Scouting this weekend's Fox Valley football games

By Jerry Fitzpatrick and David Oberhelman

jfitzpatrick@dailyherald.com

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Bartlett (1-0, 1-0) at Glenbard East (1-0, 1-0)

Upstate Eight Conference

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last week: Bartlett 43, East Aurora 8; Glenbard East 27, Elgin 24.

Last year: Glenbard East 38, Bartlett 15.

Outlook: One of the UEC's top games this fall pits retooled defending champion Glenbard East hosting contender Bartlett. As Bartlett coach Matt Erlenbaugh anticipated, last week junior quarterback Mike Priami played “like a seasoned veteran” in his first varsity game, making correct reads and checks. Running back Tyler Rivelli scampered for 161 yards and touchdowns of 70 and 40 yards. Two-way lineman Dan Angelone heads a group that was dynamite on both sides of the ball against East Aurora, getting major assists from offensive tackle Alan Leon and defensive end Joe Latrofa. The only thing Erlenbaugh thought the Hawks lacked was take-aways, a focus Friday. Glenbard East opened with a more ground-based offense, Jamylenn “O.J.” Miles and Chris Whitehead combining for 206 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns. Like Priami, Rams sophomore quarterback Connor Cerkus showed poise, connecting with both Deon Cook and James Loynes, the latter on a 22-yard touchdown catch.

Next week: Bartlett at Glenbard South; Glenbard East at West Chicago.

Batavia (1-0) at Naperville North (0-1) Nonconference

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last week: East St. Louis 31, Batavia 17; Benet Academy 28, Naperville North 21

Last year: Batavia 41, Naperville North 24

Outlook: Batavia slipped from No. 2 to No. 6 in Class 7A in this week's AP poll following Saturday's loss to East St. Louis, the top-ranked team in Class 5A. The Bulldogs started five juniors on the offensive line. That group improved as the game progressed. “We started getting a push up front,” 6-foot-6 tight end Drew Iutzwig said. “We were moving the ball and we got confident.” Said Batavia coach Dennis Piron of the offensive line afterward: “I think they learned a lot. There's a lot we're going to take away from this.” Senior Quinn Urwiler was a force on both sides of the ball last week. He jumped to deflect 3 passes, one of which resulted in an interception by Reilly Corken. He also led the offense with 88 yards rushing on 16 carries, highlighted by a 41-yard scoring run. Piron wants two-way players like Urwiler and lineman Alex Richards to get more in-game rest. “We're going to have to find other guys to step up and keep them a little bit fresher,” he said. Senior safety Sam Barus made an interception at the goal line to end the first half and finished with 10 tackles. The Batavia offense should get a boost from the expected return of 6-foot-8 senior tight end Devin Cheaney. He missed the opener due to illness. Naperville North plays the second of 6 home games, including four straight to open the season. The relatively inexperienced Huskies fell behind 28-0 against Benet before rallying for 21 unanswered points. Senior quarterback Anthony Gabrione threw for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Next week: Batavia at Lake Park; Perry (Ohio) at Naperville North

Huntley (1-0,1-0) at Jacobs (1-0, 1-0) Fox Valley Conference

Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last week: Huntley 56, McHenry 0; Jacobs 25, Hampshire 12

Last year: Huntley 42, Jacobs 7

Outlook: Huntley's aggressive defense aims to limit a Jacobs ground game that last week rushed for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jacobs' leading rusher was senior Jake Mobeck, who ran for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries. Sophomore Nasir Canty added 96 yards and a 12-yard scoring run. A matchup to watch is the Jacobs offensive line, led by junior center George Trojanek (6-1, 245), against the Huntley defensive line, which includes all-FVC linemen Matt Burba (6-0, 260) and Brad Walker (6-1, 260). “They are probably two of the best linemen in the league,” Jacobs coach Bill Mitz said. “They play hard and all their kids run to the ball.” Golden Eagles quarterback Cole Bhardwaj completed 8 of 13 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown to 6-foot-2 junior Max Stec, who made 5 catches for 76 yards. “Their offense is more diverse than McHenry,” Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak said. “They do a couple of really nice things. They can go spread offense and they have their three-back offense, so we have to prepare for both.” Huntley junior quarterback Bruno Bosman last week threw for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for 90. Junior running back Ryder Havens surpassed 100 yards and scored twice.

