Scouting Week 2 in Lake County
NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE
Warren Blue Devils (0-1) at Glenbard North Panthers (0-1)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: Warren lost to Barrington, 31-14; Glenbard North lost to Neuqua Valley, 27-6.
Skinny: The Warren offense struggled last week with only 6 first downs and just 110 total yards. Sophomore Phil Hird and junior Thomas Kenney shared time at quarterback for the Blue Devils. Glenbard North was dominated by Neuqua Valley last week. The Panthers were held to just 86 total yards, including negative-4 rushing yards.
Next: Waukegan at Warren
Nazareth Academy Roadrunners (1-0) at Lake Zurich Bears (1-0)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: Nazareth def. St. Louis Lutheran North, 20-6; Lake Zurich def. Fremd, 20-7.
Skinny: This is the game of the week not only in Lake County, but also perhaps in the entire state. Lake Zurich and Nazareth are two of the top teams in the state. And both Lake Zurich and Nazareth got to state championship games last year. Lake Zurich lost in the Class 7A state title game and Nazareth lost in the Class 6A state title game. Now, Nazareth is classified as 7A. Lake Zurich is coming off a scrappy win over a much-improved Fremd team in which the defense stood out, sealing the deal with an interception for a touchdown by Luke Dwyer in the final moments. Nazareth used a strong running game and a stingy defense last week to take out St. Louis Lutheran North.
Next: Zion-Benton at Lake Zurich
Libertyville Wildcats (0-1) at Waubonsie Valley Warriors (1-0) When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Libertyville lost to Highland Park, 28-27; Waubonsie Valley def. Oak Park-River Forest, 24-17.
Skinny: A missed extra point was the difference in Libertyville's overtime loss last week to Highland Park. Sophomore quarterback Blake Ellingson had a nice debut for the Wildcats. He threw 3 touchdowns while completing 17-of-23 passes for 226 yards. He also rushed for 70 yards. Ellingson's big target was Jack Turco, who caught 6 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Waubonsie Valley had 200 yards of offense last week and it was almost a perfect split between the run and the pass. Quarterback Jack Drow completed 6-of-8 passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Next: Stevenson at Libertyville
Stevenson Patriots (1-0) at Neuqua Valley Wildcats (1-0) When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Stevenson def. Palatine, 35-7; Neuqua Valley def. Glenbard North, 27-6.
Skinny: JM Etienne powered Stevenson to a big victory by rolling up the rushing yards. He had 143 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 carries. Jon Kull also had 2 touchdown runs for the Patriots. Of Stevenson's 235 yards of total offense, 161 yards were on the ground. Neuqua Valley dominated Glenbard North last week with a suffocating defense. The Wildcats held Glenbard North to just 86 total yards, including negative-4 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Neuqua Valley finished with 293 total yards. Will Chevalier rushed for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Mark Gronowski completed 8-of-11 passes for 127 yards.
Next: Stevenson at Libertyville
NORTH SUBURBAN/NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY
Grayslake Central Rams (0-1) at Mundelein Mustangs (0-1)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grayslake Central lost to Vernon Hills, 38-21; Mundelein lost to Maine West, 42-0.
Skinny: Both of these teams are looking to balance out their record before conference play starts. Grayslake Central hung in there with Vernon Hills last week, but once again a quarterback injury disrupted the offense. Quarterback Ben Vogeler went down to the ground untouched while dropping back for a pass. Sam Lennartz, Grayslake Central's quarterback last year, also suffered a serious knee injury against Vernon Hills in 2017. Like last year, utility man Nick Paul filled in at quarterback for the Rams. He ran for 105 yards and a touchdown. Mundelein will be working to take better care of the football after rolling up 7 turnovers against Maine West last week. The Mustangs also mustered only 133 yards of offense.
Next: Wauconda at Grayslake Central; Mundelein at Lake Forest
NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY CONFERENCE
Antioch Sequoits (1-0) at Woodstock North Thunder (1-0)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Antioch def. Lake Forest, 27-14; Woodstock North def. Westosha (Wis.) Central, 42-20.
Skinny: Despite 7 turnovers, Antioch not only survived Lake Forest last week, but overcame a 14-0 deficit to do so. Sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had a productive debut. The transfer from Carmel was effective in both the running and passing game, rolling up 115 rushing yards on 13 carries while completing 16-of-26 passes for 203 yards ... Antioch squeaked by Woodstock North last season, 15-14.
Next: Grayslake North at Antioch
Grant Bulldogs (0-1) at Glenbrook North Spartans (1-0)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grant lost to Bradley Bourbonnais, 26-14; Glenbrook North def. Wheeling, 34-13.
