Scouting: St. Charles North at Crystal Lake South
Class 7A
No. 11 St. Charles North (6-3) at No. 6 Crystal Lake South (7-2)
When: Friday at 7 p.m. at Ken Bruhn Field
Playoff history: Crystal Lake South is making its eighth straight playoff appearance and 14th overall. The Gators reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2005. St. Charles North is making its seventh straight playoff appearance. The North Stars have gone 1-6 in the postseason.
Outlook: Both teams have playmakers. Crystal Lake South attacks with senior fullback Derek Mortensen (105 carries, 415 yards, 3 TDs) and shifty junior tailback Colin Masterson (108-740-8). Masterson is also the team's leading receiver with 11 catches for 220 yards and 4 TDs. Sophomore quarterback Drew Ormseth has shown the ability to throw the ball. He has completed 50-of-98 attempts for 955 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has 10 interceptions. Last week the Gators beat Woodstock to gain home-field advantage in Round 1. They'll need it against a St. Charles North team that runs multiple formations. Junior running back Jordan Huxtable has carried 146 times for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Sean McGushin (59-of-102, 845 yards, 5 TDs) took over as signal caller midway through the season. Junior Jeff Stolzenburg leads the North Stars with 20 catches for 286 yards and 2 scores. "It's fun to have a home playoff game, but St. Charles North is a very good football team," Crystal Lake South coach Jim Stuglis said. "It's not an easy first-round draw, that's for sure. They use multiple formations and give you a lot of things to prepare for. They're definitely a better running team, but they look like they try to pass quite a bit. Hopefully, we can contain the run and force them to throw the ball. I think we'll be in better shape if we force them to throw. " The North Stars lost to the three playoff teams on their schedule: Cary-Grove, Bartlett and St. Charles East. The Gators played five playoff teams. They lost to Cary-Grove and Glenbard North and beat Prairie Ridge, Woodstock and Crete-Monee.
Advancement: The winner will play the winner of Saturday's 1 p.m. game between No. 14 Libertyville (5-4) at No. 3 Rockford Boylan (9-0). CL South would play on the road in Round 2.