Scouting Week 2 Lake County football games
Grayslake North (1-0) at Mundelein (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: Both teams opened the season with wins. North edged Vernon Hills 14-8, while the Mustangs were 28-7 winners over Grant. "Everyone has their own mountain to climb, and Mundelein has an entire mountain range on their offensive and defensive lines," Knights coach Brian Johnson said. "That is going to present a big challenge for us. Dom Pulliam had 9 carries for 63 yards against Vernon Hills, while Landen Dovel ran 10 times for 49 yards and Cam Bates had 3 catches for 96 yards for North. Eli Woyat had a touchdown reception, while Johnson also lauded the efforts on defense of Juan Marquez, Ernesto Gonzalez and sophomore Eli Woyat - each had a quarterback sack. "We are talking a lot about perseverance this week with our team," Johnson said. "One play doesn't determine the game or the season for us. We need to keep chopping." Mundelein, coach Vince DeFrancesco noted, will be prepared for a battle against North. "Grayslake North is a very talented team. They have great size and explosive athletes," he said. "They are very well-coached and return a lot of talent from their 9-2 season and co-conference championship. Offensively, they have great balance and defensively they are physical. They look and play like a playoff team." Julian Rivas and Adam Alkhatib both ran for more than 85 yards against Grant, while quarterback Danny McNelly had 3 touchdowns (2 throwing, 1 running) and completed 80% of his passes. "Danny was extremely poised Week 1," DeFrancesco said. "He did a great job leading our offense and was extremely efficient." Rivas played on both sides of the ball. "He played great on both sides and led us in tackles and rushing yards," the coach noted. Dylan Coe had a strong game on both lines. "Dylan played well," DeFrancesco said. "He has an outstanding motor and has a nose for the football." DeFrancesco said his group played like a veteran team last week. "We didn't beat ourselves and created turnovers on defense," he explained. "We need to continue to work hard in practice and continue improving. Grayslake North plays a similar style of football and will be a big challenge."
Lakes (0-1) at Vernon Hills (0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Eagles lost 37-7 to Lake Forest in their opener last week. "Vernon Hills is a base 3-4 defense playing quarters coverage, and on offense they are a spread gap scheme running offense. They are very well coached," Lakes coach Jason Ellerman said. " No. 3 (Anthony Martorano), No. 34 (Giacomo Urso) and No. 52 (Damian Almanza) are very good players. We will need to know where they are on both sides of the ball." Dillian Davis led the Lakes defense in tackles last week, while sophomore running backs Rondelle Griffin and Christian Scornavacco combined for more than 100 rushing yards. "In the second half against Lake Forest, we were able to get the run game going a little bit with Rondelle and Christian," Ellerman said. The coach praised the work of defensive coordinator Garrett Youngren. "Garrett has done a great job preparing our safeties and defense all year and I think Mason Crowley playing free safety this week has a good chance to help our defense," he said. Ellerman noted Lakes' motto this season is "JUST BE." "Every week we have a new JUST BE theme," he said. "Last week, it was JUST BE persistent. This week I had each individual come up with their own JUST BE goal." Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said don't let Lakes' Week 1 result fool you. "Lakes is a well-coached team," he said. "They had a very good opponent Week 1, so don't let the score deceive you. Lake Forest will be at the top of its conference and they will be a team that plays a few playoff games. Lakes competes hard up front on both sides of the ball. We expect a good football game. We need to get better in all phases of the game. Teams typically make the biggest jumps from Week 1 to Week 2," Bellecomo said. "We need to focus on ourselves and continue to get better this week."
Zion-Benton (0-1) at Antioch (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: Antioch had a lot to be happy about in its 42-13 Week 1 win over Schaumburg. Junior running back Martin Cohen ran 9 times for 295 yards and 5 touchdowns. "One of the best statistical nights we've ever had," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. Senior linebacker Chris Cook had 7 tackes and "is playing great defense," the coach said. Kicker Carter Webb was perfect on his point-after attempts, while senior Nick Day also had a strong game, running 15 times for 87 yards and a score. Zion-Benton, out of the North Suburban Conference, dropped its Week 1 game to Evanston. "They have some dangerous playmakers on offense," Glashagel said. "We will need to prevent the big play. Week 1 is already old news. We are taking it one week at a time."
Grant (0-1) at Glenbrook North (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Bulldogs head to Northbrook for a nonconference game against Central Suburban South entrant Glenbrook North. "We don't know much about Glenbrook North. They had a nice win over Lane Tech in Week 1," Bulldogs coach Tim Norwood noted. "Their offensive line looks big. We will need to match how physical they are. We need to take cae of the ball on offense and play good team defense." Sophomore running back Tyler Zodon was a big positive last week against Mundelein. He ran 16 times for 115 yards and 1 touchdown. "Tyler had a great Week 1 for his first varsity game," Norwood said. Senior free safety Rylan Art played his first game there after previously playing quarterback his first three years at Grant. Senior offensive tackle Mason Lancaster is making progress after offseason shoulder surgery, Norwood noted. "Mason has bounced back well," he said.
