Scouting Jacobs at Lake Zurich
No. 12 Jacobs Golden Eagles (6-3) at No. 5 Lake Zurich Bears (8-1)
When: 4 p.m., Saturday
Last week: Jacobs def. Huntley, 28-12; Lake Zurich def. Lake Forest, 17-14
Playoff history: Jacobs is making its first playoff appearance since 2006 and its sixth in school history. Lake Zurich is making its ninth straight playoff appearance. The 2007 Class 7A state champions have advanced to at least the state semifinals in three of the last four years. The lone exception was a first-round exit in 2008. Last year, the Bears lost in the Class 7A semifinals to Glenbard West, 21-17.
Head coaches: Bill Mitz, Jacobs: Bryan Stortz, Lake Zurich
Fast facts: Jacobs has won its last three games. The Golden Eagles score 28.8 points and allow 21.6 points per game. Lake Zurich has won its last three games and suffered its only defeat to Stevenson (24-23) in Week 6. The Bears score 27.1 points and allow a North Suburban Lake Division-low 8.9 points per game. These teams played a common opponent: Cary-Grove. The Bears beat the Trojans 10-3 in Week 2. The Trojans beat Jacobs 49-21 in Week 5.
Jacobs leaders: Rushing: Caz Zyks, 167 carries for 1,159 yards and 17 touchdowns; Kyle Wright, 170 carries for 821 yards and 11 touchdowns. Passing: Jason Judson, 54 of 105 attempts for 836 yards and 7 touchdowns. Receiving: Henry Gigeous, 13 receptions for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tackles: Grant Rizza, 95 tackles; Adam Kulon, 94 tackles.
Lake Zurich leaders: Rushing: Jacob Brinlee, 103 carries for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns; Mike Shield, 85 carries for 453 yards and 9 touchdowns. Passing: Zach Till, 35 of 61 attempts for 565 yards, 1 interception and 5 touchdowns. Receiving: Jack Lynn, 7 receptions for 81 yards; Jacob Brinlee 5 receptions for 120 yards and 1 touchdown. Tackles: JJ Raffelson, 72 tackles; Jack Lynn, 40 tackles.
Line on Jacobs: It's the return of Bill Mitz to the North Suburban Conference. Mitz coached and taught at Stevenson for nearly 30 years before retiring at the end of last school year. Among the things he's done in his retirement is resurrect a Jacobs program that has been quiet for years. “I can't tell you how exciting this is,” Mitz said. “It's been a challenge, but it's been very gratifying. These guys want to win. They changed their attitudes and they really started to believe as the season went on.” It wasn't a stretch for the Golden Eagles to believe in Mitz, who guided Stevenson to 21 straight playoff appearances. He says that since it wasn't broken, he wasn't going to try to fix a good thing. “I've had guys who used to follow us (at Stevenson) come out to games (at Jacobs) and say, ‘You look the same. You're running the same things.' We are. It's the same thing we loved to do at Stevenson. We love running the ball. That's what we do here, too.”
Line on Lake Zurich: The formula is pretty basic at Lake Zurich. Good defense and hard-nosed running. The Bears don't usually get fancy, but they don't need to with a defense and a rushing attack that have both been among the best in the North Suburban Lake Division this season. “We are steadily improving and working well together,” Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said. “Defense has played solid, and we've been able to run the ball effectively.” The Bears should be even more effective than they were last week in a win over Lake Forest. Running back Mike Shield was knocked out of the game when he rolled an ankle. But Stortz said Shield will be back in the lineup against Jacobs.