Scouting Week 9 Lake County football games
Heading into Week 9, there’s a scenario for a five-way tie for North Suburban title.
If Warren defeats Libertyville, Lake Zurich defeats Stevenson and Lake Forest defeats Mundelein, five teams will tie at 5-2.
Here’s a closer look at the Week 9 matchups.
Warren (5-3, 4-2) at Libertyville (7-1, 5-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Warren 28, Libertyville 8
Scouting Warren: Our co-Lake County Blue Plate Special of the Week. A Blue Devils win here against North Suburban coleader Libertyville would give them an automatic playoff berth with 6 wins. There is a scenario in play where there could be a 5-way tie for the conference title with Warren, Libertyville, Stevenson. Lake Forest and Lake Zurich all finishing with 5-2 league records (Stevenson and Lake Zurich play this week as well, while Lake Forest plays Mundelein). “Our resiliency has impressed me the most,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “Our kids continue to rebound after tough losses.” McNulty has been thrilled with junior offensive lineman Jordan Ellis’ play. “Jordan is really solidifying himself as a Division I kid,” said McNulty of the 6-5, 275-pound Ellis. McNulty also likes the recent “extremely disruptive” play of senior defensive tackle Anthony Soto and junior defensive end Chris Augustus. Quarterback Jack Wolf has thrown for 560 yards and 4 TDs, while running back Aaron Stewart is up to 1,505 rushing yards on 198 carries and 20 touchdowns.
Scouting Libertyville: After a 42-35 loss at Lake Forest in Week 8, the Wildcats must win at home to earn at least a share of the North Suburban title and move to 8-1 on the season. “We keep striving to get better every week,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “This group is not satisfied with where they are at. They want more.” Standout quarterback Quinn Schambow, a Division I baseball commit, has completed 74.7 percent of his passes and has thrown for 40 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions. Blaise LaVista has 42 catches for 995 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Stevan Garvic has 38 catches for 652 yards and 9 scores. Seniors Rhett VanBoening and Andrew Langfeldt have been stars on the offensive line. “Rhett plays on both sides of the ball and has been very consistent in his play,” Jones said. “Andrew is a little undersized, but has played with great intensity and intelligence.” Defensively, outside backer Caleb Baczek and defensive back Tommy Buenik were cited for excellence. “Caleb has a great motor on the field and is very difficult to block,” Jones said. “Tommy is very consistent and is always in the right spot. He’s a student of the game.”
Stevenson (7-1, 5-1) at Lake Zurich (4-4, 4-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Lake Zurich 21, Stevenson 16
Scouting Stevenson: Our other Lake County Blue Plate Special of the Week. Huge stakes for both teams in this one as well. A Stevenson win guarantees it no worse than a share of the North Suburban title. Let’s talk about the Stevenson defense, which is approaching 25 sacks and has 15 takeaways (10 picks and 5 fumble recoveries). With the exception of a Week 3 loss to Libertyville, no opponent has hung more than 3 scores on the playoff- and hosting-a-playoff-game-bound Patriots with 5 foes held to 2 touchdowns or less. Frank Concialdi has 5 interceptions and 5 pass breakups, while Anthony Adams has 5.5 sacks. Griffin Suren has 5 sacks and Luke Nelson has 4.5 sacks. D’angelo Washington leads the way with 66 tackles, while Caden Schultz has 58 tackles and Suren has 53. Aidan Crawley has thrown for 1,624 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Fatman Thorndyke has run for 683 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns. He’s fumbled once in 108 carries. Thomas Simmons has 24 catches for 573 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Scouting Lake Zurich: Lake Zurich becomes playoff eligible with a win. If the Bears would lose, odds of a 4-5 playoff qualification would be, at best, iffy. Right now, Lake Zurich is the 10 th-ranked 4-4 team in the state on the IHSA website based on playoff points pocketed after 8 weeks (41 — 46 is the leader). Six 4-5 teams made the playoffs last year. Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz likes the way junior defensive back Evan Peterson has been playing. “Evan makes plays all over the field,” he said. “He has played multiple positions in the secondary due to injuries. Evan is a great open-field tackler and a positive leader in the program.” Outside linebackers Connor Sole (senior) and Chris Cheng (junior) have also been formidable forces on defense. “Connor and Chris have been solid all year,” Planz said. “They have been great supporting the run and getting into coverage. They have really kept our defense going.” Alex Pirrone has run for 621 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Jackson Piggott has 31 catches for 449 yards (14.5 yards per grab) and 4 touchdowns. Reece Katzenberger is averaging 20 yards per catch and has 2 TD catches. George DiCanio continues to lead the defense with 69 tackles. Arturo Zarinana is up to 7 tackles for loss, while Christopher Chang has 3 interceptions, while Piggott has 2 picks.
