Preview: South Elgin at T.F. South

When: today at 7:30 p.m.

Last year: T.F. South 21, South Elgin 7

Last week: South Elgin 42, Elgin 28; T.F. South 14, Rich South 8

Outlook: The Storm got the monkey off their back with their initial victory of the season last week at Elgin. "The win was good medicine," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "Practices Monday and Tuesday were very physical. We saw them all grow up a little bit Friday night. I think they feel good about it, too. They've come out this week and really practiced hard. It's exciting to see. I think we may have taken a little step." Schabert was impressed with the toughness his players practiced with this week, which is how they'll have to play tonight against the undefeated Rebels in Lansing. T.F. South has outscored its opponents 103-45. South Elgin has been outscored 108-55, but the Storm showed signs of improvement last week against Elgin, particularly on offense. South Elgin rolled up 493 total yards and senior quarterback Pat Rae enjoyed his best day yet, completing 16-of-25 passes for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns to Josh Smith of 24 and 25 yards. Smith caught 8 balls for 145 yards and Phil Kawabata made 4 receptions for 49 yards. South Elgin is averaging 304.5 yards per game. The defense, however, is allowing 345.3 yards per game. That defense will be tested again tonight against the Rebels and running back Rob Gafford, who ran the ball 27 times for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week's victory over Rich South. Getting to Lansing on a Friday afternoon will be half the fun for the Storm. The sophomores will leave at 2:30 p.m. and the varsity at 3 p.m. in order to beat traffic on the Tri-State Tollway for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.