Scouting Stevenson @ Warren

Stevenson (8-0, 5-0) at Warren (7-1, 4-1)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Stevenson def. Round Lake, 48-6; Warren def. Libertyville, 42-21.

Skinny: This looks familiar. It came down to Stevenson and Warren last year for the North Suburban Lake Division title and that is the case again this season. In 2008, Warren won the mega-tilt handily, 50-25, to finish with a 6-0 division record. Had Stevenson won the game, the two teams would have been division co-champions with one loss apiece. This season, Stevenson is in the power position. A Patriot win equals an outright championship. The best Warren can do with a win is a co-championship. "We've had a lot of big games with Warren in recent years," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "In 2005, we beat them in overtime to win it (the Lake division title). We're excited to play them."-Warren does not yet have artificial turf, which means that Stevenson will be playing only its second game of the season on grass. The Patriots last played on grass at Highland Park in Week One. Is that a disadvantage? "No, not really," Mitz said. "But I bet they (Warren) wish they were playing at our place on the turf. That would make their guy even faster." That "guy" is speedy Warren running back Greg Kennedy, who has been a nightmare for defenses to track down this season. He is coming off a 216-yard, 5-touchdown game against Libertyville last week. He and his partner-in-crime, fullback Tom Lindal, give run-oriented Warren one of the top rushing attacks in Lake County-Stevenson will counter with perhaps its most balanced offense in school history. Quarterback Kevin Earl loves to connect with receiver Nate Johnson and then the Patriots can mix in some punishing doses of rushing plays. Workhorse fullback Mark Weisman and speedy running back Matt Harris have gotten the job done all season.