Scouting Cook County second round playoff games
Class 8A
No. 10 Fremd (9-1) at No. 7 Naperville Central (9-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Fremd beat Andrew 42-20; Naperville Central beat Schaumburg 48-0
Previous meeting: 2000 playoffs: Naperville Central 36, Fremd 6
Outlook: Fremd hasn’t been this far in the playoffs since 2019, and they have not advanced past this point since 2009. But the 2024 version is playing as well as any Fremd team in history. The Vikings have reinvented themselves, going from a run-first offense to a wide-open game. That’s due to the play of Northwestern-commit Johnny O’Brien. A junior, O’Brien has completed 71% of his passes for 2,978 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 303 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite targets are Brennan Saxe, who has 83 receptions for 1,250 yards and 14 touchdowns and Marquan Brewster, who has 52 receptions for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Vikings haven’t completely eschewed the run with sophomore running back Jayden Faulkner scoring 14 touchdowns. “Our kids, coaches and families have stayed the course and overcome a lot of adversity in the off-season,” Fremd coach Lou Sponsel said. “They continue to have fun playing football every day. I love getting the chance to watch them practice and can’t wait to watch them go out and do what they do on Friday night.”
Naperville Central has advanced to the second round of the state playoffs in two of the last three years. The Redhawks are hoping this is the year when they can break through that barrier. Running back Aidan Clark, who has been battling knee issues that forced him to miss two games earlier this season, has returned and scored 3 touchdowns last week while running for 144 yards. Meanwhile, Sebastian Hayes has been solid at quarterback throwing to Jermaine Kenady, Garrett Nichols and James Vent. Naperville Central’s defense is led by Jake Stanish, who has 10 sacks on the season and Troy Kashaul, who has six. Gavin Ellison has three interceptions while Garrett Nichols and Daniel Nussbaum have two each. “I am proud of the mental and physical toughness displayed by our team in the second half of our football season,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “We have continued to improve and play great football while missing some key pieces to our team. We pride ourselves in controlling the line of scrimmage and we will not deviate from that brand of football.”
Advancement: Winner plays winner of Lyons/Downers Grove South
No. 11 Barrington (8-2) at No. 27 Warren (6-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Barrington beat South Elgin 66-13; Warren beat Palatine 31-24
Previous meeting: 2023 Week 1: Barrington 40, Warren 33
Outlook: These two teams know each other quite well and will get reacquainted after their 6-season contract expired this season. They opened the season against each other beginning in 2017 and played every year except for the COVID season. The teams split their six regular season games and Warren holds a 4-3 edge during that span, picking up an extra win in 2021 when the teams met again in the playoffs. Barrington is averaging 46 points per game behind the play of quarterback Nick Peipert and running back Calvin Jackson. Peipert has completed 72% of his passes for 2,362 yards and 22 touchdowns while Jackson has piled up 1,387 yards and 27 touchdowns. The Broncos have a quartet of receivers in Ian Tepas, who has 42 catches for 711 yards and 7 touchdowns, Austin Coles (40 receptions, 863 yards, 6 touchdowns), Peter Kondraros (29 receptions, 359 yards, 2 touchdowns) and M Kania (25 receptions, 405 yards, 6 touchdowns) that will make them difficult to defend. “I am very proud of how the boys responded last week in our first-round playoff game after a tough loss in week 9,” Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said. “We know Warren very well, having played them every season since 2017. We have a ton of respect for coach (Bryan) McNulty and their program. He and his coaches have done an outstanding job building their program into a top team every year. We know this will be a physical game and in order to be successful we have to maximize our opportunities when presented to us.”
The school of thought is that Warren will try to play keep away from the Broncos. And there may no better running back to do that than Aaron Stewart. The junior has heaped a ton of rushing yards on the Blue Devils opponents and chewed up a lot of clock in the process. Stewart has 279 carries for 1,975 yards and 27 touchdowns. Warren’s defense did come up big last week, picking off four Palatine passes. “I am really proud of our kids,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “They have faced a lot of adversity this season and just keep coming back. They are a resilient group of kids. We know we will have our hands full this week with Barrington. Coach Sanchez does a great job with his program. They will be tough, competitive and disciplined.”
