Scouting Week 5 Cook County football games

Maine West (4-0, 0-0) at Highland Park (2-2, 0-0)

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Last week: Maine West beat Elk Grove 28-10; Highland Park lost to Conant 64-34

Last year: Maine West 34, Highland Park 6

Outlook: Maine West is 4-0 for the first time since 1979. The Warriors have found ways to win, with two of those victories in the final minute. They have received solid play at quarterback from Tommy Delaney, who has thrown for 430 yards and four touchdowns while running for three others. They also have the ability to run the ball with Onell Miller-Smith, who has broken the 100-yard mark in its last three games and has 381 yards this season and three touchdowns. Ben Cooper has been one of the keys to the defense, which has allowed just 29 points this season. Highland Park came into the season with great hopes. But the Giants have lost two of their last three games and have allowed 120 points in those games.

Maine South (3-1, 0-0) at New Trier (1-3, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Maine South beat Fremd 24-7; New Trier lost to Barrington 22-14

Last year: New Trier beat Maine South by forfeit

Outlook: This game has been one of the key games on both teams' calendar each season. New Trier has been the only team in CSL play to beat Maine South on the football field in the last 23 seasons. But that win came in 2016. Maine South has won three in a row this year since their opening game loss to Brother Rice. Constantine Coines ran and passed the ball well while stepping in after an injury in the Brother Rice game. Nicahel Dullomo has pounded the ball well behind a veteran Hawks offense line led by Zak Stoilov, who has five D-1 offers. Evan Agosto and Tommy Naughton came up with key interceptions. They will need that type of coverage to slow down Miles Cremascoli who caught 10 passes for 215 yards against Barrington last week.

St. Viator (3-1) at Brother Rice (2-2)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: St. Viator beat St. Patrick 28-21; Brother Rice lost to Loyola 41-24

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: St. Viator makes its first trip to Brother Rice in a CCL/ESCC nonconference matchup between the Crusaders in the Blue and Viator in the Purple. Viator is playing its best football of the season right now. The Lions have won three in a row after stumbling out of the box at De La Salle. The multipurpose Dayvion Ellis has been one of the reasons why. The junior is coming off a three-touchdown performance last week with two rushing touchdowns and another aby air. Cooper Kmet is looking better each week guiding the offense and has 13 touchdown passes this season. Charlie Dolsen has also been a key recipient of Kmet passes. The Lions should expect a large dose of ground and pound by Brother Rice which has a huge offensive line. The Lions will also have to scheme to stop four-star linebacker Christian Pierce.

Rolling Meadows (1-3, 0-0) at Prospect (3-1, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Rolling Meadows beat Deerfield 38-35; Prospect beat Glenbrook South 45-35

Last year: Prospect 64, Rolling Meadows 24

Outlook: Rolling Meadows thundered back last week to pick up their first win this season. The Mustangs had Zank Allain step up big time in the victory. Allain entered the game with just 12 carries for 52 yards; he nearly doubled that last week with 27 carries for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Joe Brigham is also flourishing, throwing for 744 yards and 7 touchdowns in his last three games. Prospect has rallied for victories in its last two games. Jake Skoog and Noah Easter led the offense, while the defensive secondary was solid with three interceptions. Matt Cassaidy looks to have an encore of his defensive game form last week when he had a pair of interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. Owen Anderson also had an interception.

Palatine (2-2, 0-0) at Hoffman Estates (3-1, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Palatine beat Evanston 49-20; Hoffman Estates beat Niles North 44-7

Last year: Palatine 30, Hoffman Estates 7

Outlook: Both teams could be unbeaten if not for last minute losses. Palatine continues to roll the Ball out and see how far he can go. Last week, it was a school record 290 yards for Dominik Ball, who seems to get stronger each week. The Pirates also can go to the air when needed behind quarterback Tommy Elter, who threw for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Hoffman Estates has been a scoring machine. The high-flying Hawks are averaging 40 points per game led by quarterback Nate Cleveland, who has stepped into the role quite nicely. His main target, Stephon Sellers, has been torching defenses all season along with Xavier Martinez and Jayden Hampton. The Hawks have also done well on the ground with Quincy Williams, Matt Lawson and Dimarte Neustader. Hoffman has not beaten Palatine since 2018.

