Scouting Carmel at Libertyville

Carmel (1-0) at Libertyville (0-1)

When: 7:30 p.m., today

Last week: Carmel def. St. Charles East, 56-7; Libertyville lost to Barrington, 41-28.

Outlook: It's the Battle of Route 176. Just a mile or two of Route 176 separates Carmel and Libertyville, which also happen to be two of the best football programs in Lake County year in and year out. Despite Carmel's decided 3-1 advantage over four meetings, this matchup is a rivalry game that energizes the neighborhood and is a can't-miss for the avid high school football fan. "This is an outstanding game, in terms of fan interest and Lake County interest," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said-This is the fourth straight year of a regular-season series between Carmel and Libertyville and Carmel has won each of the previous three meetings, including last year's 28-14 tilt at Carmel. In the teams' first-ever meeting in 2000, Libertyville won a second-round Class 5A playoff game, 28-21. "Three of the four games we've played against each other have been won in the last minute," Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski said. "I'd like to see us win one now. We need it."-Libertyville got off to a rocky start in its season opener last week, falling behind 28-0 in the first quarter before rallying to pull back into the game. Quarterback A.J. Schurr led the Wildcats' new no-huddle, spread attack with 3 passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Jeremy Birck hauled in 2 of the touchdowns. "Libertyville has a great quarterback and they want to showcase him," Bitto said. "We need to limit his big playmaking ability."-Carmel will counter with its perennially punishing running game, which rolled up 545 rushing yards against St. Charles East. Michael Panico and Jordan Kos led the way out of the backfield with 225 and 214 rushing yards, respectively. Kos had 4 touchdowns while Panico had 2. "It's a typical Carmel team with a very efficient offense," Kuceyeski said. "They've got a lot of nice weapons in the backfield."