Scouting Nazareth @ Carmel

Nazareth (4-4, 2-4) at Carmel (6-2, 5-1)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Nazareth def. St. Joseph, 35-0; Carmel def. St. Patrick, 14-7.

Skinny: Win or lose, Carmel is in the playoffs. But that's not the case for Nazareth, which is "playing for its playoff life," says Carmel coach Andy Bitto. Does that give Nazareth a mental lift? Does being desperate for a victory give the Roadrunners an advantage? "I don't think so," Bitto said. "We have a lot to play for, too. It's actually Homecoming this week for us. If we win, we can tie for our conference (East Suburban Catholic) championship, and we'll get a better seed in the playoffs. This is also a big game for us."-The Roadrunners will come at Carmel with their own speed demon in running back LaSteven McKinney. McKinney, a three-year starter, was hurt last season and missed the game against Carmel, but Bitto remembers him all too well from the season before. "He's fast and slick," Bitto said of McKinney. "He also is a good receiver and he returns kicks. He's a very good player."-The Corsairs may have the remedy for McKinney. Defensively, they've been tough lately. In their last two games, the Corsairs have given up just 15 points. "Up the middle, we've been solid," Bitto said of his defense. "We've been playing great there and we're getting better every week. (Defense) has really become a strength for us."-Offensively, Carmel had a bit of a drop-off last week in scoring only 14 points, on touchdowns by sophomore running back Jordan Kos and junior Brian Serio. But Bitto isn't concerned. His offense is still averaging 29 points per game. Bitto says that in his 12 years at Carmel his teams have lost only eight games in which they have scored 20 or more points.