Scouting Week 3 in Lake County

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

Marian Catholic Spartans (1-1) at Carmel Catholic Corsairs (0-2) When: 7 p.m., Friday

Last week: Marian Catholic def. Lawndale Charter, 51-0; Carmel lost to St. Charles East, 38-7.

Skinny: First-year Carmel coach Blake Annen is looking to get his first win in the books after a slow start to the season. The Corsairs rank last in scoring in the East Suburban Catholic Conference with just 14 points in two games. They are also giving up 27.5 points per game, second most in the league. The Carmel offense was quiet against St. Charles East last week until veteran senior running back Sean Lynch broke out for a 64-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Next: Carmel at Joliet Catholic

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE

Hersey Huskies (2-0) at Vernon Hills Cougars (2-0)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Hersey def. Fremd, 36-20; Vernon Hills def. Waukegan, 15-6.

Skinny: After a tight, low-scoring game last week against Waukegan, the Vernon Hills defense ranks as one of the stingiest in the Central Suburban League, ranking second in points allowed at 13.5 points per game. Brandon Harris had a big day defensively against Waukegan with an interception and a clutch pass breakup on a late drive. Harris was also a standout on offense with 13 catches for 154 yards. Quarterback Derek Jarrell completed 25 of 47 passes for 338 yards and 1 touchdown, a 27-yard toss to Quinn Geren (6 catches, 138 yards).

Next: Vernon Hills at Wheeling

NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

Waukegan Bulldogs (0-2) at Warren Blue Devils (1-1)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Waukegan lost to Vernon Hills, 15-6; Warren def. Glenbard North, 19-0.

Skinny: Warren worked on a short week of practice after a crazy Week 2. It took the Blue Devils three days to shut out Glenbard North. A lightning delay put the kibosh on Friday's game, and then when the two teams reconvened on Saturday, bad weather shut them down again. Finally on Sunday, Warren got its first win of the season. Sophomore quarterback Phil Hird threw 2 touchdown passes to Casey Cobe in the first quarter (38 and 30 yards) and running back Martin Walker Jr. ran for a touchdown just before halftime and those scores held up over the three-day marathon. Waukegan has given up 48 points on the season, tied with Lake Forest for second-most points allowed in the North Suburban Conference. The Bulldogs were down only 2 points (8-6) at halftime last week against Vernon Hills when Josiah Kerney, a junior transfer from Carmel Catholic, rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. Kerney rushed for 122 yards on 24 carries on the game. But Waukegan could not stop a strong passing game by Vernon Hills, which racked up 338 yards through the air.

Next: Libertyville at Warren

Zion-Benton Zee-Bees (1-1) at Lake Zurich Bears (1-1)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Zion-Benton def. North Chicago, 19-14; Lake Zurich lost to Nazareth Academy, 25-0.

Skinny: Lake Zurich is coming off its first regular-season loss since Week 7 of the 2016 season. Stevenson defeated the Bears 17-14 in that game. Lake Zurich was overwhelmed by a much bigger Nazareth team that controlled the line of scrimmage. The Bears had just 6 first downs and 63 yards of offense while Nazareth went off for 401 total yards of offense. Zion-Benton has let up 49 points in two games, most in the North Suburban Conference. But the Zee-Bees are also scoring at a good clip. They are averaging 21 points per game, second-highest in the league.

Next: Lake Forest at Lake Zurich

Stevenson Patriots (2-0) at Libertyville Wildcats (0-2)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Stevenson def. Neuqua Valley, 23-15; Libertyville lost to Waubonsie Valley, 15-6.

Skinny: This is one of the best rivalries in the North Suburban Conference and in all of Lake County. Stevenson is off to a strong start as the only undefeated team in the league. The Patriots also boast the highest-scoring offense in the NSC (29 ppg) and have the stingiest defense as well (11 points per game). J.M. Etienne led the way for Stevenson last week against Neuqua Valley, rushing for a game-high 191 yards on 29 carries. The Patriots' offense was effective on both the ground and through the air, tallying a total of 375 yards and 22 first downs. Libertyville is still looking for its first win, but has faced two teams that are both 2-0. The Wildcats have lost both games by a total of just 10 points. Thomas Monken passed for 180 yards and receiver Jack Turco caught 3 big passes for 126 yards against Waubonsie Valley. Monken replaced starter Blake Ellingson who went down with a lower body injury after five plays.

Next: Stevenson at Zion-Benton; Libertyville at Warren

Mundelein Mustangs (1-1) at Lake Forest Scouts (0-2)When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Mundelein def. Grayslake Central, 17-0; Lake Forest lost to Wheaton North, 21-12.

