Scouting Huntley @ Crystal Lake South

Huntley (3-3, 0-2) at Crystal Lake South (6-0, 2-0)

When Today at 7:15 p.m. at Harmony Road Campus

Last met in 2005 Crystal Lake South 42, Huntley 8

Last week CL South 50, Jacobs 6; Cary-Grove 23, Huntley 0

Outlook: The Gators and Red Raiders have played three times since Huntley joined the Fox Valley Conference in 2003, though this is their first meeting since 2005. CL South won the three previous games by a combined score of 126-14. The Red Raiders are on a 3-game losing streak, but they played spirited football last week in giving Cary-Grove its closest test this season on a wet field. The Red Raiders must vie for the upset tonight because even victories in their final 2 games against Jacobs (1-5) and Dundee-Crown (1-5) may not give them enough playoff points to qualify. Huntley's 27 playoff points rank 35th in Class 6A. The Gators, on the other hand, are in the playoffs and now play to improve their seed. They will get their toughest test in weeks if Huntley brings the same effort it mustered last week. "They played very hard with a lot of emotion and they didn't give up, that's for sure" CL South coach Jim Stuglis said of Huntley's 23-0 loss to Cary-Grove. "So that's a test that we'll have to overcome. They play much more aggressive defense and they're out to prove something as well. I think they're definitely a playoff-caliber team, so we have our work cut out for us. We have to make sure we're mentally and emotionally ready to play a long game and not a half." Gators senior Alex Macaulay will start at safety for the first time since his August appendectomy.