Hersey (4-0, 0-0) at Buffalo Grove (3-1, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Hersey beat Vernon Hills 67-0; Buffalo Grove beat Glenbrook North 30-18

Last year: Hersey 49, Buffalo Grove 6

Outlook: This game could be a shootout between a pair of teams that have proved they can score nearly at will. Hersey is averaging 47 points per game. Their defense has also been stout, allowing just 26 points all season and not surrendering a point in the last two games. The Huskies continue getting huge offensive performances from Colton Gumino, who has thrown for 934 yards and 12 touchdowns. Carson Grove has 26 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns while Logan Farrell has 229 yards and four touchdowns. Nasir McKenzie has 384 yards and seven touchdowns. Buffalo Grove is averaging 416 yards of offense with most of that coming on the ground. Payton Diaz, Anthony Palano and Matthew Maradkel are gaining the majority of the yards. The Bison can go to the air when needed, with Diaz coming off a 235-yard performance.

Conant (2-2, 0-0) at Schaumburg (2-2, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Conant beat Highland Park 64-34; Schaumburg beat Maine East 43-7

Last year: Conant 41, Schaumburg 0

Outlook: Both teams put up some points last week. Conant, which has now won two in a row, scored a school-record 64 points last week. That eclipsed the old mark of 62 set in 1990. The Cougars put up 492 yards last week. That is a far cry from their season opener when they managed just 49 yards of offense. Cooper Hanson had a huge part in that record. He is coming off a four-touchdown, 286-yard performance. Schaumburg is also coming off a stellar offensive output. The Saxons plied up 431 yards of offense and are averaging 344 yards per game this season. They continue to flourish thanks to the hard running by Anthony DiGioia.

Wheeling (1-3, 0-0) at Elk Grove Village (1-3, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Wheeling lost to Niles West 42-7; Elk Grove lost to Maine West 28-10

Last year: Elk Grove 49, Wheeling 33

Outlook: After an opening game win, Wheeling has dropped three in a row. The Wildcats are looking to turn things around this week behind Justin Ghibea, Miguel Guerrero and Patrick Tinsley. Elk Grove has been throwing the ball very well of late with quarterback Logan Tosterud upping his game. He has thrown for 460 yards in his last two games. Tosterud has been finding wide receiver Lucas Rogers, who has 252 yards and three touchdowns during that span.

Vernon Hills (1-3, 0-0) at Maine East (1-3, 0-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Vernon Hills lost to Hersey 67-0; Maine East lost to 43-7

Last year: Vernon Hills 47, Maine East 0

Outlook: Both teams are coming off difficult one-sided losses as they open up CSL North play. Vernon Hills will be looking to turn things around defensively after giving up more than 60 points in consecutive games. Maine East has been just a bit better defensively, allowing over 40 points per game in their last two outings.

Fremd (1-3, 0-0) at Barrington (4-0, 0-0)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Last week: Fremd lost to Maine South 24-7; Barrington beat New Trier 22-14

Last year: Barrington 34, Fremd 7

Outlook: This is the traditional Saturday afternoon Homecoming game in Barrington. Fremd has been much improved in the past two weeks. The Vikings posted a win and then gave Maine South a much better game than the final score would indicate. One of the top reasons has been the quarterback-wide receiver connection between sophomore quarterback Johhny O'Brien and Brenna Saxe. O'Brien is coming off a 296-yard performance with Saxe setting a school-record 16 receptions last week for 215 yards. That connection could give Barrington some fits after New Trier wide receiver Miles Cremascoli caught 10 passes for 215 yards against the Broncos last week. The Broncos do have a solid pass rush led by Devan Van Ness. Barrington counters with its own offensive duo. Nick Peipert, who has thrown for 718 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Dillon Fitzpatrick, who has rushed for 425 yards and 8 touchdowns while catching 12 passes, one for a touchdown.