Scouting Antioch at Crystal Lake Central
No. 9 Antioch Sequoits (7-2) at No. 8 Crystal Lake Central Tigers (7-2)
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
Last week: Antioch lost to Stevenson, 36-21: Crystal Lake Central def. Woodstock, 58-28.
Playoff history: Antioch missed the playoffs last year but advanced to the Class 6A semifinals in 2008 before being ousted by Lemont, 38-14. The Sequoits have earned six playoff berths since 2000 (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010). Crystal Lake Central is making its third straight playoff appearance but just its fourth overall since 1992. Last year, the Tigers lost in the second round to Chicago De La Salle, 35-20.
Head coaches: Brian Glashagel, Antioch; Matt Fralick, Crystal Lake Central.
Fast facts: Antioch averages 35.8 points and allows 20.3 points per game. Crystal Lake Central finished second in the Fox Valley Fox Division, just one game back. The Tigers have won six straight games since starting the season 1-2. They score 31.7 points and allow 15.4 points per game.
Antioch leaders: Rushing: Vinnie Holm, 85 carries for 759 yards and 16 touchdowns; Sam Green, 98 carries for 746 yards and 7 touchdowns. Passing: Tom Sears, 38 of 79 attempts for 656 yards, 6 interceptions, 8 passing touchdowns, 2 rushing touchdowns. Receiving: Brett Prather, 25 receptions for 489 yards and 10 touchdowns; Ryan Hartman, 7 receptions for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. Tackles: Kurtis Vepley, 42 tackles; Zach Epker, 40 tackles.
Crystal Lake Central leaders: Rushing: Gage Harrah, 145 carries for 1406 yards and 18 touchdowns; Dyllon McKinney, 70 carries for 731 yards and 8 touchdowns. Passing: Brett Schuld, 25 of 41 attempts for 610 yards, 0 interceptions and 4 touchdowns. Receiving: Dyllon McKinney, 7 receptions for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns; Connor Baumann, 11 receptions for 169 yards and 0 touchdowns. Tackles: Joey Kielbasa; Anders Freund.
Line on Antioch: Leading running back Vinnie Holm injured his knee (torn ACL) last week in practice and is out for the season. But the Sequoits still have plenty of horses in the backfield, led by Sam Green and Josh Guadarrama. "Our offense continues to be explosive and our defense has been playing tough since mid-season," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. "They (Central) are very good, well-coached, physical. They run the ball and play good defense. We have our hands full. This is probably the best first-round game in Class 5A."
Line on Crystal Lake Central: "We've become much more multi-dimensional offensively. We've been able to mix the pass in with our run game," Crystal Lake Central coach Matt Fralick said. "Antioch is very fast. We need to be disciplined and gang tackle on defense while protecting the ball offensively."