Next week: Prairie Ridge at Huntley; Jacobs at Dundee-Crown

Wheaton Academy (1-0) at St. Edward (0-1) Metro Suburban Conference crossover

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last week: Wheaton Academy 42, Urbana 6; Bremen 40, St. Edward 7

Last year: Wheaton Academy 38, St. Edward 6

Outlook: Tighten the chin straps because St. Edward-Wheaton Academy games are usually pad-popping affairs, according to St. Edward coach Mike Rolando, whose team last week was beaten soundly by big, athletic Bremen. “We need to be more physical this week because they are always physical with us,” Rolando said of the Warriors. “We've had some good battles.” The Green Wave made too many mistakes last week, both physical and mental. They threw 3 interceptions and gave up 4 sacks against a Bremen team St. Edward's coach called “a lot better than we anticipated, disciplined and huge.” There were bright spots. Running back Joe Sacco rushed 16 times for 70 yards, a solid 4.4-yard average. Defensively, linebacker Luke Breier made 17 tackles, Anthony Kirkwood had 10 and Zeke Rolando broke up two passes. The Green Wave must be sharp in all three phases against the Warriors, who last week scored two defensive touchdowns and scored on a punt return. Stephen Garner was a two-way standout against Urbana. He ran for a touchdown, caught a pass for another and returned a fumble for a score. Coach Rolando wants to see improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. “We need to eliminate the mistakes, take care of the football, eliminate turnovers, block well and give our quarterback time,” he said. “We need to control what we can control a little better and be a more competitive football team.”

Next week: Wheaton Academy at IC Catholic Prep; Chicago Christ the King at St. Edward

Bolingbrook (1-0) at St. Charles North (1-0) Nonconference

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last week: Bolingbrook 43, Proviso West 10; St. Charles North 24, Palatine 14

Last year: Bolingbrook 34, St. Charles North 24

Outlook: This is the third straight season these teams have met in nonconference play. “The Brook” won 34-24 last year and 28-20 in 2017. The Raiders finished with a 7-3 record each season. The North Stars appreciate the challenge facing the Raiders presents. “We are fortunate to have Bolingbrook on our schedule because they always provide us with a great early season test,” North Stars coach Rob Pomazak said. “They are always strong, physical and athletic. They give you that playoff look in Week 2. I feel that's a reason we improve later in the season.” St. Charles North is a young team. Twenty-two players either started for the first time or saw their first varsity action against Palatine last week. Junior running back Nick DeMarco helped his team rally from a 14-0 deficit by rushing for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns on 36 carries (4.5 avg.). North ran the ball 44 times and threw 18 passes. Quarterback Kyler Brown threw for 108 yards and connected with five different receivers. They face a defense led by safety Justin Walters, whose nine college offers include Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota. The North defense was led last week by seniors Ben Furtney (7 tackles) and Ryan Thiesse (6). Each forced a fumble. That unit is tasked with limiting returning dual-threat quarterback Devyn Suggs (Yale), lineman John Williams (Cincinnati) and tight end Trevor Borland (Buffalo).

Next week: Bolingbrook at Stagg; St. Charles North at Wheaton North

Glenbard South (1-0, 1-0) at Elgin (0-1, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Elgin gave defending Upstate Eight champ Glenbard East all it wanted in a 27-24 loss. Xavier Bonds started fast with 319 all-purpose yards. Cornerback Noah Mack and linebacker Alex West (11 solo stops) will spy visiting receiver Cade Hardtke after he scored both Raiders touchdowns.

Larkin (0-1, 0-1) at Streamwood (0-1, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Larkin coach Matt Gehrig seeks lower pad level, better technique, but applauds the stamina of two-way players such as D.J. Akins. Streamwood should enter motivated after doing everything but win its opener. Linebacker Tre Sanders was among six Sabres with tackles for loss.

South Elgin (1-0, 1-0) at East Aurora (0-1, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: East Aurora coach Nick Kukuc has things heading the right way. South Elgin is already there. Davion Cherwin, Calin Gurau, Ben Karpowicz, Corve King, Christian Mastropieri, Cris Mejia-Gomez and Alex Noworol all scored touchdowns last week despite the Storm running only 28 plays on offense.

