Buffalo Gropve visits Rolling Meadows in MSL East showdown
This isn't the Mid-Suburban East football showdown most people expected.
But that makes tonight's trip by Buffalo Grove to Rolling Meadows for at least a share of the division title a bit of an unexpected treat.
"We're excited for it," said second-year BG coach Jim Farrell. "There are great matchups offensively and defensively for both teams. To have it as a conference championship game kind of elevates everything."
BG hasn't won the East since 2002 and Meadows shared the title with Wheeling two years ago.
"We've got some challenges," said Meadows coach Doug Millsaps, who returned to practice Thursday after the death of his father William at last Friday's game. "We really do."
A young defense anchored by senior Erick Louis-Charles upfront has emerged as the MSL's best at just 183 yards allowed a game. But it will face some dangerous perimeter threats in Kevin Mulligan, John Angotti and Mike Cornely.
"Our perimeter game is going to have to make some plays for us," Farrell said.
The same is true with those three on the other side against Meadows quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and long-range threat Tony Taibi.
"Jimmy is a complete quarterback, that's for sure," Farrell said. "He can get it done with his legs and make no mistake about it, he's got a nice arm on him."
Reunion ahead for Lombard: Fremd offensive lineman Christian Lombard will see an old friend in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9, 2010 in San Antonio.
Also chosen for the game was defensive end Kelcy Quarles of South Carolina. Lombard was born in Arlington Heights but his family moved to South Carolina in the first grade and he played on the same Pop Warner team with Quarles in the fourth grade.
"It's a small world," Lombard said with a smile.
Opposing coaches and players probably wish Lombard stayed in a different part of the world instead of moving back to Palatine in sixth grade.
"I told Mike (Fremd coach Donatucci), if it's at all possible he's gotten a lot better," said Hoffman coach Bill Helzer.
Breakaway Bonahoom: Prospect coach Brent Pearlman said he planned to put a tailback alongside quarterback Miles Osei at some point.
"We didn't know who it was going to be," Pearlman said.
Now everyone does after junior Peter Bonahoom, one of the area's top receivers, rushed for a school-record 353 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 carries.
"We assumed he'd run well but I've never seen him run the ball in a game like he did," Pearlman said. "Peter is a bigger kid and he can block. He has good speed to the outside so he kind of evolved to it.
"The game plan was to do exactly what Pete did, put pressure on him and the offensive line and they responded very well."
Now Pearlman is looking for consistent compete game responses on the defensive end. Prospect has shown flashes by shutting down everyone for a half that it's played other than Barrington.
"It's not as if this team can't stop anybody," Pearlman said. "It comes down to the attitude of stopping somebody for a full game.
"You're only young for so long. That's old. You're not young any more if you have seven games under your belt."
Sipiora shows toughness: St. Viator senior quarterback Julian Sipiora has shown his willingness to do whatever it takes to win in his three varsity seasons.
Last Friday night, in a game Viator needed to win to have a playoff shot, Sipiora played through a bad hip pointer to lead the way to a 25-0 victory over previously unbeaten Marian Catholic.
"He's a tough kid and he played his heart out," said Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick. "After the game he couldn't get off the bus, but he made it and played a heck of a game.
"It was iffy (if Sipiora would play) and we didn't know if he would be able to do it. Obviously he couldn't run the ball as well as he normally does but he gutted it out."
Strange situation for Barrington: Playing for pride at this stage of the season is a first for Joe Sanchez as a head coach at Barrington.
For the first time in eight seasons the Broncos aren't in the playoff picture at 2-5. Two years ago they missed the postseason but were in the mix until the final Saturday with a 5-4 record.
"Obviously it isn't the script we had written at the beginning of the year," Sanchez said. "Unfortunately in the same respect we needed to play a little better at different times of the season to get those wins and we didn't do it.
"But there's still a lot to play for to go to the offseason with a little momentum."
Sanchez is hoping the Broncos can do something in the final two games they haven't all season.
"I told the team, collectively we still haven't played our best football," said Sanchez, whose team faced seven potential playoff qualifiers. "We've had moments and glimpses but we want the kids to go out and be able to get a taste of it."
That would be a nice boost for the Broncos with leading rusher Chase Murdock and linebackers Peter Cobb and Alex Jirschele among the key returnees for next year.
Future options for Hawks: Hoffman's use of the triple option offense is still in the infancy stages with junior quarterback David Gutierrez under center for the first time last week.
It was primarily a two-man game with Gutierrez and junior Michael Reeves combining for 283 yards rushing. But eventually the offense should expand to include more threats and throwing the ball after Gutierrez didn't attempt a pass last week.
"The first half of the season with a brand new offense you expect struggles," said Gutierrez, who missed the first five games with an injured foot. "The second half of the season it's time to show people what we're made of."
Juniors Jermaine Moore and Krunal Patel are also getting experience carrying the ball and a solid group of linemen will also return.
"We wanted to show the kids this offense can be successful and now they're starting to run it and the kids are starting to see it and understand it," said Hoffman coach Bill Helzer, who has installed the triple option at all levels of the program.
And Helzer knows passing will have to be an option after not even attempting one last week.
"We have to make them respect the pass," Helzer said. "We really focused on David and running the ball against Schaumburg but we're going to have to (pass) in order to be successful."
This week the Hawks get another tough test in unbeaten Fremd, which is looking forward to facing the triple option.
