Scouting Week 8 Lake County football games
Lake Zurich (4-3, 4-1) at Warren (4-3, 3-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Warren 21, Lake Zurich 17
Scouting Lake Zurich: Our Lake County Blue Plate Special of the Week. Here come the Bears. After a 1-3 start, Lake Zurich has won 3 in a row, putting it on the cusp of playoff eligibility. Also notable is the keeping pace with unbeaten Libertyville in the race for the North Suburban title. In our special teams-themed notebook this week, Lake Zurich junior punter Tyler Vuckovic has excelled with a long punt of 65 yards. “Tyler has had a very good season,” Bears coach Ron Planz said. “He has done a good job of pinning other teams inside the 20. He has also come in and handled some kickoff duties and kicked an extra point for us.” Long snapper Bryce Erkman has been versatile in his special teams role. “Bryce has had a nice season as well,” Planz said. “He also has head to jump in and do some short snapping when some injuries occur. The long and short snapping is vital to a solid special teams. It is good to know we have a player like Bryce who can execute under pressure.” George DiCanio leads the defense with 53 tackles, while Christopher Chang has 3 interceptions and Jackson Piggott has 2 picks. Arturo Zarinana has 6 tackles for loss. Planz also tipped his hat to senior outside linebacker Dylan Hartke. “Dylan has been a guy who when he comes into the game on defense, he makes an impact,” he said. “He is a fast and physical player who shines on our special teams unit, but as an outside linebacker, he has an interception. He has a great energy about himself and other players feed off that.” Alex Pirrone has run for 585 yards and 6 TD and has not fumbled in 108 carries. Piggott has 28 catches for 414 yards and 4 TD.
Scouting Warren: With the North Suburban race likely out of the picture, the page turns to playoff qualification where a win here would make the Blue Devils playoff eligible. Aaron Stewart is up to 1,364 rushing yards on 161 carries to go with 19 touchdowns. Jack Wolf has passed for 540 yards and 4 touchdowns. Junior kicker Noah Zeisler has been a special teams weapon for Warren. “Noah has been pretty consistent in our kicking game,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “He has a big leg.” Junior linebacker Jackson Wicklund plays on all the Warren special teams, “and is the most consistent performing on almost every unit,” McNulty added. McNulty is high on the futures of sophomore quarterback Reed Dangel and sophomore wide receiver Demaray Duncan. “Reed has a bright future for us,” McNulty said. “Demaray is a speedster who has a lot of potential if he has a strong offseason.”
Libertyville (7-0, 5-0) at Lake Forest (5-2, 3-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Lake Forest 31, Libertyville 28
Scouting this game: Libertyville, ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 6A in last week’s Associated Press state poll, would clinch no worse than a tie for the North Suburban title with a win here and also would virtually guarantee its Week 10 contest would be played at home. Lake Forest can earn an automatic playoff bid with a win. Comparison shopping: Lake Forest has lost to Lake Zurich (17-14) and Stevenson (35-21), while the Cats beat Lake Zurich 29-14 and Stevenson 43-14. “We are just trying to get better every week in every phase of the game,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. Wildcats quarterback Quinn Schambow is 110 of 148 for 2,126 yards and 35 touchdowns to go against 1 interception. Blaise LaVista has caught 31 passes for 765 yards and 15 scores. Ben Ratner is 27-for-29 on extra points and hit his only field goal attempt. Jack Treutelaar handles the long snapping and PAT/field goal snapping duties. “Jack is very consistent and on target,” Jones said. Linebacker Harrison Clarkson also has come up big for Libertyville. “Harrison plays with great intensity and makes everyone around him pick up their game,” Jones said. “He sets the tone in practice because he is a great competitor.”
Mundelein (3-4, 1-4) at Waukegan (1-6, 0-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Mundelein 37, Waukegan 22
Scouting this game: Mundelein closes the season with games at Waukegan and at home with Lake Forest and must win both to become playoff eligible with 5 wins. Jake Junia (58 tackles, 3 interceptions), Ian Murray (52 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pick) and Maddux Hermestroff (48 tackles, 3 interceptions) lead the Mustangs defense, while Logan Young (569 passing yards, 3 TD; 2 rushing TD), Junia (4 TD), Maddux Hermestroff (3 TD) and Trevor Carman (2 TD) lead the offense. Kicker Kristian Garcia has been perfect on PAT kicks. “Kristian is doing an outstanding job of placing the ball on kickoff as well,” Mundelein coach Johnny Cowhey said. Dominic Seminaro also is a special teams mainstay. “Dominic is our special teams workhorse,” Cowhey said. “He is on punt, kickoff and kickoff return. He does a good job making an impact on all three of those teams.” Baris Brua, Cowhey noted, is giving the Mustangs good reps on offense and defense, playing wideout on offense and is in the second group that rotates in on the defensive line.
