Scouting Grayslake North @ Grayslake Central

Grayslake North (3-4, 1-3) at Grayslake Central (2-5, 1-4)

When 7:15 p.m. today

Last week Grayslake North def. Dixon, 21-6; Grayslake Central lost to Prairie Ridge, 28-14.

Skinny It's the annual crosstown rivalry with a bit more at stake. By finishing out the season with two straight wins, Grayslake North could potentially sneak into the playoffs with 5 wins. It would be North's first playoff appearance in the four-year history of the school and just the fourth playoff appearance by a District 127 school. Grayslake Central, which was formerly Grayslake before splitting with North, has three playoff appearances in school history but hasn't earned a berth since 2003. "This is an exciting season for us," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "We have a lot to play for right now. Just the fact that we have a chance for the playoffs is big for us." - North is coming off a win against Dixon in which senior Glenn Mizowek rushed for 97 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns. Mizowek was coming off a bum ankle. "We've had a ton of injuries at running back, mostly ankles," said Wood, who also pointed out that backs Brandon Sackett and Kurtis Boyd have also been slowed by ankle sprains. "It made us tough to execute our offense and score points. But Glenn was healthier last week and we also made some adjustments with our attack. Instead of trying to run sweeps from side to side, which requires a lot of speed that we didn't have with all of our injuries, we decided to run more straight ahead. Even with guys banged up, that worked much better for us." - Like North, which is averaging about 14 points per game, Central is also having trouble scoring points. The Rams are averaging just 9.6 points per game over their last three games, all losses. "We have played some very good teams the last three weeks, that's part of it," Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe said of Woodstock, Crystal Lake Central and Prairie Ridge. "But we also haven't been executing. We've had mistakes like fumbles and penalties that have been very costly. We just need to execute better." - As much as the Rams are looking for answers on offense, they will count on their defense to set the tone. James Sinclair, Nick Mandich, Kevin Hein and Mick Daly have been leading the way there all season.