Scouting Week 2 Cook County football games

Niles North (0-1) at Leyden (1-0)

When: Friday, 6 p.m.

Last week: Niles North lost to Amundsen 28-6, Leyden beat Highland Park 30-27

Last year: Niles North 20, Leyden 6

Outlook: Leyden’s offense has shown a dramatic improvement from a year ago when the Eagles scored just 93 points for the entire season. Leyden got solid play from quarterback and running back and hopes to continue that. Maddox Jasinski was 14-of-17 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns while Lucas Latiker picked up 88 yards on 17 carries and had a pair of touchdowns. Niles North struggled in its opener to Amundsen.

Round Lake (0-1) at Maine East (1-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Round Lake lost to West Chicago 42-0, Maine East beat East Aurora 34-6

Last year: Maine East 15, Round Lake 12

Outlook: Last year, Maine East’s only win came with a victory over Round Lake. Maine East already has that first win, now the Blue Demons are looking for a second consecutive victory. And Maine East has not strung together consecutive wins since 2013. The Blue Demons offense came alive last week behind the play of running back Allen Vulic, who had 23 carries for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Tryfon Giolas also had a big day and was 14-of-19 for 105 yards and had a pair of touchdown runs.

Palatine (0-1) at Prospect (0-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Palatine lost to St. Charles North 28-27, Prospect lost to Lyons 38-21

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Both teams have high expectations for this season. But those hopes took a bad turn last week as both teams faltered in their openers. Palatine surrendered a 99-yard drive in the closing minutes in their loss. The Pirates had led 27-14 with 8 minutes to play before giving up two touchdowns down the stretch. Prospect will also be looking to shore up its defense after allowing 38 points in their loss. The Knights allowed Lyons to jump out to a 21-0 lead and could never quite recover.

Elk Grove (0-1) at Schaumburg (1-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Elk Grove lost to Maine West 14-7; Schaumburg beat Antioch 12-7

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: The battle for Rt. 53 should be another defensive effort for both teams, which were both involved in low-scoring, one-score games last week. Elk Grove came up a bit short in their loss. Dylan Berkowitz, who busted off a 76-yard touchdown, is hoping to spark the Grenadiers offense again this week. Schaumburg won its first opener in 10 seasons last week. The Saxons rallied thanks to an offense that picked up the pace in the fourth quarter. Vincent Haydecker rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Lucas Wagener was 10-of-13 passing for 114 yards.

Warren (1-0) at Maine South (0-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Maine South lost to Lincoln-Way East 49-22; Warren beat Hersey 55-26

Last year: Maine South 28, Warren 7

Outlook: Maine South went down to Frankfort and dropped their opener to the two-time 8A state runner-up Griffins. The Hawks will have to regroup quickly as they host state power Warren. Maine South’s defense, which allowed the most points in a game since Week 2 of 2015, will quickly have to find a way to stop a Warren offense that likes to run the ball while piling up 55 points last week. Constantine Coines is coming off a 15-of-25 effort for 149 yards and two touchdowns for the Hawks.

Barrington (1-0) at Hersey (0-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Barrington beat South Elgin 64-21, Hersey lost to Warren 55-26

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: This is a battle between a pair of D-1 quarterbacks in Barrington’s Nick Piepert, who will play at St. Thomas next year, and Hersey’s Colton Gumino, who is committed to UCLA. Piepert is coming off a 10-of-10 performance last week. He threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns as Barrington scored on 8 of its first 9 possessions. Gumino had a more difficult opener with Warren. He was 11-of-25 for 178 yards, and he ran for a touchdown. But his Huskies will need to bounce back with a better effort this week.

Fremd (1-0) at Buffalo Grove (0-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Fremd beat Lake Zurich 31-0, Buffalo Grove lost to Hoffman Estates 35-24

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Fremd played its best game in over 5 years with a solid victory over Lake Zurich. Quarterback Johnny O’Brien threw 14 consecutive passes to open the game. That got the Vikings firing on all cylinders. That included a defense that allowed zero rushing yards and 112 yards passing. Fremd will see a familiar face leading Buffalo Grove. Dylan Spedale, who transferred from Fremd this year, is starting at quarterback for the Bison. Spedale was 14-of-21 passing for 147 yards last week and helped keep his team in the game against Hoffman Estates.

Rolling Meadows (0-1) at Conant (0-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Rolling Meadows lost to Pekin 28-14, Conant lost to Lake Park 41-14

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Meadows is on the road for the second consecutive week while Conant is home for the second week in a row. Meadows traveled to Pekin last week and fell behind 21-0 before rallying to close to 21-14 thanks to a pair of touchdowns by Shea Wells. Conant couldn’t get things going in its home opener. The Cougars fell behind 34-7 and were never able to recover. Quarterback Tyler Marchese threw a pair of touchdown passes to get Conant on the board.

Wheeling (0-1) at Hoffman Estates (1-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Wheeling lost to North Chicago 32-0, Hoffman Estates beat Buffalo Grove 35-24

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Wheeling struggled out of the box. The Wildcats are hoping for a better start this week. Hoffman had a slow start and a great finish in their opener. Nate Cleveland showed his versatility having a one by air, one by land and one by sea kind of day. Cleveland threw a touchdown pass, ran for another and swam past a defender to catch a touchdown pass. Landon Ford also had a huge game with 17 carries for 122 yards.

Maine West (1-0) at Waukegan (1-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Maine West beat Elk Grove 14-7, Waukegan beat Plainfield Central 16-14

Last year: Maine West 49, Waukegan 0

Outlook: Maine West picked up where it left off last season with another regular season victory making it 12 consecutive regular season wins. Maine West used the strong rushing of Maks Makota, who ran for 110 yards on 24 carries while scoring a touchdown and a conversion run. Tely Litas had a solid first start at quarterback going 10-of-16 for 132 yards and a touchdown. Waukegan, which had won just three games since 2016, is coming off an opening season victory over Plainfield Central.

Hyde Park (0-1) vs. St. Viator (1-0) at Forest View

When: Saturday, 12 p.m.

Last week: Hype Park lost to Montini 49-0, St. Viator beat Milwaukee-Riverside 62-0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: St. Viator is looking to continue their huge start of the 2024 campaign. The Lions roamed North of the Illinois border last week and mauled Milwaukee-Riverside for the second consecutive year. Expect another huge offensive output from Cooper Kmet, who threw five touchdown passes. Sasha Summers and Dayvion Ellis each had a pair of touchdown receptions. Hyde Park fell behind 42-0 early in the second quarter against Montini last week and never got back into the game.