Five Week 2 games to watch
Prospect (1-0) at Palatine (1-0)
The Pirates won this MSL crossover last season, 14-9 — and then both teams went on to win their respective East and West divisions. They both have the talent to win MSL titles again this year. Palatine’s Kole Fager is a player to watch, starting his season with 347 all-purpose yards in last week’s 39-22 win over Rolling Meadows. Prospect also got its season off to a good start, knocking off one of the better teams in the NSC, Stevenson, 28-18.
Maine South (0-1) at Warren (1-0)
Speaking of players to watch, they don’t get much more exciting than Warren’s senior running back, Aaron Stewart. The Illini recruit carried the ball 43 times for 438 yards last week to lead Warren back from two touchdowns down to beat Hersey. Maine South moved the ball against Lincoln-Way East last week but four turnovers led to a lopsided loss. The Hawks have won the past two meetings against Warren and hope the saying about the biggest improvement coming between weeks one and two proves true.
Wheaton Warrenville South (1-0) at Lyons (1-0)
One of the Tigers’ all-time greats, Jon Beutjer, has his Lyons squad flying high ranked No. 7 in the state in Class 8A. WW South, coming off a 57-0 win over Glenbard South, will try to play spoiler. Owen Yorke needed just 10 carries to run for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week while also returning a punt for a score.
Hersey (0-1) at Barrington (1-0)
If you like points, this should be the place to be. Hersey, ranked No. 8 in 7A, scored 36 of them last week in a loss to Warren behind junior quarterback Jake Nawrot (348 passing yards) and Ohio University-bound running back Brandon Jenkins. Barrington put 48 points on the board against South Elgin. Senior quarterback Luke Tepas threw for 279 yards, and Cameron Massillo and Lamar Osterhues combined to score five touchdowns with 210 yards.
Benet (1-0) at Glenbard North (1-0)
A new nonconference matchup for these two DuPage County foes who gave up a combined 11 points in their season-opening wins. Donato Gatses and younger brother Angelo both scored two touchdowns last week for the Panthers vs. Bartlett; they’ll be tested by Benet’s defense that allowed only 29 rushing yards while knocking off Hillcrest. Getting to 2-0 takes on added importance for both teams with their respective CCL/ESCC and DuKane Conference schedules awaiting.