Grayslake's battle will be on the field

This isn't game-of-the-week material, but Friday's crosstown rivalry battle between Grayslake Central and Grayslake North does offer a couple of compelling storylines.

First, one Grayslake team will finally put an end - at least temporarily - to the bleeding. The two squads are both winless this season and have lost a combined 47 of their last 50 games over the last three years.

The only win between the two teams last year was Grayslake North's victory over Central.

Meanwhile, the question of whether or not Grayslake North's field will hold up throughout the game will be weighing on the minds of many. Especially since the area got rain this week.

It was reported in the Daily Herald earlier this month that the school's 4-year-old football field had significant problems in September when heavy rains left the field unusable for five days.

According to Grayslake North football coach Steve Wood, flooding and inadequate drainage have been ongoing issues with the field since the school opened with just freshmen in 2004.

"Last week on Tuesday, we got an inch of rain, maybe not even an inch, and by Friday the field was still soft," Wood said. "In Week 3, when we got those really heavy rains, the field was a pond. It took two weeks to drain and even then your foot would sink 6 inches with every step. Luckily, we were on the road for Week 4.

"We don't even practice on the field because it's in such poor shape. We're not allowed. It's our home field but, for us, being on it is just like playing a road game."

And Wood pointed out that his team doesn't even have the worst of it.

There have already been a few junior varsity football games cancelled this season due to poor field conditions at North. And Wood says that last week the freshman team played its very first game on the field-in two years. Usually, the freshmen are relegated to a back field because the main field can't take yet another pounding.

Meanwhile, the boys soccer team has had some games cancelled this fall because of field issues.

In the spring, when rain is an even bigger issue, the field has been more vacant than not. Wood says that the girls soccer and lacrosse teams didn't play a single game on the field last spring.

No easy fix: Stunningly, the field at Grayslake North has been "fixed" three times already in the last three years.

The problem? It was determined that the clay base that sits under the field is not facilitating drainage the way it should.

"They've tried a few different things to correct the problem," North coach Steve Wood said. "The first time, they tried fixing the drainage and re-seeding. That didn't work. Then they tried stripping the entire field and re-seeding. Then they tried re-seeding again.

"This is huge issue and we've put a lot of money into this field."

What's next? It seems inevitable that more money will be sunk into the squishy field.

Sister school Grayslake Central has an artificial turf field that was installed last year. Six other Lake County schools have artificial turf fields as well.

Grayslake North coach Steve Wood says that artificial turf is an option at North - but an expensive one. Artificial turf fields typically cost around $800,000 and up.

Grayslake High School District 127 board member Jon Cokefair told the Daily Herald earlier this month that he'd prefer to keep a grass field and said the drainage might be improved if the clay base can be loosened.

"If I had my choice, I'd like to keep a grass field, too," Wood said. "But the problem is, you're never going to have a perfect grass field. In the long run, an artificial turf field is really the way to go. It will pay for itself with less maintenance, and more kids will get to use it.

"I'm not saying that between Grayslake Central and Grayslake North every little thing always has to be the same or equal. But the fact is, our kids are missing out on a lot of things because of our field problems."

Big night: No matter what the records are, the game between Central and North is big in Grayslake. Always will be.

"These kids all grew up playing youth football together," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "Our kids are friends with a lot of the guys over there. It's always going to be a huge game."

The series between the schools is currently tied at 1-1. North won last year's meeting, 31-6.

Music man: So if Grayslake North wins its rivalry game against Grayslake Central will the Knights be singing a victory song?

Maybe. After all, they've got quite a musician residing in their own locker room.

Senior Anthony Muir, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman is the lead singer of a "screamer" band.

"Anthony likes being an athlete, but he belongs to a lot of different groups," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "A lot of his friends wear all black and are into Megadeath-things like that. For some kids, it would be hard to go back and forth between both groups. But he handles himself really well."

Muir also seems to handle the opposition. According to Wood, he's got the ability to play at the next level.

"Anthony has a lot of tools," Wood said. "He's huge, he's strong, but he also has great feet for a guy his size."

Good night: When those "Friday Night Lights" get turned on at Stevenson this week, expect there to be electricity rushing through the crowd, too.

There's already plenty for the Patriots and their fans to be hyped up about heading into the North Suburban Conference Lake Division showdown with Warren.

If the Patriots win, they could put themselves in position to win the division title. With their fifth victory, they'd also put themselves in the playoff pool since they will likely have more than enough playoff points to qualify with the minimum five wins.

But on top of all that, Stevenson will also be playing its first home night game of the season.

The schedule has worked out in such a way that the Patriots have had just one other home game so far this season. And their Week 3 showdown against visiting Lake Forest was a Saturday afternoon game because of homecoming.

"We're pretty excited about that," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said of getting to play under the lights. "We like playing at night and at home. It's going to be a great environment and there's a lot at stake. It should be a really great game."

Second(ary) to none: Between quarterback Zach Shaw and wide receiver Ryan Maguire, Warren boasts a potent aerial assault.

How effective the Blue Devils will be against Stevenson could be a key to their showdown on Friday. The thing is, Stevenson has made a habit of grounding its fair share of passing games this season.

Defensive back Brad Backer has had a breakout season. He's racked up a team-leading 5 interceptions for the Patriots, who have tallied a total of 12 picks as a team.

"That's pretty good," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "Brad has played great for us. He's been a very steady player for us. We saw (his potential) over the summer and knew he'd do a good job."

"Our whole secondary is very good this year."

Mitz has also been pleased with the coverage of Michael Bilton, Scott Diamond and Erick King, who is next in line with 3 interceptions.

Nice (quick) pick-up line: Warren's most effective play in last week's 10-0 win over Libertyville was the quick handoff up the middle to fullback Tom Lindal.

When run correctly, Lindal is 10 yards downfield before anyone in the bleachers, and perhaps the opposing defense, even realizes he has the ball.

Naturally, that puts some pressure on the interior offensive lineman, but Blue Devils senior center Erik Church wouldn't want it any other way.

"It's a lot of fun and it just kind of gets your blood pumping," he said. "Me at center and our guards, we just love to bust that. It's exhilarating. We're short, we're stocky, but we're fast."

Playing on either side of Church are guards Jason Freeck and Jose Guevara, both juniors. The tackles are seniors Kyle Chellstorp and James Poliquin. Warren piled up 280 rushing yards in last week's victory.

• Mike McGraw contributed to this report.