DuPage Co.: Week 9 previews

There are two schools of thought on tonight's showdown between Wheaton Warrenville South and Naperville North.

They literally come from the two different schools.

"I love having a game like this in Week 9," said Tigers coach Ron Muhitch. "To have both teams come into the game unbeaten for a second straight year, it shows we've reached the pinnacle at both schools with our programs.

"If we can get a repeat of last year's game, I think it'd be great for both communities."

That's easy for Muhitch to say. His Tigers won last year's meeting 42-41 in triple overtime to take their third straight DuPage Valley Conference title.

Tonight at Naperville North the Huskies (8-0, 6-0) hope to gain a slice of revenge while claiming its first DVC title since 2004.

Last season's bitter defeat to the Tigers (8-0, 6-0) didn't affect the Huskies too badly, however. They haven't lost a game since and won last year's Class 8A state title.

Still, Huskies coach Larry McKeon would prefer not to see a game of this magnitude represent the regular-season finale. It's too important of a game this close to the playoffs.

"From a coaching perspective I would have preferred to have it earlier in the year," McKeon said. "You don't know how the kids are going to react to a game like this.

"Last year I really thought it drained us a little bit," he said. "It's like the beginning of the playoffs a week early."

Bulldogs fans: While Glenbard South looks to take care of business in tonight's Western Sun Conference finale against Sycamore, the Raiders also will be rooting big-time for Batavia.

If the Bulldogs beat unbeaten Geneva and Glenbard South beats Sycamore, the Raiders will share the Western Sun title with Batavia and the Vikings.

Glenbard South gave Geneva its toughest game this season in a 14-7 loss. In fact the Raiders are the only team that's held the Vikings under 34 points this season.

Glenbard South (6-2, 5-1) goes for its fifth straight win tonight as well as a possible home game in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

"I think we've done a good job staying focused all season," said Raiders coach Dan Starkey. "We've really come on since that Geneva loss."

Downers defense: Downers Grove South plays for the outright West Suburban Gold title tonight against Leyden.

If the Mustangs (6-2, 5-0) win they'll cap their fifth unbeaten Gold campaign this decade. They'll also try to notch their fourth straight shutout and fifth of the season.

After dropping its first two games of the season to Bolingbrook and York, Downers South has surged through a six-game winning streak.

"We've gotten healthier and just played much better in the conference," said Mustangs coach John Belskis.

Keeping up with Jones: If you watched pro football in the late 1980s, early 1990s you remember a Minnesota Vikings receiver by the name of Hassan Jones.

Jones retired in 1993 with 24 touchdowns in 229 receptions, but against the Bears it seemed like for every 2 receptions, 1 was for a touchdown.

Neuqua Valley senior Conner Yearian is on such a blistering pace.

With his touchdown in Neuqua Valley's 48-21 win over Streamwood he has a program-record 11 touchdowns on the season. Nearly half of his 24 receptions, a full 45.8 percent, go for touchdowns.

The senior does have nearly prototype size for today's game. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Yearian combines breakaway speed and leaping ability to go up over most defensive backs. Yearian and Western Michigan-bound receiver Josh Schaffer, who's cut from similar cloth, are two huge reasons Wildcats quarterback Alex Lincoln has thrown for 24 touchdowns.

Speaking of that...: With his three touchdown passes last week, Lincoln now owns Neuqua Valley's single-season and all-time records.

Ken Rice held the Wildcats' career mark of 23 touchdown passes over the 2003-04 seasons. Rice and Eric Ilich, the program's first quarterback, shared the single-season record of 13 touchdown passes.

Lincoln, who threw for 5 touchdowns last season, now has 29 on the varsity.

Not such a New-bie: This may be Brandon New's first Driscoll-Montini game as a head coach, but the Driscoll Highlanders' first-year coach is well-versed in the lore.

"I experienced it," said New, a 1994 Driscoll graduate.

An all-Suburban Catholic Conference receiver, running back and defensive back, in his senior season of 1993 New and the Highlanders experienced being on the wrong end of a 40-14 loss to Montini.

After his college career at Holy Cross he returned to the coaching ranks at Driscoll for a decade, including 2006-07 as defensive coordinator.

"I've lived it as a player, I've lived it as an assistant and now as a head coach," New said of the rivalry game at Montini.

"This is the reason coaches coach, games like this. It says a lot about your operation, a lot about the team, and it's a great atmosphere. I'm expecting it to be packed on Saturday."

New, who was 2 years old when Chris Andriano became Montini's coach, portrays Saturday's game as a battle of offenses.

At its heart it'll also be what every Driscoll-Montini football game has ever been.

"It's going to be whoever comes out and wants it more," New said.