Scouting Prospect at Elk Grove
Prospect (6-1, 3-0) at Elk Grove (6-1, 3-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Robert Haskell Stadium
Last week: Prospect d. Wheeling 62-24; Elk Grove d. Hersey 28-13
Series history: Elk Grove leads 21-19 but Prospect's 33-26 win last year was its fifth straight and ninth in the last 10 meetings. Elk Grove won 17-14 in 2004.
At stake: Winner clinches at least a share of the Mid-Suburban East title and would claim it outright if Buffalo Grove loses to Wheeling. Prospect won the last of its seven MSL division titles in 2008 -- it also won an outright MSL title in the pre-division era in 1964 and won Interim League titles in 1960 and 1962. Elk Grove won the last of its 10 MSL division titles in 2004 and is tied for second all-time in league history with Fremd and Palatine behind Conant's 12.
When Prospect has the ball: The results have been the same but the method to an MSL-best 419 yards a game has changed with QB Miles Osei now at Illinois. The Knights have been ground-based behind senior QB Steve Dazzo (925 yards, 14 TDs), Peter Bonahoom (744 yards, 8 TDs) and versatile Grant DePalma (215 yards, 5 TDs; 8 catches, 204 yards, 2 TDs). "Steve Dazzo to me is the most underrated player in our conference," said Elk Grove coach Brian Doll. "He's a special player and he's one of those kids who can change a game as quickly as Nick (Meyer) can." Prospect coach Brent Pearlman expects to have Bonahoom "at full speed" after he suffered a bruised ankle last week. Elk Grove also gets standout LB-WR Joey Bishoff back from missing last week with a bruised knee. "We have to be highly disciplined because they're physical up front and they're going to hit you," Pearlman said. But the Grenadiers' secondary led by Meyer, Jimmy Sanders, Eddie Stahl, Eddie Solorio and Fernando Lozano will have to be ready as Dazzo had his best game throwing last week with 197 yards and TDs to Sam Frasco and Nick Czerniak. "Obviously we're going to try some things they haven't seen … and I think they know it," Doll said. "We'll definitely put a lot of speed on the field because that's where our strength is."
When Elk Grove has the ball: It's dangerous third-year starter Meyer who has it every play en route to 1,570 yards passing with 15 TDs and 8 INTs and 679 yards rushing and 11 TDs. But a vastly improved Prospect defense led by two-way lineman Dan Panicko, DePalma at LB and Bonahoom (5 INTs) and Ryan Ward (3 INTs) in the secondary has more concerns than just Meyer. "You have to stop them as an offense and conceptually they do some things that make it difficult to stop them," said Pearlman, whose team has allowed 252 yards a game and has a plus-14 turnover ratio with 22 take-aways. "You have to win 11 battles and not just one battle. I think it would be a mistake to say you're going to stop one person … and they're the most dangerous offense we've seen for sure this year." Especially with the threats Meyer has in Bishoff (33 rec., 455 yards, 3 TDs), RB-WR Mike Wary (21 rec., 361 yards, 5 TDs; 160 yards rushing, 3 TDs), Solorio (30 rec., 325 yard, 4 TDs), Stahl (21 rec., 269 yards, 2 TDs) and Lozano (9 rec., 97 yards). Elk Grove also gets RT Peter Ioakimidis (knee) back after missing two games to go with two-way anchor Martin Kazecki up front.
A championship atmosphere: When Doll took over two years ago this was what he envisioned -- a high-stakes event that will have pregame entertainment from B-96 radio and figures to draw an overflow crowd. "I know it will be an unbelievable atmosphere," Doll said. "This will be exciting for our community and school." Prospect has become accustomed to it with five East titles since 2001. "Coming into this conference I have the ultimate respect for them and what they've done," Doll said.