Advancement: Winner plays winner of Oswego/York
No. 4 West Aurora (10-0) at No. 20 Maine South (7-3)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Last week: West Aurora beat Huntley 31-21; Maine South beat Naperville North 49-42
Previous meeting: 2016 playoffs: Maine South 42, West Aurora 40
Outlook: This game has all the marks of a high-scoring shootout. Maine South is averaging 40 points per game this season. The Hawks have been flying high since landing on Jameson Purcell as their starter at quarterback. The sophomore is coming off a game where he threw for 513 yards and six touchdowns. He has thrown 25 TDs for the season, completing 73% of his passes for 2,119 yards. Jack Naughton has 52 receptions for 739 yards, Mason Patras has 40 receptions for 641 yards while Jacob Vitel has 31 catches for 610 yards. Michael Dellumo is a dual threat to defend. The senior running back has 33 catches for 322 yards while he has rushed for 727 yards and 11 touchdowns. “People will say we had a slow start, but we were two plays away from being 3-1, not 1-3, versus some of the best competition in the state,” Maine South coach Dave Inserra said. “We have made a few changes to put the right kids in the right spots. The main objective at 1-3 was not to panic, stick together, trust what Maine South football is all about, and not worry who gets the credit. Our boys have done that.”
West Aurora, which is averaging 51 points per game, won its 10th game to tie a school mark for wins. The 2024 Blackhawks are also the only West Aurora football team to be unbeaten this late in the season. “It’s been a special season,” West Aurora coach Nate Elmer said. “We have tied the school record for wins. We are continuing to get better each week.” West Aurora is led by junior quarterback Mason Atkins, who has completed 73% of his passes for 1,436 yards and 31 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 224 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Blackhawks have weapons and depth at both wide receiver and running back. Reese Powers has 30 catches for 458 yards and 9 touchdowns, Kewon Marshall has 24 receptions for 380 yards and 7 touchdowns while Terrence Smith has 19 catches for 254 yards and 8 touchdowns. West Aurora also boasts a trio of running backs in Azuriah Sylvester, who has 479 yards and 10 touchdowns, Bryce Riley, who has 448 yards and four touchdowns along with Michael Williams, who has run for 444 yards and four touchdowns.
Advancement: Winner plays winner of Marist/Loyola
Class 7A
No. 11 Prospect (8-2) at No. 6 Normal (9-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Prospect beat Hersey 56-14; Normal beat West Chicago 41-16
Previous meeting: First meeting
Outlook: For the fifth playoff season, Prospect has advanced to the second round of the playoffs. And the better news for the Knights is that they are playing their best football right now. The Knights average 42 points per game for the whole season. But if you take out their first two games of the season, which Prospect lost, they average 49 points per game. Quarterback Jack Skoog has led that charge by throwing for 1,765 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. Nate Cichy has 42 catches for 742 yards and 12 touchdowns while Nick Carlucci has 35 catches for 502 yards and five touchdowns. Noah Easter has also been a key component, running for 1,201 yards and 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile the Prospect defense, headlined by JT Zei, Declan Lawlor, Joe Lobue, Parker Ray, Lucas Thomas and Jacob Bednarski, has allowed 17.5 points per game. “I am really proud of the players sticking to the process after starting 0-2,” Prospect coach San DeBoeuf said. “I wouldn't change that start now. We learned so much about ourselves and what we needed to improve on. Team is really coming together and peaking at the right time.”
Prospect will have to contend with a Normal offense that is averaging 46 points per game. Quarterback Kyle Beaty is in his third year as a starter and has thrown for over 1,500 yards. Mar’Quan Gary, who is committed to Illinois state, is a key recipient of Beaty’s passes while Calen Carter has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season.
Advancement: Winner plays winner of St. Charles North/Mt. Carmel
No. 25 Hoffman Estates (7-3) at No. 24 Lincoln-Way Central (7-3)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Hoffman Estates beat Lincoln Park 30-14; Lincoln-Way Central beat Maine West 49-7
Previous meeting: First meeting
Outlook: The drive to the South suburbs will be familiar for Hoffman Estates, who was eliminated by Lincoln-Way West last year. But Hoffman feels that they can turn the tables this year.
“Lincoln-Way Central is a very physical, well-coached program,” Hoffman Estates coach Tim Heyse said. “We will have to match their physicality and play a discipline brand of football. We are excited to go play at a school with such a rich tradition of great football.” Hoffman Estates will be looking to get off to a quick start. Nate Cleveland, who is a dual threat quarterback for the Hawks, will be the key to that. Cleveland has thrown for 857 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 650 yards and 14 touchdowns. Landon Ford has been a solid performer at running back with 613 yards and 6 touchdowns while Jmari Jackson has 378 yards and 6 touchdowns and Quan Fields 347 yards and five touchdowns. Tori Baskin leads the receivers with 572 yards while Liam Patrick, who has played injured all season, has 255 yards.
Lincoln-Way Central is coming off an impressive win over Maine West last week. The Knights average 36 points per game but have scored 100 in their last two games. Running back Luke Tingley is a junior who has spurred that offense. Drew Woodburn has done a solid job at quarterback while 6-foot-5 wide receiver Lucas Andersen could create matchup problems for the Hawks.
Advancement: Winner plays winner of Bradley/Whitney Young