Scouting: Tri-Cities Week 6

St. Charles East (4-1, 3-0) at Neuqua Valley (2-3, 1-2)

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

Last year: St. Charles East 17, Neuqua Valley 14.

Last week: St. Charles East 42, Lake Park 41; Neuqua Valley 38, Elgin 12

Players to watch: After rushing 42 times for 280 yards and 6 touchdowns last Friday night, one might wonder how St. Charles East running back Wes Allen is feeling. "I was dead after the game," Allen said. "I just went with some people to McDonald's, got something to eat and then went home." Then, on Saturday, he replaced his cleats for dancing shoes for the Homecoming Dance. "I was tired but it was a lot of fun." Look for Allen to be well rested and ready to go against always-tough UEC-rival Neuqua Valley tonight. Quarterback Tim Russell (42-of-77, 498 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs) can also move the ball via the run with 25 rushes for 175 yards while he's got three receivers in double-digits in receptions: Paul DeBord (14), Tyler Nutting (12) and Dan White (11), along with Kyle Wiebe in the backfield (45 rushes, 316 yards, 5 TDs). Second-year starting quarterback Alex Lincoln leads a Neuqua Valley offense, which has played well recently, especially thanks to the output from Nate Pena. In the past two games, Pena has rushed 42 times for 327 yards. Lincoln has plenty of targets, which is one of the things that make the Wildcats a difficult team to defend. Conner Yearian, Joshua Schaffer and Michael Camire are three of the leading targets Lincoln has aired the ball out to this season so the Saints secondary could have a big task tonight. Pat Friel leads the Saints with 47 tackles.

Outlook: This battle has become a good one in recent years, especially with a 2-point decision in 2005 and last year's thrilling 17-14 contest. Last year was the first time the Saints had beaten Neuqua Valley with coach Ted Monken at the helm and only the second time they slayed the Wildcats since 2000. Once again this is a big game for both teams. The Saints need to win to remain undefeated in conference play. With an easier contest against South Elgin next week before their final conference game against St. Charles North in Week 8, the Saints remain in very good shape. Things just don't get any easier for the Wildcats. Not only do they entertain the Saints tonight but Bartlett comes in next Friday and St. Charles North looms on their schedule in the season finale. Already with 3 losses, the Wildcats need to pick up some huge wins if they hope to see a Week 10. The Saints need to be ready for Neuqua Valley's 4-3 base defense which was fantastic last week, forcing a combination of 9 quarterback sacks/rushing losses. Wildcats coach Bryan Wells has his defense playing a "high-risk, high-reward" style that is also susceptible to giving up big plays. "This defensive scheme is something new for them and it's taken some time for them to get used to it," Monken said. "They're a scary team and we're going to have to find a way to handle that front with stunting and blitzing." The Saints had 65 offensive plays last week and rushed on 54 of them so it'll be interesting to see how they handle the Wildcats' defensive approach. "We ran for 320 to 340 yards against Lake Park and that's outstanding," Monken said. "The O-line has worked so well so that's been nice. We hope that it can continue and the thing with Wes (Allen) is that he goes where he's supposed to go and that's important because if he cuts the wrong way he'll not hit the holes." The Saints hope to hit many of those holes tonight and ruin the night for what should be a very enthusiastic and vocal crowd during homecoming festivities at Neuqua Valley.

Bottom line: Neuqua Valley has a long way to go to back to the playoffs, but you can never count the Wildcats out. Plus, with tonight's game and matchups with Bartlett and St. Charles North looming, the Wildcats know they are going to have a huge impact on how the conference shapes up. Therefore, the Saints need to jump on them early, move the ball consistently regardless if it's with the run or the pass, and avoid turning the ball over. Do that, and it's very possible that the only thing that will stand between them and an undefeated conference season will be St. Charles North - just like last year.