North Chicago (0-1) at Addison Trail (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: North Chicago lost 25-13 to Wheeling in Week 1 action, while Addison Trail beat Maine East 39-6. "Addison Trail had a big first-week win," North Chicago coach Wilton Hill said. "They should come into the game with momentum." For North Chicago, Keymarion Campbell ran 6 times for 69 yards against Wheeling and had 11 tackles on defense, while CJ King threw for 113 yards and a touchdown. Marlin Jeffries returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and Caleb Fitts had 12 total tackles. "Campbell is a two-way player making an impact on both sides of the ball," Hill said. "King is a dual-threat quarterback who understands to get the ball to his weapons and Jeffries is a two-way player who makes things happen with the ball in his hands. He's also a good cover corner." Hill said keys this week are minimizing small mistakes and build on the good things the team saw in Week 1.
Kaneland (0-1) at Wauconda (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: Wauconda went on the road to Darien and came away with a 14-10 win in Week 1. "Our coaching staff was proud of the way our team handled adversity last Friday," Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. "We were down in the second half, but gathered ourselves and came back to win. It is great to have a team that can stay poised under pressure and continue battling." Up next is a Kaneland team that lost 33-27 at home to Washington in Week 1. "Kaneland has a strong tradition and a lot of experience in the playoffs," Prostka said. "They went to the second round last year and bring back a lot of contributors from that team. They have a talented and experienced quarterback in Troyer Carlson. Aric Johnson and Dominick DeBlasio are two of his top targets." Connor Vanselow ran 18 times for 127 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs last week, while Brock Pfeiffer had 3 catches for 72 yards and made 7 tackles on defense. Connor Coty and Jackson Rudolph each made 9 tackles. Prostka also liked how Sajjad Hussain, Porter Stanton and Ryder Garcia played. "Sajjad has been progressing well and had a solid game at defensive back," the coach said. "Porter has earned a starting spot on the offensive line and played well. Ryder played well defensively and did an excellent job kicking. It was his first game kicking and he made two big extra points in a tight game."
Glenbrook South (0-1) at Lake Zurich (1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Bears did A-OK in their season-opening 28-7 win against Fremd. Week 2 sees Glenbrook South from the Central Suburban South making an appearance in Lake Zurich. "Glenbrook South is a historical program with great athletes that are coming off a great season last year," Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. Chris Pirrone ran 27 times for 168 yards to pace the Bears offense in Week 1. Also of note was junior starting MIKE linebacker Ben Cillessen. "Ben has natural instincts at linebacker and is learning to lead the defense," Planz said. Lake Zurich ran for 209 yards against Fremd. "Our offensive line helped our team grind out a 17-play, 90-yard drive to seal the game. All were runs," Planz noted. Planz added a key talking point to his team is how it handles success is much more important than how it handles failure. "We need to make sure we improve a lot from Week 1 to Week 2," he said. Glenbrook South lost 35-17 to York in Week 1 in a game that was close in the first half.
Richards (0-1) at Libertyville (1-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Scouting this game: Richards, out of Oak Lawn and the South Suburban Conference Red Division, lost 42-0 to Chicago Morgan Park in Week 1. "Richards is a very athletic team with some explosive players," Wildcats coach Mike Jones said. "They struggled to finish drives in Week 1, but I am sure that will improve with Week 2. They also have a very active defense." Libertyville junior quarterback Quinn Schambow completed 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns last week, while senior safety Hayden Koonce had 5 solo tackles and 6 assists. Jones said junior safety Mason Strader is gaining a better understanding of the defense as a whole, while junior receiver Sam Seth is blocking well "and seems to find the open area to catch the ball," Jones noted. Junior kicker Ben Ratner also received high marks. "Ben is developing into a weapon for us," Jones said. Jones added this week's game has significance. "This is the biggest week for improvement in my opinion," he said.
Stevenson (1-0) at Chicago Taft (0-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Scouting this game: All sorts of positives came out of the Patriots' Week 1 win over Kenosha Bradford. Frank Costabile was named the team offensive MVP after running for 263 yards on 25 carries and scoring 4 touchdowns. Stevenson ran for 414 yards and 5 scores as a team. The Stevenson offense scored on the last drive of the first half and the first drive of the second half. "Momentum drives," coach Brent Becker noted. Defensively, Ethan Aghakhan was named MVP. He played the entire game both ways on the offensive and defensive lines and finished with 6 tackles and 3 tackle for loss. Stevenson had 5 total tackles for loss, held Bradford to 4 first downs and allowed only 26 rushing yards. Fatman Thorndyke ran 14 times for 142 yards and 1 touchdown. "Both our backs ran hard and our offensive line opened up some good holes," Becker said. "Our defense stopped the Bradford run game. We need to continue to play fast and physical and win the game up front." Caden An was named special teams player of the week after going 5-for-5 on point-after attempts and booting a 34-yard field goal. Taft lost 49-7 in its opener to Crown Point, Ind.
Other Lake County games
Grayslake Central (0-1) at Geneseo (1-0), Friday, 5 p.m.
Maine East (0-1) at Round Lake (0-1), Friday, TBA
Carmel (1-0) at Lake Forest (1-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.