe Camiliere have combined for 268 pass attempts and 1,957 yards this fall. Both will look to lead their offenses in what has the potential makings of being reminiscent of Kaneland's 54-51 victory over Rochelle in 2006. Coffey (69-of-132, 954 yards), Bai Kabba (12 rushes, 136 yards, 2 TDs last week), Erich Zeddies (24 receptions, 402 yards), Tyler Lindquist (6 receptions, 70 yards, TD last Friday) and Ryan Webb (5 receptions, 68 yards, TD last Friday) are putting up significant numbers for Batavia. Kyle Duhig, who didn't see action against Rochelle, still leads the team in rushes (29) and rushing yards (169). "The only reason he didn't play was we got into a rhythm with (Kabba)," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "Our game plan was to throw the ball early and then run the ball more in the second half." Hayden Johnson was the flavor of the week last Friday for Kaneland, leading its wide receivers with 8 catches for 129 yards. Ryley Bailey (4 catches, 59 yards, last week) and Tyler Callaghan (4 catches, 34 yards) also were key targets last Friday for quarterback Joe Camiliere (81-of-136, 1,003 yards, 6 TDs). Keep an eye out for Camiliere running the ball too as he's rushed for 77 yards in back-to-back games as well as contributions from Blake Serpa and Tyler Suerth.

Outlook: Gaspari said the Bulldogs aren't trying to control the football this season because "our goal is to just score and try to put pressure on people." After Kabba's season-best performance last week, Coffey's ability to lead a team downfield, and three excellent receivers in Lindquist, Webb and Zeddies, there's no reason not to expect the Bulldogs to give Kaneland some problems tonight. "We have that type of offense with a quick-strike ability and multiple kids that can make big plays," Gaspari said. "I'm sure Kaneland feels the same way." Kaneland's defense has come on strong in recent weeks but did yield 415 yards to Sycamore last Friday. "Sycamore had a lot to do with it," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "They spread it out and have a lot of weapons. We weren't happy with tackling and hope to see an improvement this week." Batavia's defense has also been victimized this fall. The Bulldogs are giving up 311 rushing yards per game and the Knights will look to take advantage. "We've tried to get some balance with the running game to help the passing game," Fedderly said. Such balance has certainly helped the Knights who also have a knack for winning the close ones this year. "We preach all year that you have to play four quarters," Fedderly said. "We didn't quite do it against Marmion, but we've won two in the fourth quarter since so that was a good lesson for us and they realize it's a four-quarter game each week." Kaneland has beaten Batavia in each of the last four years with the Bulldogs last defeating the Knights in 2003 by a score of 22-15. "It's hard to even imagine because normally we've had a lot of success against them but give them a lot of credit," Gaspari said. "The biggest concern is the way this game has evolved. It's another homecoming event for us, and contrary to what most people think, there are so many distractions." Camiliere and company hope to be one such distraction tonight.

Bottom line: Both offenses have been happy to stick opponents where they hurt this season and we should see more of that time. As for the defenses, they only get better with time, and both teams have had good moments this season but need to be consistent. While the offenses certainly deserve the hype, the team that makes its tackles, breaks up plays, pressures the quarterback, makes fast adjustments and reads plays well will likely come out on top.

Lake Park (1-3, 1-1) at St. Charles East (3-1, 2-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. today.

Last year: St. Charles East 30, Lake Park 0

Last week: Bartlett 30, Lake Park 7; St. Charles East 49, Streamwood 6

Players to watch: Lake Park linebackers Justin Kang and Ryan Gerts and defensive lineman Ben Coleman can make things difficult for opposing offenses, and they'll look to disrupt the Saints tonight. Lancers quarterback Larry Nawrot (19-of-29 passing, 196 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD last week) is in charge of the Lake Park attack. Kyle Steiger, Julian Figueroa and Chris Buonavalonto all have TD receptions this season, while Kevin Thomas came up big in the Lancers' lone victory this fall against Neuqua Valley (19 rushes, 67 yards, 2 TDs). Also keep an eye out for Artie Monaco, a senior who often splits his team at tight end, wide receiver, wing and tailback. St. Charles East senior Wes Allen (73 carries, 571 yards) continues to be dependable every Friday night for the Saints while fullback Kyle Wiebe (185 yards on 22 carries in past two weeks) is making his presence felt as well. Quarterback Tim Russell has been excellent the past two weeks, completing nearly 70 percent of his passing attempts (15-of-22) for 162 yards.

Outlook: The Saints won't be fooled by the Lancers 1-3 record, which includes a 15-13 loss to Conant and a 28-20 setback to undefeated Naperville Central. "I watched the film on Naperville Central and Lake Park dominated," Saints coach Ted Monken said. "They just had costly turnovers at inopportune times and locations because they really handled them in a lot of facets of the game. They handled Neuqua Valley in a mudpath and then Bartlett just out-physicaled them with their big linemen." Defense has been huge for the Saints in conference play and it's caught Monken's attention. "They're really swarming to the football and it's not one player making a play it's all 11 of them getting there and making sure," he said. "And we're getting good consistent pass rush." Keeping the pressure on Nawrot will help the Saints in this one as well as the consistent solid play of their own offense. "I think we've run the ball well in all four games," Monken said. "As we learn more about Tim (Russell) we continue to work on minimizing his weaknesses and maximizing his strengths. We're learning more about him each week and he continues to get better."

