Preview: Lake County football games
Scouting this week's Lake County football games
Friday's games
Mundelein (1-6, 1-3) at Libertyville (3-4, 2-2)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Mundelein def. Zion-Benton, 25-14; Libertyville lost to Warren, 10-0.
Outlook: The North Suburban Lake game is a must-win for Libertyville if the Wildcats are going to keep alive their playoff hopes heading into a Week 9 matchup at Lake Forest (4-3, 1-3). They'll try to get their offense going after being shut out last week for the first time since Week 7 of the 2005 season (31-0 to Stevenson). Mundelein scored 22 points in the fourth quarter last Friday night to stun Zion-Benton - after scoring just 24 points in their first 6 games this season. Running back Kenny Jernigan scored 2 TDs.
- Joe Aguilar
Lake Zurich (4-3) at Grant (6-1)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Lake Zurich def. Lake Forest, 48-17; Grant def. Wauconda, 14-6.
Outlook: Sophomore Leo Minne makes his first varsity start at quarterback for Grant in the North Suburban crossover, after junior Justin Cokefair suffered a possible broken bone in his non-throwing hand this week. Cokefair started the season as the backup QB to Izzy Rodriguez, but got the start under center in Week 2 and since then has been putting together an all-conference-caliber season with nearly 700 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Grant clinched its fourth straight playoff berth last Saturday against Wauconda. A win for Lake Zurich will make the Bears playoff-eligible and all but guarantee them a postseason berth, as they should have ample playoff points. Running back Andrew Maloney rushed for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns against Lake Forest last Friday night.
- Joe Aguilar
Antioch (7-0, 4-0) at North Chicago (2-5, 1-3)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Antioch def. Vernon Hills, 38-35; North Chicago def. Round Lake, 45-19.
Outlook: If Antioch wins, the Sequoits will clinch a tie for the North Suburban Prairie Division championship and move them one win away from completing a perfect regular season. Mind you, Antioch, which hosts crosstown rival Lakes next Friday, went 0-9 just two years ago. Running back Cameron White keeps piling up the rushing yards (1,025) and touchdowns (18). Fullback Steve Lorenzini has rushed for 638 yards. North Chicago's win over Round Lake snapped a four-game losing streak. The Warhawks' Cameron Scott rushed for nearly 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- Joe Aguilar
Vernon Hills (6-1, 3-1) at Wauconda (3-4, 2-2)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Vernon Hills lost to Antioch, 38-35; Wauconda lost to Grant, 14-6.
Outlook: Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken said this week that sophomore star wide receiver/safety DaVaris Daniels is "doubtful" for tonight's North Suburban Prairie game. While the Cougars have wrapped up a playoff berth, they're still in the hunt for the NSC Prairie title. Daniels (18 receptions, 8 TDs, 4 interceptions) suffered an ankle injury on the first play from scrimmage against Antioch last Friday and did not return. The Cougars still feature QB PJ Marsek (848 passing yards, 13 TD passes, 442 rushing yards), RB Ernie Choi (team-best 655 rushing yards) and RB Seb Evans (518 rushing yards). Wide receiver Zach Kisley caught 3 TD passes against Antioch - his first 3 catches of the season. Linebacker EJ Lannan has 83 tackles (23 solos, 8 TFL).
- Joe Aguilar
St. Patrick (5-2, 3-2) at Carmel Catholic (6-1, 4-1)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: St. Patrick lost to Marist, 33-14; Carmel def. St. Joseph, 49-19.
Outlook: After a bit of a break last week, Carmel, which is seeking its fifth consecutive victory, is in for a test. St. Patrick is coming off a loss to the same Marist team that dealt Carmel its only loss. Other than that, St. Patrick's only other blemish is a 7-0 decision to Joliet Catholic, which is 5-0 in East Suburban Catholic Conference play...The Shamrocks don't score a lot of points (16 ppg), but boast the second-stingiest defenses in the league, allowing just 14 points per game. Their top defenders are linebacker Tom Mockler, lineman Douglas Key and cornerback Adam Nitsche. Nitsche is also St. Patrick's best player on offense, at fullback...The Corsairs will give the St. Patrick defense all it can handle. Carmel averages 37.5 points per game and tires defenses with a stable of running backs that includes Mike Taylor, Jimmy Miller, Sean Madison and Eric Stevenson.
- Patricia Babcock McGraw
Grayslake Central (0-7, 0-3) at Grayslake North (0-7, 0-3)
When: 7:45 p.m.
Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Johnsburg, 51-16; Grayslake North lost to Prairie Ridge, 62-17.
Outlook: Thank goodness. A football team from Grayslake is finally going to win a game. Too bad it can't be both. Central and North are both long overdue for a victory. Central went 0-9 last season and hasn't won a game since the seventh week of the 2006 season - a 33-10 victory over North, a school that was in its first year of existence after splitting from Central. Meanwhile, North has won just one game in its nearly three-year history - last year's crosstown rivalry battle against Central. The Knights came out on top, 31-6...Both Central and North have trouble putting points on the board. Central is averaging 13.8 points per game while North ranks at the bottom of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division with just 7.4 points per game...A bright spot for Central has been the connection between quarterback Kevin O'Rourke (117 passing yards per game) and receiver Justin Squiollo (66 receiving yards per game)...North's running game has shown some promise lately thanks to the efforts of Mike Morales and Glenn Mizowek.
- Patricia Babcock McGraw
Warren (6-1, 5-0) at Stevenson (4-3, 3-1)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Warren def. Libertyville, 10-0; Stevenson def. Lakes, 42-7.
Outlook: This one could be for all the marbles - at least in the North Suburban Lake Division. If both Warren and Stevenson win their games next week, which is likely (Warren plays 0-7 Round Lake and Stevenson plays 1-6 Mundelein), the winner of this game will be designated the conference champion by the IHSA. If the Blue Devils win, they would also win the division title outright with an undefeated record. If the Patriots win, they would share the Lake Division title with Warren, which would also have only one division loss. But the Patriots would get the IHSA designation as division champion since they beat Warren head-to-head...Libertyville dealt Stevenson its only division loss two weeks ago and Warren discarded the Wildcats last week, thanks to a big rushing night by both Tom Lindal and Mike Liao. Lindal racked up 152 yards on 18 carries while Liao added 123 yards on 22 carries. The Blue Devils are also dangerous through the air with quarterback Zach Shaw and wide receiver Ryan Maguire...Stevenson has nice balance, too. The Patriots sometimes lean heavily on running backs Mark Weisman and Matthew Harris, both of whom rushed for slightly more than 100 yards apiece last week. Quarterback Zach Wujcik and wide receivers Michael Bilton and Henry Wood can also put a defense on its heels.
- Patricia Babcock McGraw
Saturday's game
Lakes (2-5, 1-3) at Round Lake (0-7, 0-5)
When: 1 p.m.
Last week: Lakes lost to Stevenson, 42-7; Round Lake lost to North Chicago, 45-19.
Outlook: With the playoffs out of the picture for both of these teams, pride is on the line in this Saturday matinee. The Panthers are riding a 14-game losing streak that dates back to Week 3 of the 2007 season...Lakes got a nice win two weeks ago over North Chicago (28-26) to break up a four-game losing streak and keep hope alive for a playoff spot. But Stevenson brought the Eagles back to earth last week...Lakes got a nice effort last week out of receiver Kevin Kelly, who caught 4 passes for 98 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Justin Hotle...Round Lake's top weapons are quarterback Matt Ortiz and running back John Strickland.
- Patricia Babcock McGraw