"You want to see something a little different so you've been able to see everything before you get in the playoffs," said Fremd coach Mike Donatucci. "It will definitely be a lot different offensive scheme for us to defend."
Microcosm of the season: The halftime score had people buzzing.
"It looked like it for a half, didn't it," Conant coach Bill Modelski said of possibly pulling an MSL West shocker with a 4-point halftime lead on Fremd.
But the second half was all Evan Wright and the Fremd defense as Conant was knocked out of playoff consideration in a 31-14 loss.
"We knew we had a shot at them and we felt good about our kids going after them and we did," Modelski said. "But their defense squashed us pretty good in the second half.
"They're probably the best defensive team we've seen. They know how to make kids beat them who probably can't."
The tough part for the Cougars was a rugged schedule that may end up featuring seven playoff teams. They also ended up with one of the league's best running backs in Kyle Klosowicz.
"We've got no one to blame but ourselves on it," Modelski said. "We feel two games if we had done a couple of things right we definitely could have won those games."
Cody's back: After missing two full games and most of a third with a separated shoulder, Palatine junior quarterback Cody Bobbit returns tonight against Conant.
"No suspense there," said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly. "Hopefully there won't be much rust there and he'll be able to make good decisions and pick up where he left off."
A solid defensive effort last week against Barrington also kept Donnelly from giving any thought to bringing in Bobbit, who was available to play.
"The biggest thing was our defense played with a sense of urgency," Donnelly said. "The last two weeks our defense has been stepping up and playing with a lot of confidence.
"They're not young kids anymore. They've really grown accustomed to one another and our defensive staff came up with a good game plan."
Now the Pirates look to take care of business to have a shot at a repeat of an MSL West title in next week's highly anticipated cross-town showdown at Fremd.
"It's good to get the playoff (qualifying) out of the way," Donnelly said. "But we want to win the conference championship and we know we have to beat Conant to get that chance."
Hersey QB shuffle: Junior Chris Polinski got his first start at quarterback last week in an attempt to spark Hersey's offense in a 21-0 loss to Buffalo Grove.
After running only 18 first-half plays, the Huskies put together a third-quarter drive which ate up most of the third quarter. But it stalled inside the 20 and Polinski suffered a sprained ankle which has him questionable tonight against Rolling Meadows.
"We just started to get a rhythm there in the second half," said Hersey coach Mark Gunther. "He started getting into the rhythm of the game and was seeing stuff.
"It was a good tease for us, really. He's definitely an athletic threat back there."
Alex Vaile, Brandon Klein and Dan Tatje got snaps at quarterback after Polinski's injury. Despite another injury-filled season, Gunther hasn't seen it damage the Huskies' determination against a schedule which could have eight playoff qualifiers.
"That's a credit to the kids and the staff," Gunther said. "The kids are playing both offensively and defensively and competing."
Eagles' driving forces: Angel Maldonado and Jeff Cascella get a rush in different ways for 5-2 Leyden.
Maldonado continued his record-setting roll by setting the single-season mark at 1,524 last Saturday at Proviso East. That surpassed the 1,412 by Josh Serrano in 10 games two years ago.
His third straight 200-yard game put him at 3,082 for his career. Last week he overcame a tweaked groin for 226 yards on 42 bruising carries.
"During the first half me and the offensive line talked and we didn't play as well as we could," Maldonado said. "(The injury) wasn't a problem. It was a problem just because I didn't practice most of the week and it took awhile to get into it."
Because a heavy workload is no problem for Maldonado.
"They're getting tired and I'm getting better," Maldonado said of the wear and tear he usually puts on defenses.
And Cascella is rushing toward another big year with 3 sacks last Saturday to put him at 13 for the season. He had 10 last year before missing the final two games because of illness.
"I set my standards high (this year)," Cascella said of a goal of 15 sacks.
"He's a beast," said Leyden defensive coordinator Tony Zitzka, who added it's a shame the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Cascella wasn't a little bigger to attract more college attention.
"He's unblockable at times," Leyden coach Tom Cerasani said of one of the fastest kids on the team. "He seems to play big in big games."
Two close weeks for Grens: Not much separated Elk Grove from Rolling Meadows and Prospect the last two weeks.
But missed opportunities before the half in each game didn't help the Grenadiers in losses which dropped them to 4-3.
"We have to find a way to get over that hump," Doll said. "We have to grow up and we have to get some guys to make some plays at key times.
"At least it gave our kids another sense of knowing we can play with the best teams in our conference."
Elk Grove looks as if it will be around 36-37 for playoff points with the current cutoff to make the field projected at 37.
"We have to win both and not let the points get involved," Doll said as the Grens try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The Grens will be without junior right tackle Peter Ioakimidis (6-foot-5, 275 pounds), who injured a kneecap last Thursday before the Prospect game. Doll expects him to return next week at Buffalo Grove.
Story about a QB named Brady: Wheeling coach Dave Dunbar was impressed with how sophomore quarterback Tyler Brady ran the ball on a miserable night two weeks ago at Buffalo Grove.
Last week, Brady had his best passing game as he went 17-for-25 for 188 yards in a loss at Rolling Meadows.
"He threw the bal well," Dunbar said. "We felt pretty good about the passing game. Matt (offensive coordinator Mishler) keeps working with him on making the correct reads and he's getting better each and every week."