Bottom line: After giving up 55 points in their two nonconference games, the Saints have outscored opponents 70-6 in the Upstate Eight Conference. As long as Allen gets his usual 100-plus rushing yards, Russell avoids throwing interceptions and the defense continues its dominant play in the trenches, the Saints should have a good opportunity of traveling to Neuqua Valley next week with an unblemished conference mark.

Sycamore (3-1, 1-1) at Geneva (4-0, 2-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Geneva 37, Sycamore 14

Last week: Kaneland 38, Sycamore 35; Geneva 14, Glenbard South 7

Players to watch: Geneva running back Michael Ratay was asked to do more than ever before in last week's nail-biting win over Glenbard South. He rushed 41 times and finished with 192 yards. It was the first time in his brilliant career that he's had more than 40 rushing attempts in one game and just the third time he's rushed more than 30 times in a contest; the other two occurred in last year's playoffs: Bradley Bourbonnais (35) and East St. Louis (30). How will he respond tonight? A lot of that has to do with the Vikings' passing game, which has yet to get off the ground even after four games. Quarterback Brandon Beitzel had a forgettable evening last Friday and is averaging less than 5 completions and just 63 passing yards and 1 interception per game. The Vikings are still without a 100-yard receiver on the season, and have just 1 touchdown reception. Sycamore quarterback Michael Buckner is awfully dangerous (25-of-34 passing, 570 yards, 6 TD passes and 1 INT). He rushed 16 times for 93 yards in last week's loss to Kaneland. Joe Dougherty (39 carries, 209 yards) leads the Spartans rushing attack but only had 4 carries last week. Marckie Hayes (7 carries, 101 yards last week) and Cody Bex also are key players in the backfield while Tom Hensley (8 catches, 390 yards, 3 TDs) will look to test Geneva's secondary.

Outlook: Back in the 70s and 80s you used to see signs marked "John 3:16" at sporting events. At Geneva, the Vikings are still basking in the glow of "Geneva 2:29" as in the final 2 minutes and 29 seconds of its come-from-behind victory over Glenbard South last Friday. While the victory kept the Vikings in first place in the Western Sun Conference, it further exposed the team's need to develop a passing game. Last week Beitzel completed just 6-of-16 passes for 68 yards and he was intercepted 3 times. The good news is that Kaneland's mix of running and passing last week against Sycamore resulted in 450 yards of total offense. If the Vikings and Beitzel are capable of getting the passing game going even the least bit, it's hard to imagine the Spartans being able to hang close with the Vikings, but whether or not such an attack becomes airborne is unknown. On the flip side, besides St. Charles East, no one has had any success running against the Vikings. Buckner should present a unique challenge in that he rarely makes mistakes throwing the ball and is arguably as dangerous when he tucks it away and runs with it. Both teams have scored 138 points.

Bottom line: Geneva has proved that it can beat good teams and blowout so-so teams by handing the ball to Ratay and letting its defense do the rest. Sycamore is one of the feel-good stories in the conference this season but it'll take a Herculean effort and some balls to bounce its way if it plans on knocking off this Geneva giant.

Chicago Christian (4-0, 1-0) at Aurora Christian (4-0, 1-0)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. today.

Last year: Aurora Christian 34, Chicago Christian 7

Last week: Chicago Christian 43, Luther South 12; Aurora Christian 48, Lake Forest Academy 8

Outlook: This annually is the game of the year in the Private School League, and tonight's meeting should be no exception. They have one common opponent, Lake Forest Academy, who the Eagles beat by 40 last week. Chicago Christian defeated them 32-6. All eyes will be on Jordan Roberts, who enters the game with 94 career touchdown passes, just one away from the state record.

Montini (4-0, 2-0) at Marmion (2-2, 0-2)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Montini 35, Marmion 0

Last week: Montini 42, St. Francis 21; Driscoll 49, Marmion 31

Outlook: Tom DiCristina's aerial show flies into Aurora; the Broncos senior threw 4 more touchdown passes in a 41-21 win over St. Francis. Marmion's diverse schemes offer lots to defend. The Cadets put up over 400 yards of offense against Driscoll last week, but they need to cut down on their mistakes. Four turnovers, including three fumbles, are too much to overcome against any team, let alone the powers Marmion is battling in the Suburban Catholic.

St. Francis (3-1, 1-1) at Aurora Central (0-4, 0-2)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Last year: St. Francis 51, Aurora Central 28

Last week: Montini 42, St. Francis 21; St. Edward 42, Aurora Central 7

Outlook: Poor tackling and center exchanges, a late first-half interception clouded fullback Stan Bobowski's first 100-yard day of 2008. Mark Kachmer (926 yards rushing) should smash 1K mark. After staying close with its opponents for most of the first three weeks, the Chargers didn't get on the board against St. Edward until under a minute remained. ACC coach Mike Curry wasn't happy with any phase of the game, from tackling to blocking to catching passes.

West Aurora (3-1, 1-1) at Wheaton North (2-2, 0-2)

Game time: 7:30 p.m. today.

Last year: Wheaton North 28, West Aurora 15

Last week: West Aurora 33, Glenbard East 27; Naperville Central 28, Wheaton North 13

Outlook: Wheaton North's defense, which has struggled the last two weeks, needs to be wary of the Blackhawks' screen passes to Markus Cocroft, who scored on two of them last week. West Aurora built a 33-14 lead in that game and looked like a different team than the one that lost 41-2 to Naperville Central the previous week. With Wheaton Warrenville South, Glenbard North and Naperville North still on the schedule, finding a way to win this game takes on added importance. "We're going to have our backs up against anybody we play," West Aurora coach Buck Drach said. "It's that simple."