West Aurora (0-1) at Plainfield East (0-1)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: West Aurora coach Nate Eimer liked the Southwest Prairie competition and his players' effort ... but didn't care for 5 turnovers that swayed field position. That's fixable. Hopefully so too is Evan Alexandrou's shoulder injury; Emarrion Pittman and Shawn Fichtel will help spell the two-way starter.

Richmond-Burton (1-0) at Aurora Central Catholic (0-1)Game time: 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The Rockets eked out a 17-8 win against ACC in Richmond last season and went on to appear in a state semifinal. The Chargers aim to bounce back from a 34-7 loss at Plano in the season opener. R-B blew out Wauconda 48-12 last week.

Chicago Urban Prep/Bronzeville (0-1) at Aurora Christian (1-0-)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The Eagles are coming off a 63-0 season-opening win against Roosevelt (Ind.).

The Lions seek their first points of the season. They were shut out 20-0 last week by Chicago Noble/Comer. Aurora Christian won this nonconference matchup 34-14 last season.

Crystal Lake South (0-1, 0-1) at Burlington Central (1-0, 1-0)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The Rockets play their first Fox Valley Conference home game. A tantalizing matchup pits Western Illinois-bound Central defensive end Matt Muetterties (6-5, 265) against CL South offensive lineman Dominic Collado (6-4, 300), committed to Miami of Ohio. Collado's father, Damien, played football at Larkin with Central coach Brian Melvin in 1994.

Crystal Lake Central (0-1, 0-1) at Cary-Grove (1-0, 1-0)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Cary-Grove senior Blake Skol rushed for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Crystal Lake South. Quarterback Luke Eleftheriou ran for two scores and played safety most of the first half. Crystal Lake Central has the misfortune of facing league powers Prairie Ridge and Cary-Grove consecutively at the season's outset. The Tigers were shut out 40-0 last week by PR.

Dundee-Crown (0-1, 0-1) at McHenry (0-1, 0-1)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Both teams need this one after Week 1 losses. Dundee-Crown's running game was limited to 60 yards last week in a 15-9 loss to Burlington Central. Senior quarterback Evan Echlin completed 11 of 20 passes in his first start. McHenry was overwhelmed by Huntley 56-0 a week ago. D-C defeated McHenry 35-21 last season.

Hampshire (0-1) at Prairie Ridge (1-0)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Hampshire was competitive into the fourth quarter of a 25-12 loss to Jacobs last week. Mobile quarterback Jackson Milison ran for a 44-yard touchdown. The Prairie Ridge defense notched 6 turnovers (5 interceptions) in a 40-0 win over Crystal Lake Central. Sophomore defensive back Mason Loucks counted a pick six among his 3 interceptions.

Kaneland (1-0) at Geneva (0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Kaneland's balanced offense tore through Hinsdale South in a 48-0 home win last week. Geneva returns to Burgess Field after dropping a 49-7 decision against Notre Dame in Niles. The Knights won this matchup 34-14 last season. But that was last season. “Watching them on film, I think they are much improved from where they were a year ago,” Kaneland coach Pat Ryan said of the Vikings.

Carmel (0-1) at St. Charles East (1-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: St. Charles East's new offense clicked in the second half as the Saints rallied for two 80-yard touchdown drives to knock off Lemont 12-6. Carmel lost a heartbreaker last week against Libertyville, which completed a 20-yard touchdown pass as time ran out and converted the 2-point conversion to win 35-34. Running back Syone Usma-Harper rushed for 298 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Corsairs.

Westminster Christian (0-1-) at Christian Life (1-0)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Westminster Christian returned to 8-man football after an idle 2018 season, but the Warriors came up shy in a 36-6 loss to visiting Flanagan. Quarterback Tyler Oman threw for 117 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions before leaving with an injury. This night game in Rockford is one of three games the Warriors will play under the lights this season.

Marmion (1-0) at Von Steuben (0-1)Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

The quick hit: The Cadets travel to Winnemac Stadium on Chicago's north side for a midafternoon tilt against the Panthers, who made the playoffs last season for the first time. Marmion scored 20 first-quarter points and added 21 in the third quarter of a 41-7 win over Maine East. Von Steuben lost 21-0 to Lincoln Park last week.