Skinny: Grant was tied at halftime with Bradley Bourbonnais last week, 14-14. But Bradley Bourbonnais went on to score 12 points in the third quarter to blow the game open ... Grant lost to Glenbrook North last year, 24-14.
Next: Grant at Round Lake
Grayslake North Knights (0-1) at Deerfield Warriors (0-1)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grayslake North lost to Dundee-Crown, 30-25; Deerfield lost to Lakes, 21-14.
Skinny: Grayslake North, which had 376 yards of total offense, squandered an early 13-0 lead against Dundee-Crown last week. Quarterback Austin Martineau completed 18-of-27 passes for 249 yards and directed some nice scoring drives. But Grayslake North coach Sam Baker said his team lost the game on inconsistencies.
Next: Grayslake North at Antioch
Lakes Eagles (1-0) at Highland Park Giants (1-0)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: Lakes def. Deerfield, 21-14; Highland Park def. Libertyville, 28-27.
Skinny: Lakes continues its tour of the Central Suburban League North. The Eagles got a win over Deerfield last week and will now take on Highland Park. Against Deerfield, Lakes got touchdowns from Chris Selig, D'Lo Hardy and Brad Cherry. Last year, Lakes also defeated Deerfield (14-8) in the season opener and then also got a Week 2 victory over Highland Park (28-20). Highland Park is coming off an electric 28-27 overtime win over Libertyville. The Giants, under first-year head coach David Lindquist, a former standout at the University of Illinois, got a workhorse performance out of running back Tom Motzko, who rushed for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns against Libertyville.
Next: North Chicago at Lakes
Round Lake Panthers (0-1) at Maine East Blue Demons (0-1)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Round Lake lost to Proviso East, 20-7; Maine East lost to Fenton, 42-7.
Skinny: A young Round Lake team will try again in nonconference action against Maine East. Last week against Proviso East, 17 of Round Lake's 22 starters were playing in their first varsity game. Isaiah Nixon, who plays defense as well as quarterback for the Panthers, had an interception and threw a touchdown pass last week. Another standout for Round Lake was Deonte Wells. He had 11 tackles. Maine East will be focusing on taking better care of the ball. The Blue Demons fumbled five times last week against Fenton, and lost 2 of them.
Next: Grant at Round Lake
Wauconda Bulldogs (0-1) at Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs (1-0)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Wauconda lost to Richmond-Burton, 41-7: Riverside-Brookfield def. Morton, 20-14 (OT).
Skinny: Richmond-Burton dominated Wauconda last week. The Rockets held Wauconda scoreless until the final three minutes of the game. Meanwhile Richmond-Burton racked up 397 yards of offense. Wauconda's one score came from a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Bulgarelli to Javerius McQuinn. A year ago, Riverside-Brookfield shut out Morton in its season opener, 33-0. Last week, with a lot of young, inexperienced players doting the lineup, the Bulldogs needed overtime. Luke Gentile scored the winning touchdown for R-B on a 5-yard run.
Next: Wauconda at Grayslake Central
CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE
Vernon Hills Cougars (1-0) at Waukegan Bulldogs (0-1)When: 1:30 p.m., Saturday
Last week: Vernon Hills def. Grayslake Central, 38-21; Waukegan lost to North Chicago, 33-20.
Skinny: It was an offensive explosion for Vernon Hills last week against Grayslake Central. The Cougars rolled up 485 yards of offense, and head coach Bill Bellecomo was particularly happy with the offensive line for paving the way for 227 yards of rushing. Jake Morris rolled up big rushing numbers for Vernon Hills - 181 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 12 carries. Quarterback Derek Jarrell was also on. He completed 31-of-43 passes for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. Waukegan lost in the final seconds of last week's game against North Chicago. The game was 20-20 with less than 10 seconds remaining when North Chicago scored. On a desperation pass attempt, North Chicago made an interception and returned it 45 yards for another score as time expired.
Next: Hersey at Vernon Hills
NONCONFERENCE
St. Charles East Saints (1-0) at Carmel Corsairs (0-1)When: 7 p.m., Friday
Last week: St. Charles East def. Rock Island, 41-14; Carmel lost to Oak Creek (Wis.), 17-7.
Skinny: Carmel fell behind 17-0 to Oak Creek last week before scoring its only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Last season, Carmel lost to DeKalb in Week 2, 27-7. The Corsairs went on to lose their next five games and started the season 0-7.
Next: Marian Catholic at Carmel