Scouting Brooks @ Vernon Hills

Class 5A

No. 11 Brooks (6-3) at No. 6 Vernon Hills (7-2)

When: 1 p.m., Saturday, at Libertyville High School

Last week: Brooks lost to Chicago Curie, 42-0; Vernon Hills lost to Lake Zurich, 42-0.

Playoff experience: Brooks is making just its second playoff appearance in school history. In 2006, the Eagles lost to North Chicago in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs, 54-14. Vernon Hills is making its fifth straight playoff appearance and its eighth in the 10-year history of the school. In 2001, the Cougars made their deepest run into the playoffs, advancing to the Class 5A quarterfinals where they were defeated by Rochelle, 46-16. Last year, Vernon Hills lost to Grant in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs, 32-31.

Skinny: A soggy, muddy field at Vernon Hills is the cause of the venue change to Libertyville High School. But Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken should feel right at home. He used to coach at Libertyville and in Vernon Hills' infancy, while the football field was still being constructed, the Cougars played their home games at Libertyville. "We've got puddles on our field now and with more rain in the forecast for this week, we just felt we needed to make a decision and play somewhere else," Monken said. - Vernon Hills is coming off its worst defeat of the season. But Monken isn't overly concerned, considering his banged up team was low on numbers and playing a North Suburban crossover game against one of the toughest teams on the "big school" side in Lake Zurich. And while the Cougars already knew they had secured a playoff spot, Lake Zurich was fighting to cement its chances by getting a sixth victory. "Once they went up 28-0, we pulled most of our starters. And (star wide receiver/quarterback/defender) DaVaris (Daniels) didn't even play. He was out sick. So we knew that particular game was going to be an uphill battle." Monken says that everyone should be ready to play this week. - The Cougars will look to their big playmakers in Daniels and Evan Spencer but will also need a solid performance out of sophomore quarterback Steve Nelson, who seems to be getting more confident by the day. Running backs Brian Palmer and Eric Oberwise have been other dangerous options in the Cougars' option while the defense is centered around passionate linebacker E.J. Lannan. - Like Vernon Hills, Brooks runs an option-based offense but often out of a shotgun spread. "They like to run multiple formations," Monken said. "And they've got some nice athletes who are very explosive." - One of Brooks' best athletes will be sidelined for this game. Freshman quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, who has thrown for more than 1,000 yard and 15 touchdowns, suffered a shoulder injury last week and will not play. His replacement will be junior Mark Gaines, who normally is a starting wide receiver for the Eagles. "He's our backup quarterback, so we'll be all right," Brooks coach James Brown said of Gaines. "He gets a lot of reps in practice," If Gaines can't get the passing game going, he has two great options at running back in Jonathan Stelly and Russell Freeman. Stelly has rushed for 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns and Freeman is at 700 yards and 12 touchdowns. - Defensively, the Eagles are led by linebacker Kenneth Mason, who is getting serious looks from Stanford, Cal and Boston College. Meanwhile, defensive lineman Reginald Jones is getting strong looks from Harvard. He highlights a Brooks team that is very academically inclined. The team grade point average is 3.6. "We have a team study hall," Brown said. "We work as hard in the classroom as we do on the field."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw