Scouting Week 4 Cook County football games

York (2-1) at Leyden (1-2)

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Last week: York 49, Proviso West 14; Willowbrook 40, Leyden 6

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Leyden struggled mightily in its West Suburban Gold opener. The Lions managed just 145 yards of offense with top running back Lucas Lattiker slowed. Now the Eagles face York, which finished last season as the Class 8A runner-up. The Dukes have on their last two games after and opening season loss to Glenbrook South.

Fremd (3-0) at New Trier (2-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Fremd 34, Evanston 6; Hoffman Estates 28, New Trier 21

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Fremd continues to dominate on both sides of the ball. The Vikings have piled up 124 points this season, led by Johnny O’Brien, who has thrown for 791 yards and 9 touchdowns. Marquan Brewster has developed into O’Brien’s favorite target while junior Carter MacDonald has been coming on strong. Jayden Faulkner and Jason Hardy have also been running the ball well for the Vikings. New Trier opened the season 2-0. But the Trevians blew a two-touchdown lead to a streaking Hoffman Estates team last week.

Maine West (1-2) at Prospect (2-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Hersey 48, Maine West 0; Prospect 60, Niles West 7

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Maine West has lost two in a row to Wauconda and Hersey. Maine West will be looking to shore up its defense after allowing 83 points in those two games. Prospect bounced back in a big way after its overtime loss to Palatine the prior week. The Knights had their offense in high gear with Matthew Donnelly rushing for 110 yards while Jackson Cacini threw for 282 yards. Nate Cichy, Devin Gerdes, Jacob Sutton, and Gordy Kemp each had over 50 receiving yards.

Niles North (0-3) at Wheeling (1-2)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Rolling Meadows 55, Niles North 0; Wheeling 46, Maine East 0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Wheeling picked up its first win on the season last week. The Wildcats clocked Maine East behind their best offensive performance since Week 3 of 2022. Christian Campos looks comfortable at directing the offense at quarterback, throwing for a touchdown and running for two others. He will face a Niles North defense that has allowed 139 points in three games.

Niles West (0-3) at Hersey (1-2)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last week: Prospect 60, Niles West 7; Hersey 48, Maine West 0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Hersey’s defense, which gave up 78 points in the Huskies first two games, is back in a big way. The Huskies stymied Maine West last week and look to put the clamps on a Niles West team that managed a late touchdown last week. Meanwhile the Huskies offense is operating near peak performance. Jake Nawrot has thrown for 829 yards with 9 touchdowns and no interceptions. Ohio-bound running back Brandon Jenkins is also a huge threat when he touches the ball.

Benet (2-1, 0-0) vs. St. Viator (1-2, 0-0) at Forest View

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Benet 52, De La Salle 0; Marmion 29, St. Viator 0

Last year: Benet 23, St. Viator 16

Outlook: Viator dropped its second in a row last week as the Lions are trying to overcome some offensive issues. They have scored seven points in the last two weeks while opening the season with 22 points and a victory. Aleks Paskiewicz, who plays linebacker and has been a key factor in the Lions defense, picked up his second college offer recently. Benet’s offense exploded last week, scoring 52 points against De La Salle after the Redwings scored a combined 33 points in their first two games.

Deerfield (0-3) at Elk Grove (0-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Buffalo Grove 27, Deerfield 24; Glenbrook North 31, Elk Grove 13

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Both teams need a win in the worst way in the hopes of turning their season around. Elk Grove piled up 444 yards of total offense last week but came away short. Luke Maher has thrown the ball well for the Grenadiers and is coming off a 292-yard performance. The Grens also rushed for 152 yards, with Jordan Bruford accounting for 114 of that. Deerfield allowed Buffalo Grove to rush for 272 yards against them last week.

Glenbrook North (2-1) at Buffalo Grove (1-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Glenbrook North 31, Elk Grove 13; Buffalo Grove 27, Deerfield 24

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Matthew Kaput had the Bison rambling last week. Kaput set a school record with 37 carries that accounted for 278 yards and four touchdowns as Buffalo Grove picked up its first win. The Bison defense has also improved from its slow start to the season. Glenbrook North has already matched its win total from last year with the Spartans averaging 24 points per game.

