Scouting Week 7 Lake County football games
Wauconda (5-1, 4-0) at Antioch (5-1, 4-0)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Antioch 33, Wauconda 12
Scouting this game: An easy Lake County Blue Plate Special of the Week—a week where most of the county teams are playing on Thursday because of Yom Kippur. The winner of this game clinches no worse than a tie for the Northern Lake County Conference title, given both teams have a 2-game lead in the standings heading into Week 7 here. The stakes also are high given the winner will punch an automatic playoff ticket with 6 wins. “Antioch has good team speed and the ability to put up a bunch of points,” Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. “Martin Cohen (Antioch running back and NLCC offensive player of the year in 2023) has the ability to break a big play at any time. They have developed a formula for winning that works for them.” For Wauconda, Logan Olsen (736 passing yards, 7 TD), Jackson Rudolph (648 rushing yards, 16 TD), Jacob Hawley (440 rushing yards), Luke Sickmeir (328 receiving yards, 5 TD) and Nick Ori (236 receiving yards 1 TD) lead the offense, while Brody Rudolph (45 tackles) and Connor Coty (42 tackles) lead the defense. Prostka also likes how Eric Alvarado and Kaden Pemberton have been playing. “Eric is seeing playing time on our offensive line, defensive line and at linebacker,” Prostka said. “Kaden has seen time at running back, linebacker and defensive line. It is great that we have the type of athletes that are able to contribute in a multitude of ways. We appreciate their willingness to adjust and to help the team.” Antioch has won 5 in a row after a close 12-7 loss to 5-1 Schaumburg to open the season. The Sequoits, if you count the COVID 2020-2021 year, have won eight of the nine Northern Lake County titles (Wauconda won it in 2021) and have lost 2 conference games since the NLCC started in 2016.
Warren (4-2, 3-1) at Stevenson (5-1, 3-1)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Warren 41, Stevenson 16
Scouting Warren: Another key game in the county today. Warren becomes playoff eligible with a win and keeps pace with runaway-train Libertyville (6-0) in the North Suburban race (Warren-Libertyville is Week 9). “We took a step back last week (at Mundelein) in regards to execution and intensity and that needs to be fixed immediately,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “As a team, we need to continue to respect the competitive spirit of football. We still feel like our best days are ahead of us.” Junior running back Aaron Stewart has rushed for 1,251 yards on 144 carries and has 18 touchdowns. McNulty also lauded the work of senior linebacker Julian Vieux and senior linebacker-running back Justice Humphereys. “Julian has been a consistent performer at linebacker for us,” McNulty said. “He has developed into a 3-down linebacker. Justice continues to be the heart and soul of the team. He contributes in all three phases.”
Scouting Stevenson: The stakes are equally high for the Patriots. A win gives them an automatic playoff berth (6 wins) and also helps keep pace with Libertyville in the NSC race. On defense, Stevenson coach Brent Becker labeled last week’s win against Lake Forest a team defensive effort. “The defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and shut down the run,” he said. Zach Hersh had a strong game in the defensive backfield. “He played great coverage in the second half along with the rest of the secondary to hold Lake Forest to no scores.” Abai Atabekov had an interception against Lake Forest that stopped a drive in the red zone along with 7 tackles. “The interception changed the game,” Becker noted. Anthony Adams has 9 tackles and 2 sacks, while Griffin Suren had a sack and a tackle for loss and Luke Nelson had a sack. Zach Becker was praised for a great pass rush and also had a big tackle for loss, Brent Becker noted. Stevenson racked up 481 yards of total offense against a 4-2 Lake Forest team (278 passing, 208 rushing). Aidan Crawley was 14-for-18 for 273 yards and 2 TDs (1,152 yards and 12 TD on the season), and also scored a rushing touchdown. Fatman Thorndyke ran 21 times for 157 yards and 2 scores (511 rushing yards and 8 TD on the season), while Thomas Simmons caught 6 passes for 149 yards and a score (414 receiving yards and 6 TD on the season) and Hersh had 4 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Grayslake Central (3-3, 2-2) at Grant (3-3, 2-2)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Grant 24, Grayslake Central 7
Scouting Grayslake Central: Another game with big implications. The winner increases its playoff-qualification chances substantially, while the loser will be pushed into a must-win-out scenario to become playoff eligible. A couple names to keep an eye on for the Rams: Eric Brum (corner and wide receiver) and Nick Norberg (quarterback and safety). “Eric continues to be a team leader on both sides of the ball, in addition to special teams,” Central coach Brent Pearlman said. “Nick initially started at safety and has done an outstanding job taking over at quarterback. His courage, grit and leadership have been constant and extremely positive for the team.” Offensive line play also continues to move forward, Pearlman noted. “The offensive line has been climbing all season and continues to get better each week,” he said. Pearlman said special teams has played well, while the Rams continue to maintain a good turnover ratio. “I have been saying this for a few weeks, but I think we are close to becoming a good team,” he said. “We need to pay attention to the details. We are doing some things well, but the details will make the difference if we can turn the corner.”
Scouting Grant: The Bulldogs broke a 2-game losing streak with a win last week against Round Lake. Coach Tim Norwood said junior offensive tackle has been the team’s most consistent offensive lineman, while sophomore linebacker Wyatt Cornell “has really worked hard and shown a lot of improvement from Week 1,” he said. Junior tailback Tyler Zdon has scored 12 touchdowns in 6 games (9 rushing, 3 receiving), while Matthew Gipson has thrown for 1,333 yards and 14 TDs (has been sacked 1 time in 124 attempts). Gipson has 4 receivers with 190 or more yards, led by Max Hembrey (27 catches, 555 yards, 6 TD) and Cameron Houghton (11 catches, 219 yards, 3 TD). Logan Myers leads the defense (78 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 defensive TD), Kolton Selders (46 tackles, 3 tackles for loss) and Erik Rodriguez (1 interception). “We are starting to run to the ball on defense and improve our overall team defense,” Norwood said. “On offense, we are getting better with our turnovers, but still room for improvement.”