Grant (4-3, 3-2) at Antioch (6-1, 5-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Antioch 64, Grant 32
Scouting Grant: The Bulldogs become playoff eligible with a win at Antioch. Sophomore kicker Chris Urbina and sophomore defensive back Tyler Crutchfield have been two key special teams players. “Chris came out late for the team after not making the soccer team,” Grant coach Tim Norwood explained. “We were in need of a kicker and he filled that void. Tyler has embraced his role on special teams and has been one of the most dependable guys.” Grant has enjoyed balance on offense, averaging 218 passing yards and 173 rushing yards per game. The Bulldogs sit at a plus-3 in the turnover department. Logan Myers leads the defense with 84 tackles and 2 picks. Matthew Gipson has thrown for 1,526 yards (64.6 completion percentage) and 18 touchdowns, while Tyler Zidon has a shot to bust 1,000 yards (979 rushing yards, 12 scores, 1 fumble in 117 carries). Max Hembrey has 31 catches for 620 yards and 8 touchdowns. Norwood also has been thrilled with the efforts of junior lineman Logan Jones. “Logan is a kid who was rotating in on the defensive line,” he said. “Last week due to injuries, we moved him to the offensive line. He learned all his assignments in two days and did a great job in our game last week.”
Scouting Antioch: A win here would secure no worse than a share of the Northern Lake County Conference title for Antioch, which brings a 6-game winning streak into this battle. “We’ve become more efficient on offense and staying on the field, while we continue to improve on defense with our tackling,” Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. Junior defensive back Evan Shanks, Glashagel noted, has been a contributor in multiple ways. “Evan has become our special teams kick blocker,” he said. “He is making plays on specials and taking advantage of his plays when he comes in on defense.” Speaking of special teams, junior linebacker Chase Nobling and junior defensive back-running back Jack Bucar are all-stars in that regard, Glasshagel added. “Chase is our long snapper and a menace running down on punts and kickoffs,” he said. In fact, Nobling was named the special teams player of the week for his efforts in Week 7, while Bucar has quite the file with a returned kick for a touchdown, a blocked kick returned for a touchdown and he recovered an onside kick.
North Chicago (3-4, 2-3) at Grayslake North (5-2, 3-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Grayslake North 21, North Chicago 20
Scouting this game: Big stakes here for both teams. North can clinch an automatic 6-win playoff berth, while North Chicago can keep its hopes at earning playoff eligibility alive with a win. Let’s talk Knights defense for a second. In its first 4 games, North was allowing an average of 38 points a contest. Since then, that number has dropped to 9 points a game. “Our defense has continued to improve,” North coach Brian Johnson said. Seniors Ernesto Gonzalez (80 tackles) and Tyler McBride (74 tackles) lead the way on defense. Senior Mitch Hughes has thrown for 1,451 yards and 16 TDs (6 rushing touchdowns as well), while senior Landon Dovel has run for 1,119 yards (8.5 yards per carry) and 9 touchdowns. Senior Cam Bates has caught 36 passes for 723 yards and has 9 receiving touchdowns, 2 rushing touchdowns and 1 TD on a kickoff return. Beckett Dovel has been leading the team in tackles on kickoff and punt return coverages, while Johnson noted Issac Rios has been consistent on special teams, making key tackles as well on both those return units. Johnson said Robbie White has been one of the team’s biggest surprises on defense, rotating in on the interior defensive line. “Robbie has done a very solid job on defense the last few games,” he said. “He also has been rock solid on defensive scout teams. He always gives a good effort to help out his offensive-line teammates.”
Lakes (2-5, 1-4) at Wauconda (5-2, 4-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Wauconda 44, Lakes 7
Scouting this game: Wauconda needs a win here to clinch an automatic playoff berth and keep its hopes alive for tying for the NLCC title (Antioch is 5-0 in NLCC play). For Lakes, coach Jason Ellerman noted Jordan Phelan has done a nice job of handling the team’s placekicking duties, while Tyler McCall has been a weapon for the Eagles on their pooch kicks. Starting middle linebacker and tight end Zach Raffone also moonlights as the team’s long snapper. “Zach’s ability as a long snapper goes unnoticed because it’s always good,” Ellerman said. Chase Davis also has been a key Lakes contributor at corner and wide receiver. “Chase doesn’t always start, but plays a major role as a situational player,” Ellerman explained. “He’s always asking good questions at practice because he sometimes misses install meetings because he’s meeting on the other side of the ball.”
Other Friday Lake County Week 8 Football Games
Stevenson (6-1, 4-1) at Zion-Benton (0-7, 0-5), 7 p.m.
Grayslake Central (3-4, 2-3) at Round Lake (0-7, 0-5), 7 p.m.
Vernon Hills (1-6, 1-2) at Niles North (1-6, 1-2), 7 p.m.
Loyola Academy (5-2) at Carmel (3-4), 7:30 p.m.