Skinny: Mundelein got its first win of the season last week in convincing fashion, a shutout over Grayslake Central. The Mustangs went from getting shut out themselves in a 42-0 Week 1 drubbing by Maine West, to the other end of the spectrum. Against Grayslake Central, Mundelein had a flurry of positive offense and scoring in the final minutes to add to the 7-0 lead that it was carrying for most of the game. Quarterback Isaac Wellman found receiver Eli Daugs (3 catches for 34 yards) early and late with touchdown passes of 4 and 18 yards. Wellman finished by completing 12-of-30 passes for 105 yards. The second connection between Wellman and Daugs came with about five minutes left to play and that sealed the win. Lake Forest is ready to get on the right side of the tracks after two tough losses to start the season. The Scouts have given up a lot of points so far, a total of 48 on the season, which is tied for second most in the North Suburban Conference. Against Wheaton North, Lake Forest rolled up 260 yards of offense and had a fairly equal split between rushing and passing yards. Running back Jacob Thomas helped the Scouts get out to a 7-0 lead by hauling in a 61-yard touchdown pass early. He also rolled up 91 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Next: Mundelein at Waukegan

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY CONFERENCE

Grayslake North Knights (0-2) at Antioch Sequoits (2-0)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Grayslake North lost to Deerfield, 21-20; Antioch def. Woodstock North, 31-7.

Skinny: Antioch is the only undefeated team left in the Northern Lake County Conference and the defending league champion. The Sequoits are looking to pick up where they left off in 2017, when they ran the table in the NLCC with a 7-0 record. Antioch also went 7-0 in the NLCC in 2016. The Sequoits haven't lost a conference game since Week 8 of the 2015 season (a 17-10 loss to Wauconda). Antioch ranks first in the NLCC in points scored (58) and points allowed (21). Against Woodstock North last week, Antioch had just a 6-point lead at halftime but pitched a shutout in the second half. Grayslake North has started out the season 0-2 but has lost those two games by a combined 6 points. Quarterback Austin Martineau continues to put up big numbers for the Knights. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 210 yards last week. In Week 1, he had 249 passing yards.

Next: Grayslake North at Lakes; Wauconda at Antioch

Grant Bulldogs (0-2) at Round Lake Panthers (1-1)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Grant lost to Glenbrook North, 42-19; Round Lake def. Maine East, 50-12.

Skinny: Round Lake is coming off one of its most exciting wins in recent memory. The Panthers got a running clock to go in their favor for the first time in more than 10 years last week against Maine East in a game that featured nearly a two-hour weather delay. By the end, Round Lake had rolled up 438 yards of offense. Quarterback Isaiah Nixon put up big numbers, running for 65 yards and passing for 201 yards. In all, Nixon scored 4 touchdowns, 3 passing and 1 rushing. Kevonne Peterson was Nixon's biggest target. He caught 3 touchdown passes and 4 passes total for 145 yards. Grant is looking for its first win since a 28-18 Week 9 win over Round Lake last season. It was one of two wins for the Bulldogs last season. Last week against Glenbrook North, Grant scored just 6 points against the starting defense. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs again gave up a lot of points with their own defense. Grant has let up 68 points total on the season, most in the Northern Lake County Conference.

Next: Grayslake Central at Grant; Round Lake at North Chicago

Wauconda Bulldogs (1-1) at Grayslake Central Rams (0-2)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Wauconda def. Riverside-Brookfield, 35-7; Grayslake Central lost to Mundelein, 17-0.

Skinny: With last week's victory over Riverside-Brookfield, Wauconda coach Dave Mills become the winningest coach in Wauconda history. The win was a big turnaround from a 41-7 loss to Richmond-Burton in the season opener and the Bulldogs are looking to keep that momentum rolling with the start of Northern Lake County Conference play. Last week against Mundelein, Grayslake Central quarterback Nick Paul put up good numbers in stepping in for starting quarterback Ben Vogeler, who is likely out for the season with an ACL/MCL injury. Paul completed 15-of-33 passes for 163 yards.

Next: Wauconda at Antioch; Grayslake Central at Grant

North Chicago Warhawks (1-1) at Lakes Eagles (1-1)When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: North Chicago lost to Zion-Benton, 19-14; Lakes lost to Highland Park, 42-14.

Skinny: Lakes got its game last week against Highland Park postponed until Saturday due to bad weather and what was a 1-touchdown game at halftime when the game was postponed turned into a 28-point Lakes loss. Senior quarterback Jeff Nielson led an impressive Lakes touchdown drive that chewed up 66 yards before halftime. Senior D'Lo Hardy scored the touchdown for the Eagles. North Chicago started off the season with a decisive 33-20 win over Waukegan but then suffered a close loss to Zion-Benton last week. With 47 points so far on the season, the Warhawks boast the third-highest scoring offense in the Northern Lake County Conference.

Next: Grayslake North at Lakes