St. Charles North (3-2, 1-1) at South Elgin (2-3, 1-1)

Game time: 12 p.m. Saturday

Last year: St. Charles North 34, South Elgin 7

Last week: Bartlett 21, St. Charles North 7; South Elgin 20, T.F. South 19

Players to watch: Jordan Huxtable was antagonized by Bartlett last week and limited to just 39 yards on 17 carries. Meanwhile, his quarterback tandem of Sean McGushin (10-of-28, 128 yards, 2 INTs) and Nick Neari (3-of-10, 30 yards, 1 INT) was aggravated by the Hawks too. They'll look to make a speedy recovery Saturday afternoon. South Elgin quarterback Pat Rae has gained some confidence and is playing well as of late. In the Storm's modest 2-game winning streak, Rae has completed 27-of-42 passes for 458 yards and 4 touchdowns. The dangerous Josh Smith has been his favorite target, as he's hauled in 3 of those touchdowns. He also had 8 catches for 145 yards against Elgin in Week 4. Shawn Ryan and Phil Kawabata can also help the Storm offense move the chains while Brad Birchfield rushed for 85 yards last week.

Outlook: A few intangibles should make the North Stars wary of the Storm. 1) This is South Elgin's first bona fide homecoming game. 2) South Elgin is coming off a huge victory. 3) The North Stars are coming off an emotionally draining defeat. 4) This is another rare Saturday afternoon game for the North Stars and second straight. 5) The routinely very good McGushin and Neari both struggled last Saturday. "Bartlett was our biggest game of the year but we've got to put that behind us and move on," North Stars linebacker Jake Juriga said. "We're still right up there in conference and we want to go farther than any other (team in school history). So right now our next game is the biggest game for us."

Bottom line: The North Stars have turned the ball over 3 times in both of their losses. They've proven that they can compete against the top teams and their two losses came to Cary-Grove and Bartlett who are a combined 10-0. The North Stars simply need to avoid costly turnovers and let their offense and defense execute. If they get back to doing that tomorrow afternoon then they shouldn't have a problem with getting win No. 4.

Batavia (3-2, 2-1) at Yorkville (1-4, 0-3)

Game time: 7 p.m. today.

Last year: Batavia 47, Yorkville 3.

Last week: Batavia 31, Kaneland 21; Rochelle 29, Yorkville 7.

Players to watch: Batavia defensive back Mike Theriault has helped the Bulldogs defense makes strides this season. "He's basically our quarterback on that side of the ball," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "He doesn't have the most ability but he's a great communicator and no one has worked harder or is a better leader." Offensively, quarterback Jordan Coffey (78-of-148, 1,078 yards) and the rest of the Bulldogs are mixing a nice ground/air attack with J.R. Kabba (39 rushes, 353 yards, 3 TDs in the past two games) and Erich Zeddies (28 catches, 476 yards). Kyle Duhig (32 rushes, 202 yards), fullback Evan Olexa (9 rushes, 29 yards last week) and Ryan Webb are also playmakers. Will Parker, Tyler Probst and Matt Steht lead Yorkville's running game while Luke Parece is the quarterback.

Outlook: The Foxes haven't won since Sept. 5, which came against East Aurora, have been outscored 150-55 and are winless in conference. "They have some good skill athletes and it's just a matter of time until they play better," Gaspari said. "They scheme like Kaneland so it's a nice transition for us. They try to stretch you horizontally and vertically and challenge your defense." But, these young Foxes have to do it with pups. Yorkville graduated 17 of 22 starters from last year and the development process has been slow against tough conference competition. Batavia, on the other hand, is now back in the hunt for a conference championship and aiming for its third win in a row. "You prepare for them like it's the most important game of the season," Coffey said. "We won't take them lightly by any means. On any given Friday night you can get upset so can never overlook them." Last week, Yorkville attempted 50 passes and Batavia defended 45. If Yorkville has any chance tonight the Foxes will need to victimize the Bulldogs with the run but their execution has been mediocre. "We haven't executed very effectively in any of our games," Foxes coach Jim Still said.

Bottom line: The Bulldogs are trending up which doesn't bode well for the slumping Foxes. Batavia has proved, especially recently, that it can run and pass the ball. At the same time, its defense is gradually getting better each week. These Yorkville pups just aren't ready to make this a real dogfight.

