Scouting Lake County first round playoff football games
Class 8A
Lyons Township (6-3) at Stevenson (7-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Seeds: LT is the No. 21 seed in the single 32-team 8A bracket; Stevenson is the No. 12 seed.
Outlook: Stevenson is the real deal, earning a home playoff game after competing in the rugged eight-team North Suburban Conference that has 5 playoff qualifiers and nearly had a sixth with Mundelein. The Patriots' only losses are to Lake Zurich (21-16) and Warren (41-16), the top two place-finishers in the conference. Lyons Township also knows a thing or two about playing in tough conferences. The Lions reside in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division that features the likes of playoff qualifiers Glenbard West, York and Downers Grove North. Lyons has won four of its last five games. The Lions lost 24-14 to state-ranked York and 13-10 to WSC Silver co-champion Glenbard West. Their only other loss is to 7-2 Prospect.
Up next: The winner plays either No. 28 Homewood-Flossmoor (5-4) or No. 5 York (8-1)
Oswego (6-3) at Warren (7-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Seeds: Oswego is the No. 23 seed in the single 32-team 8A bracket; Warren is the No. 10 seed
Outlook: Warren is firing on all cylinders, having won seven contests in a row since season-opening losses to 9-0 Barrington and 8-1 Maine South. Warren's defense has given up a touchdown (7 points) in the last four weeks and has pitched three shutouts in a row. The Blue Devils also have put up a North Suburban Conference-best 306 points this season. Oswego operates out of the Southwest Prairie Conference West Division and is one of five schools in that six-team division to make the playoffs. The Panthers, 3-6 a year ago, are 2-3 in their last five games with losses to 4-5 Plainfield North, 6-3 Yorkville and 7-2 Minooka. Oswego has two wins against teams with winning records this season.
Up next: The winner plays either No. 26 Chicago Lane Teach (6-3) or No. 7 South Elgin (8-1)
Class 6A
Grant (6-3) at Wauconda (7-2)
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Seeds: Wauconda No. 5 in the top half of 6A; Grant No. 12 in the top half of 6A.
Outlook: Our Lake County blue-plate special of the week pits these two Northern Lake County Conference foes against each other for the second time this season in the battle of the Bulldogs. Wauconda won the regular-season meeting in Fox Lake in Week 4 by a field goal (27-24). "There is definitely familiarity between our teams being from the same conference," Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. "We played Grant at their place in Week 4 and it was a great game decided in the final three minutes. Both teams will make adjustments and bring some different elements than the previous matchup. Their offense has big play ability and we will have to tackle well and limit the big plays. We want to stay consistent offensively and build on our progress throughout the season." In Wauconda's 32-7 win in Week 9 against Grayslake North, Logan Olsen passed for 116 yards and ran for a score. Connor Vanselow ran 19 times for 121 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brock Pfeiffer caught 4 passes for 101 yards. Nick Ori had 4 tackles and 2 picks, while Jackson Rudolph had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pick and a rushing touchdown in an all-around strong performance. Heading into the playoffs, Vanselow has 964 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns. Cole Korycanek has 270 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. Pfeiffer has 346 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, while Zac Johnson has 65 tackles on defense. Conlan Rath has 52 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 1 interception, while Connor Coty has 38 tackles, 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss. Prostka also likes the way Ori has been playing on defense. "Nick has been continually getting better as a defensive back," he said. Ori leads Wauconda with 4 interceptions. Grant is vastly improved, making the playoffs for the first since the last time (2019, and before that 2012) and is set up for the long haul with a young, talented nucleus. "Wauconda has a great running game and is very physical up front," Grant coach Tim Norwood said. "We need to be more physical up front than we were in Week 4. Their offense is very efficient and can score a lot of points. Defensively, they are very aggressive and swarm to the ball. Wauconda is a very good team, but our kids are excited to get another opportunity to play them." In Grant's 46-6 win over North Chicago last week, sophomore quarterback Matthew Gipson completed 12 passes for 179 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sophomore running back Tyler Zdon ran 13 times for 97 yards and a score, while senior running back Junior Munoz caught 6 passes for 81 yards and a TD. Gipson has completed 96 passes for 1,477 yards with 14 touchdowns against only 5 picks in 153 attempts. Zdon has carried 149 times for 905 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Max Hembrey has 14 catches for 337 yards and 5 touchdowns. Senior free safety Pryde Mendoza moved to the defensive side of the ball halfway through the season "and is starting to make a lot of plays for us," Norwood said. Senior linebacker Daymian Longtin also has played well, Norwood noted, while senior linebacker Ryan Kowalski "has been steady for us all year," he added. "Ryan is a player who gets everyone lined up in the right spot."
Up next: The winner gets either No. 13 Chicago Amundsen (6-3) or No. 4 Belvidere North (7-2) in the second round.