Highland Park (2-1) at Conant (1-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Schaumburg 26, Highland Park 24; Conant 21, Vernon Hills 0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Conant ended its 15-game victory drought last week. Now the Cougars hope to continue their strong rushing attack to get their second win in a row. Conant amassed 324 rushing yards last week behind Nick Kutella, who had 199 yards and two touchdowns, and Jake Spizzirri, who picked up 74. Highland Park is the highest scoring team in the CSL North with Giants scoring 73 points in their three games.

Hoffman Estates (3-0) at Evanston (1-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Hoffman Estates 28, New Trier 21; Fremd 34, Evanston 6

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: The Hawks offense is flying high. Hoffman is averaging an eye-popping 49 points per game. The Hawks were ground scratchers the first two weeks of the season. Last week, they went back to flying high as quarterback Austin Lesniak threw for 215 yards and 3 fourth quarter touchdowns as Hoffman remained unbeaten. Torey Baskin is becoming one of the area’s top receivers and is coming off an 8-reception, 123-yard game. Evanston has trouble slowing down Fremd’s offense last week as the Wildkits look to regroup in their secondary.

Maine East (0-3) at Rolling Meadows (2-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Wheeling 46, Maine East 0; Rolling Meadows 55, Niles North 0

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Rolling Meadows has been clicking on both sides of the ball for the last two weeks — the Mustangs scored 99 points and allowed just 8. Joe Brigham continues his development at quarterback and threw a trio of touchdown passes last week while Shea Wells, Jack Andersen, Arman Lepuzanovic and tight end Sean Kerr have been major targets. That trend should continue again for the Mustangs this week when Meadows takes on a Maine East team that has seen major struggles this year. The Demons have allowed 128 points thus far. After scoring 22 points in their opener, they have been shut out in their last two games.

Maine South (2-1) at Barrington (3-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Maine South 52, Palatine 6; Barrington 51, Glenbrook South 31

Last year: Barrington 42, Maine South 35

Outlook: This should really be a fun one with a pair of teams that can light up the board and a pair of quarterbacks that are excelling. After stumbling in their first game, Maine South found its footing. The Hawks have scored 92 points in their last two games with Jameson Purcell throwing for nearly 500 yards in his last two games with five touchdown passes. Niko Kokosioulis has also run the ball well and is coming off a 130-yard effort. Barrington is almost scoring at will with the Broncos piling up 134 points thus far. Luke Tepas has thrown for 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. Austin Coles has nearly half that yardage with 374 receiving yards on 15 catches and 4 touchdowns. The Broncos can run as well with a one-two punch of Lamar Osterhues with 47 carries for 336 yards and six touchdowns and Cameron Massillo gaining 177 yards on 27 carries and four touchdowns.

Glenbrook South (2-1) at Palatine (2-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Barrington 51, Glenbrook South 31; Maine South 52, Palatine 6

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: The Pirates have been taking on water and are looking to right their ship. They did get some good news this week that the injury to Kole Fager was not as serious as first thought and he should be a game-time decision. Meanwhile, Palatine will be leaning hard on their defensive front led by Tony Balanganayi to get the defense loaded to attack. Glenbrook South has been one of the surprise teams this season. They beat Class 8A runner-up York in the season opener and stood tall with Barrington last week.

Vernon Hills (1-2) at Schaumburg (2-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Conant 21, Vernon Hills 0; Schaumburg 26, Highland Park 24

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Schaumburg has its offense operating at a very high level with the Saxons averaging 32 points per game. Schaumburg unveiled another tool for their offensive box last week. The Saxons unleashed the running of quarterback Ray Black and the senior delivered with a career-high 216 yards and three touchdowns. Black, along with Xavier Tudella, will look to bring that type of attack against Vernon Hills. The Cougars, who now have lost two in a row, gave up 324 rushing yards to Conant last week.