Geneva (5-0, 3-0) at DeKalb (1-4, 1-2)

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

Last year: Geneva 43, DeKalb 14.

Last week: Geneva 45, Sycamore 21; Glenbard South 42, DeKalb 6.

Players to watch: Watch for Michael Ratay (124 rushes, 954 yards, 17 touchdowns), Drew Fagot (31 carries, 150 yards) and the Vikings offensive line to try to blow this one open early and provide opportunities for quarterback Brandon Beitzel (28-of-57, 357 yards, 3 INTs, 4 TDs) and receivers Jason Holmes (8 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs) and Brandon Lee (6 catches, 132 yards, TD) to work on becoming bigger threats. A lot of the focus has been on Ratay but the Vikings know they need a better passing attack, or threat, if they hope to make a lengthy postseason run. Michael Santacaterina, Jay Graffagna, Jerrod Campbell and Brandon Johnson, who have combined for 37 carries and 235 yards, should get a chance to show their running abilities tonight. For DeKalb, Kyle Wallin and junior Frank Petras have seen time at quarterback while senior Mandel Williams is a speed threat at running back.

Outlook: DeKalb played with a running clock for most of the second half in last week's loss to Glenbard South and if the Vikings continue to play like they have through five games then Ratay should be able to retire his legs by halftime. The Barbs have to be wondering when things will get better. They have not made the playoffs since 1989 and they'll likely drop out of contention for a spot tonight with their fifth loss. Furthermore, last week's loss occurred during homecoming festivities. Regardless, the Vikings have business to take care of and they will look to put away the Barbs early, work on several things, make a lot of substitutions and better prepare themselves for a potential conference title and lengthy postseason run. "We always say 'Fear no one respect everyone' and we know DeKalb has a bunch of great athletes and kids that can break a play," Geneva safety Sean Grady said. "We know we need to be on edge and come out strong and we are very conditioned to wear a team down by the fourth quarter."

Bottom line: The Barbs are giving up 36 points a game so the Vikings should have little problem putting points on the board. As for the Geneva defense, it should be licking its chops against an inexperienced Barbs offensive line.

Kaneland (3-2, 2-1) at Glenbard South (3-2, 2-1)

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

Last year: Glenbard South 47, Kaneland 28.

Last week: Batavia 31, Kaneland 21; Glenbard South 42, DeKalb 6.

Players to watch: You won't find a quarterback any more competitive than Kaneland sophomore Joe Camiliere who was down on himself after last week's loss. After completing 27-of-45 passes for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Camiliere had little reason to be upset with his performance, but he wants to win. "We're happy with Joe's progress," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. Blake Serpa (10 catches, 87 yards) and Pat Fleming (8 catches, 127 yards) were very busy last week and Ryley Bailey, Hayden Johnson, Tyler Andrews and Tyler Callaghan all could contribute some big plays tonight. If the Knights utilize more of the run look for Camiliere to do it as well as Tyler Suerth and Serpa. Glenbard South's Kevin Marshall broke a finger on his throwing hand in the Week 4 loss to Geneva but could be back tonight, but only at linebacker. Junior Trace Wanless (17-of-30, 258 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT) has filled in nicely for Marshall at quarterback. Last week he threw 4 touchdown passes. The Raiders hope to have Nick Slezak (9 catches, 75 yards) back in the lineup after sustaining a concussion while the status of lineman Branden Shustar and his shoulder separation is still unknown. Curtis Ford (50 rushes, 416 yards, 4 TDs) has had a great deal of success moving the ball on the ground while Jon Holland leads the team in receptions (15), receiving yards (274) and touchdown catches (4). Defensively, Louis Erkins (44) leads the Raiders in tackles.