Libertyville (5-4) at Cary-Grove (7-2)
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Seeds: Libertyville is the No. 14 seed in the top half of the 6A bracket; Cary-Grove is the No. 3 seed
Outlook: The Wildcats have some work to do here on the road against a perennial state power. Libertyville is 2-2 in its last four games, but those losses were by a point to North Suburban runner-up Lake Zurich and by a touchdown to Stevenson. Cary-Grove, coming off an uncharacteristic 3-6 mark last year, finished third in the Fox Valley Conference. Of note with the Trojans, both of their losses came to the teams that finished higher than them in the conference. Cary-Grove lost by a point (21-20) to FVC champion Prairie Ridge and by a point to runner-up Huntley (29-28). The Trojans played all conference games during the regular season.
Up next: Winner gets either No. 11 Highland Park (6-3) or No. 6 Chicago Mather (7-2)
Crystal Lake Central (5-4) at Lake Zurich (8-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Seeds: Lake Zurich is the No. 1 seed in the top half of 6A; CL Central is the No. 16 seed.
Outlook: "Crystal Lake Central is a really good team," Bears coach Ron Planz said. "They are big and have some very good skill players, including a Division I commit at wide receiver. Their defense is sound and their offense is explosive. We are going to have to make sure we are coverage sound on defense and tackle well in the open field. Offensively, we need to create some big plays and limit our penalties. We have to keep ahead of the sticks and have manageable third downs." Lake Zurich, a state semifinalist a year ago, is no slouch either, having gone 4-0 since its Week 5 loss to North Suburban champion Warren by four points. Planz has been thrilled with the play of Lincoln Adams and Chris Chang on defense. "Lincoln and Chris have been stellar for us on defense all year," Planz said. "They play with high motors and are always around the ball." In Lake Zurich's Week 9 win over Waukegan, Cole Kenyon passed for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Alex Pirrone ran 9 times for 37 yards and 2 touchdowns. Chris Pirrone also had a rushing touchdown. Jackson Piggott, Will Nordstrom and Keyon Haynes each caught a touchdown pass. Nate Snep had 2 tackles for loss on defense. Lake Zurich's defense is limiting teams to 98.3 yards rushing per game and 3.24 yards per carry. The Bears sit at a plus-9 in the turnover department. Offensively, Pirrone leads Lake Zurich with 826 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Bears have five players with 100 or more rushing yards this season. Piggott has caught 18 passes for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Bears have 12 interceptions as a team led by Nolan Siko's five. Coplan Oettinger has three and Bryce Erkman has two picks. Lincoln Adams, George DiCanio and Cason Gwizdala each have 5 tackles for loss. Gwizdala leads the team in quarterback sacks with four. Jesus Vilchis has booted 4 fields goals this season and has hit on 30 of 31 extra-point attempts. Nine of punter Matt Worthington's 26 punts have landed inside the 20. He has a long punt of 54 yards.
Up next: The winner plays either No. 9 Kaneland (6-3) or No. 8 Riverside-Brookfield (7-2)
Class 5A
Chicago Englewood STEM (5-4) at Antioch (9-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Seeds: Antioch No. 3 in top half of 5A bracket; Englewood No. 14 seed in top half.
Outlook: Antioch enjoyed its first 9-0 undefeated regular season for the first time since 2018 and fifth time under coach Brian Glashagel. Glashagel said the Sequoits don't know much about its foe due to not having game film via a film exchange as of very early this week. In the Week 9 win over Round Lake (70-0), Jack Bucar ran 3 times for 108 yards and 2 scores. Nick Day ran 6 times for 72 yards and 2 TDs, while Aiden Lax had 9 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. Cohen has 1,177 rushing yards on 82 carries with 22 touchdowns and also has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Day 1,075 rushing yards on 146 carries with 23 touchdowns. The Antioch defense is led by Chris Cook with 63 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery and Ryan Swanson, who has 53 tackles, 1 sack, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
Up next: The winner plays either No. 11 seed Chicago Lindblom (7-2) or No. 6 seed Carmel (8-1).
Chicago Lindblom (7-2) at Carmel (8-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Seeds: Lindblom is the No. 11 seed in the top half of the Class 5A bracket; Carmel is the No. 6 seed.
Outlook: Carmel, which reached the second round of the playoffs last year, comes into this contest on a four-game winning streak where its defense has surrendered a grand total of 28 points. The Corsairs' only loss this season is to 8-1 Mt. Carmel (37-16). Lindblom is part of the Chicago Public League White-Southwest Conference where it finished second behind Chicago Noble/Johnson. The Eagles played all Chicago-based schools during the regular season, including a 40-0 win over Chicago Englewood STEM, which plays Northern Lake County champion Antioch with the winner facing the winner of this game next week. In six of the team's seven wins, the Eagles have held foes to 6 points or less, including four shutouts.
Up next: The winner faces either No. 3 Antioch or No. 14 Chicago Englewood STEM.