Scouting Week 3 Cook County football games
Maine South (1-1) at Hersey (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Maine South beat Warren 35-18, Hersey lost to Barrington 41-32
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Maine South did a 180 degree turn with their win last week. The Hawks were flying on both sides of the ball led by running RB/DB Michael Dellumo, who had 259 all purpose yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Hersey upgraded its schedule tremendously this season and the Huskies now welcome in one of the top programs in the state. UCLA-commit Colton Gumino has kept his team in games throwing for 451 yards and 4 touchdowns while rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown.
St. Viator (2-0) at Marmion Academy (2-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: St. Viator beat Hyde Park 42-6, Marmion beat Noble Academy 56-0
Last year: St. Viator 49, Marmion 27
Outlook: The season really begins for both teams whose first two games came against subpar competition. Despite that, both teams took care of business with Viator doing it in a big way, outscoring its opponents 103-6. Cooper Kmet has thrown for 328 yards and 7 touchdowns while running for another score. Dayvion Ellis has 6 receptions for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Highland Park (0-2) at Fremd (2-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Highland Park lost to Deerfield 21-0, Fremd beat Buffalo Grove 45-9
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Fremd has been impressive in its first two games. The Vikings dominated their opponents, outscoring them 76-9. Johnny O’Brien has looked good in the new-look offense for the Vikings. The junior, who is committed to Northwestern, has completed 42-of-63 passes for 557 yards and six touchdowns. Brennan Saxe and Marquan Brewster have been O’Brien’s favorite targets. Meanwhile Fremd’s defense allowed just one touchdown. Highland Park returned just 5 starters this year and the Giants have struggled at times in their first two games.
Glenbrook North (1-1) at Rolling Meadows (1-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Glenbrook North lost to Grant 34-28, Rolling Meadows beat Conant 34-12
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: This will be the first home game for Rolling Meadows head coach Robbie Gould. His team has the only victory this season by an MSL East squad. The Mustangs leaned heavily last week on reserve quarterback Quincy Johnson, who responded by throwing for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. Shea Wells continues to shine on the receiving end for the Mustangs. Glenbrook North is much improved from last season and lost a close game last week after winning their opener.
Deerfield (1-1) at Buffalo Grove (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Deerfield beat Highland Park 21-0, Buffalo Grove lost to Fremd 45-9
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: The battle for Milwaukee Avenue features a Deerfield team that won its first game and a Buffalo Grove team looking for its first win. Buffalo Grove has been getting solid quarterback play from Dillon Spedale, who has stepped in quite nicely this season as the signal caller. The Bison are hoping that their young defense can step up against their first non MSL West opponent.
Evanston (1-1) at Palatine (1-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Evanston lost to St. Laurence 42-7, Palatine beat Prospect 14-9
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Palatine bounced back after losing their opener. The Pirates came up with a solid defensive effort, limiting Prospect to just one touchdown. Palatine is getting steady play on offense from junior quarterback Will Santiago and sophomore running back Ray Gaspard. Evanston, which beat Zion-Benton in their opener, struggled last week in their home opener.
Glenbrook South (1-1) at Barrington (2-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Glenbrook South beat Lake Zurich 35-20, Barrington beat Hersey 41-32
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Barrington, which was unbeaten during the regular season last year, has picked up where they left off. The Broncos scored 105 points in their first two games behind the impressive play of quarterback Nick Peipert, who has thrown for 375 yards and 5 touchdowns. Calvin Jackson has stepped into the starting running back role quite nicely and has gained 276 yards while scoring 8 touchdowns. Glenbrook South picked up an impressive last week in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.
Maine East (2-0) at Hoffman Estates (2-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Maine East beat Round Lake 10-7, Hoffman Estates beat Wheeling 42-7
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Maine East is on a roll. The Blue Demons have won their first two games of the season for the first time since 2013. Defense has been the key for Maine East which has allowed just 13 points in their first two games. That defense will have its hands full with a Hoffman team that can get up and down the field. The offense is led by Nate Cleveland , who has thrown for two touchdowns and ran for 4 others and caught a touchdown pass, along with running back Landon Ford, who has rushed for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns.
New Trier (1-1) at Prospect (0-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: New Trier beat Yorkville 24-8, Prospect lost to Palatine 14-9
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Prospect is looking to get things going after opening the season with consecutive losses for the first time since 2017. Noah Easter has run well for the Knights, gaining 206 yards thus far. But the passing game has lagged behind a bit, putting up just 182 yards in the first two games. New Trier picked up their first win of the season. New Trier’s Nikola Dugandzic is considered one of the best high school punters in the country.
Leyden (2-0, 0-0) at Hinsdale South (1-1, 0-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Leyden beat Niles North 14-6, Hinsdale South beat Riverside- Brookfield 34-9
Last year: Hinsdale South 28, Leyden 0
Outlook: Leyden has not opened its season with two consecutive wins since 1998. That year, they went on to win three consecutive games to finish 9-2 on the season. The Eagles have their offense playing well with quarterback Maddox Jasinski and running back Ayden Gonzelez leading a team that has already scored 44 points this year after scoring just 93 all of last season. The Leyden defense will have to be stout this week against a Hinsdale South team that has scored 34 points in each of its first two games.
Maine West (2-0) at Conant (0-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Maine West beat Waukegan 40-14, Conant lost to Rolling Meadows 34-12
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Maine West continues to thrive in regular season play. The Warriors won their 13th consecutive regular season game last week. Maks Makota has run for 134 yards and 4 touchdowns. Quarterback Tely Litas has thrown for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns while Dante Hicks has caught two of those touchdowns. Conant is off to a slow start. Jaylen Davis has run well for the Cougars but their defense has allowed 37.5 points per game.
Niles North (0-2) at Schaumburg (2-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Niles North lost to Leyden 14-6, Schaumburg beat Elk Grove 22-21
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Schaumburg needed some late-game heroics to win its second game in row. It has been 10 years since the Saxons won their first two games. Schaumburg has been getting great play in all phases of the game from Javonte McCoy. The senior is coming off a game where he had a 51-yard touchdown catch, had an interception and 37-yard return and blocked a field goal to set up the game-winning score. Niles North, which was 3-6 last season and scored just 111 points, has scored just six points in each of its first two games.
Niles West (1-1) at Elk Grove (0-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Niles West beat Morton 31-17, Elk Grove lost to Schaumburg 22-21
Last year: Did not play
Outlook: Elk Grove is oh so close to being 2-0. The Grenadiers led in both of their games in the second half, but faltered down the stretch, including their loss to Schaumburg last week in the final 90 seconds. The Grens have been getting good play on defense from Daryl Hunt, Dylan Berkowitz, Jayden Erevia, Carter Bourget, Nick Jimenez and Ethan Otano. Niles West recovered from an opening week loss to Riverside-Brookfield to beat Morton last week.
Vernon Hills (0-2) at Wheeling (0-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Vernon Hills lost to Lakes 31-20, Wheeling lost to Hoffman Estates 42-7
Last year: Did Not Play
Outlook: Wheeling is off to a very slow start. The Wildcats have fallen behind early in both games thus far and have not been able to get out of the hole. Justin Ghbea had a touchdown pass for Wheeling last week. The Wildcats will need to focus on stopping Vernon Hills sophomore quarterback Collin McMurray, who is a dual threat and has thrown and rushed for a combined 318 yards.