Grayslake North (4-2, 2-2) at Lakes (2-4, 1-3)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Grayslake North 20, Lakes 7
Scouting Grayslake North: The Knights can become playoff eligible with a win in Lake Villa. Offensive line play has been key for North throughout the season. “I’m ecstatic with the camaraderie of our offensive linemen and how they have started to play together and be accountable to one another,” North coach Brian Johnson said. “I especially like how Alan Gielczynski and Matt Myszka have grown in their technique the last few weeks.” Johnson added strides also have been made defensively. “Missed tackles are down and we have increased our efficiency in the number of players around the ball at the end of the play,” he explained. Senior Mitch Hughes has passed for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns and also has run for 5 TDs. Senior Landon Dovel has 951 rushing yards on 119 carries to go with 8 TDs and no fumbles. Senior Cam Bates has 581 receiving yards and 6 TDS, to go with 2 rushing TDs and no fumbles. Seniors Ernesto Gonzalez (76 tackles) and Tyler McBride (65 tackles) power the defense. “Each week we have excelled in two phases of the game,” Johnson said. “However, we need to be good in all three phases down the stretch if we want to qualify for the playoffs. We need to improve our ability to block and tackle on special teams on a more consistent basis.”
Scouting Lakes: The Eagles magic number is simple. They must win their final 3 games to become playoff eligible. Step 1 is this week at home against North. “Despite some tough losses (1 by 4 points and 1 by 3 points), our guys’ effort and attitude has been great,” Lakes coach Jason Ellerman said. “We had a JV game on Monday and a lot of the starters had to run scout teams for the other side of the ball. It was a hard, but an efficient practice. Now that we are in playoff mode, our guys have embraced that challenge and are not focused on stats. We are taking a ‘Fox Hole’ mentality. Who’s in your ‘Fox Hole?’”
Mundelein (3-3, 1-3) at Lake Zurich (3-3, 3-1)
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Lake Zurich 30, Mundelein 14
Scouting Mundelein: A big game for the Mustangs in terms of playoff-eligibility implications. Mundelein, like Lake Zurich, needs 2 wins in the last 3 weeks to become playoff eligible and to win out to earn an automatic playoff berth. Individually, Drew Berek has stepped in a big way on the offensive and defensive lines, coach Johnny Cowhey noted. Baris Brua is getting his first action of the season at wide receiver and is rotating in on the defensive line, while Maddux Hermestroff and Jake Junia are seeing more action on both sides of the ball, Cowhey noted. “Our offense finally finished some much-needed drives last week,” he pointed out. “We had 3 different rushes of more than 40 yards. In the next few weeks, I want to see our team put together our first complete performance where we are mistake free and play well on both sides.” Logan Young has 3 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns, while Junia and Hermestroff each have 3 touchdowns. Trevor Arman and Ethan Connelly are key targets for Young. Junia has 3 interceptions and 2 pass breakups, while Ian Murray has 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a pick. Hermestroff has 2 tackles for loss and an interception, while Antonio Vaughn has 1 tackle for loss and 4 forced fumbles and Connor Tector has 2 pass breakups.
Scouting Lake Zurich: Juniors Danny Hope (running back and linebacker) and Gavin Shondy (tight end-linebacker) have both returned from injury. “Danny and Gavin will help us down the stretch,” Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. “Both have seen some action the last 2 weeks and have given us some good depth and a great energy boost when in the game.” Junior quarterback Reid Pefifer threw for 103 yards (5-for-6) and a score against Zion last week. “Reid was very efficient in his second start,” Planz said. Planz noted plenty of progress has been seen recently. “We have to continue to play the type of football we are capable of playing,” he said. “These last two weeks have been very positive from that standpoint. I am looking for us to continue to clean up some of our mental errors so we can maintain our current success as we work hard to qualify for the playoffs.” Alex Pirrone has run for 495 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns, while Jackson Piggott has 24 catches for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns. Christopher Chang and Piggott each have 2 interceptions.
Zion-Benton (0-6, 0-4) at Libertyville (6-0, 4-0)
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Libertyville 28, Zion 0
Scouting this game: Libertyville continues to march toward earning a home playoff game. “Our approach to the games mentally has been good,” Wildcats coach Mike Jones said. “Going forward, we must minimize penalties and mental mistakes.” Jones likes how Rhett VanBoening and Harrison Clarkson conduct themselves. “Rhett is providing leadership on the offensive and defensive lines,” Jones said. “Harrison is recognized by his teammates for pushing them to be better in practice.” Libertyville quarterback Quinn Schambow is having a season to remember. He’s up to 1,894 passing yards (completing 76.5 percent of his throws) and 30 touchdowns. His two main beneficiaries are Stevan Gavric (28 catches, 492 yards) and Brock Williams (23 catches, 385 yards), along with Sam Seth (17 catches, 287 yards). Caleb Baczek has 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks, while Tommy Buenik has 2 interceptions.
Other Lake County Games
Vernon Hills at Maine West, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Round Lake at North Chicago, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Carmel at Chicago DePaul College Prep, Friday, 7 p.m.