Outlook: With four games remaining and a 3-2 record, the Knights have little room for error if they wish to qualify for the playoffs. While they'll be favorites at home against DeKalb and Yorkville, if they lose tonight and drop their Week 8 contest at Geneva, they'll be at 5-4 and playoff points will become a deciding factor. Therefore, the Knights could really use a road victory and since the Raiders are a little banged up and without their returning starting quarterback, one would think they have a better chance tonight than against Geneva in a couple weeks. Slow starts have plagued the Knights in their losses to Marmion and Batavia so that's a key focal point. "The two games we've lost we've been disappointed in how we came out defensively," Fedderly said. "Last week we didn't make any real adjustment at halftime and held (Batavia) to 3 points. So we've been a little shaky at the start of two losses and we're trying to correct that." Fedderly has been pleased with the fact that his players never quit and have been in every game this season and he knows tonight presents a real challenge. "We want to be a good team so we have to beat a good team on the road," he said. "We're not looking ahead, we're concentrating on Glenbard South and going to have to play really well to beat them." Wanless wasn't really tested against DeKalb last week so if the Knights can put some pressure on him tonight it could pay dividends in their hopes for the upset victory.

Bottom line: A strong start defensively from the Knights is crucial. The Raiders gave Geneva their biggest scare of the season and handled Batavia so Kaneland knows what it's in for tonight. Conference wins on the road against upper echelon teams don't come easy and the Knights will need an exceptionally strong defensive stand and another gutsy effort from Camiliere to pull it off tonight.

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

Game time: 7:30 p.m. today at Elmhurst College.

Last year: Marmion 7, St. Francis 5.

Last week: Montini 14, Marmion 8; St. Francis 49, Aurora Central 3

Outlook: Heavy rains at St. Francis forced this game to be moved. This concludes a killer four-game strech for the Cadets following losses to Marian, Driscoll and Montini. Marmion has inched closer each week, and nearly upset the Broncos last week if not for a few missed opportunities in the second half. The high-powered Spartans lead the SCC with 199 points, and no team has held them under 21 this year. Something will have to give against a Marmion defense that slowed Montini.

Aurora Central (0-5, 0-3) at Marian (3-2, 2-1)

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

Last year: Marian 52, Aurora Central 7.

Last week: St. Francis 49, Aurora Central 3; Marian 28, St. Edward 7.

Outlook: A difficult year won't get easier the next two weeks with Marian this week and seven-time defending state champion Driscoll next. After averaging 20.5 points a game in the non-conference, the Chargers offense has been slowed so far in the SCC with 17 points in three games, while the defense has had its hands full all year, allowing 40-plus points the last four weeks.

Aurora Christian (5-0, 2-0) at Luther South (1-4, 0-2)

Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Last year: Aurora Christian 51, Luther South 6.

Last week: Aurora Christian 42, Chicago Christian 28; Lake Forest Academy 42, Luther South 14.

Outlook: It was a tale of two games last week for the Eagles, a perfect first half that saw them take a 35-0 lead over previously unbeaten Chicago Christian and a sloppy second half that saw the state's No. 5 ranked Class 4A team get outscored 28-7. Here's guessing you'll see more of the first half Eagles the rest of the way, starting Saturday, now that wide receiver Matt Morse is back for the state's all-time passing touchdown leader Jordan Roberts to find. The two connected for 4 TDs last week in Morse's first game back from mono.

WW South (5-0, 3-0) at West Aurora (3-2, 1-2)

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

Last year: WW South 35, West Aurora 6.

Last week: WW South 45, Naperville Central 7; Wheaton North 38, West Aurora 27.

Outlook: Comparing scores to try to get an idea for how a game can be tricky, but that formula would be scary for the Blackhawks for this one. They played Naperville Central and lost 41-2, WW South beat Naperville Central 45-7, so that logic would make the Blackhawks about a 77-point underdog. Obviously, West Aurora is expecting a much closer game, just like last week when the Falcons pulled away late to win by 11. The Tigers went more vertical last week, and why not with big-play receivers Orlando Ross, Mack Tracey and a host of others? The return of DL Rahil Shermohamed brought a boost to the defense - not to mention plenty of QB pressure.