Antioch (6-2, 5-1) at Grayslake Central (4-4, 3-3)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Antioch 48, Central 15
Scouting Antioch: Big stakes here for the Sequoits. After last week’s Wild West shootout loss to Grant (56-54), Antioch is in a must-win situation, needing a triumph to earn a share of the Northern Lake County Conference title (Wauconda also is 5-1 heading into Week 9). That was only Antioch’s third conference loss since the NLCC formed. Antioch coach Brian Glashagel likes the way his team is performing offensively. “We are putting up a lot of points and yardage and we have a lot of sophomores and juniors on the offense,” he said. Senior Makay Mountcastle has been a star on the offensive line. “Makay has been our most consistent offensive lineman all year,” Glashagel said. “He makes the grade every week.” Junior defensive lineman Owen Shea and junior linebacker Henry Lubkeman are key contributors on defense. Glashagel noted Lubkeman leads the team in tackles, while Shea is tied for the team lead in tackles and at the top or near the top in every other key tally such as sacks and tackles for loss.
Scouting Grayslake Central: The return pushed through the pay window with a win is even higher for the Rams. A win here makes Central playoff eligible, while a loss means equipment turn in due to no chance of being a 4-5 playoff team due to a low number of playoff points (opponent wins). “Over these past 8 weeks, we have made nothing easy for ourselves,” Central coach Brent Pearlman said. “There are times we are our own worst enemy. Over these past several week, we have evolved and learn some really good things, and acknowledged some not-so-good things. We are growing every week and I hope we can extend that calendar and continue to grow as a team. I am proud of our guys for being open to learning and growing, but I am worried we may just run out of time this year. Regardless, we have enjoyed this year’s team and hope to extend our season this week.” Offensive linemen improvement across the board has been a constant each week, Pearlman noted, while Mike linebacker Riley McNiece is getting after it on the other side of the ball. “Riley has been not only getting better, but taking a meaningful leadership role,” Pearlman said. Eric Brum was cited for outstanding special teams play, while punter Sam Ulrich has been a key weapon all season, Pearlman noted. Isiah Allen has a kickoff return for a touchdown to his credit.
Lakes (2-6, 1-5) at Grant (5-3, 4-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Grant 34, Lakes 13
Scouting this game: Grant, after last week’s thrilling win against conference coleader Antioch, is already playoff eligible with 5 wins and can stamp an automatic playoff berth at home with a win against Lakes. Grant coach Tim Norwood gives his team a B-minus through 8 weeks. “We are getting a little better each week, which hopefully means we are peaking for the playoffs,” he said. “I like that the last 3 weeks, we have taken care of the ball on offense. On defense, we are learning to be more physical and give great effort to get to the ball and swarm tackle. We’re taking steps in the right direction, but need to continue to practice well and improve on a daily basis.” Junior left tackle Bruce Walker has been a key driver on offense. “We have had a lot of injuries and different starting line combinations this season, but Bruce has played in every game and played well,” Norwood said. Junior middle linebacker Logan Myers, a 2-year starter and the team-leader in tackles (102, 3 tackles for loss, 2 picks), and junior free safety Zach Collins were lauded for their play on defense. “Logan has been very consistent all year,” Norwood said. “Zach moved to defense halfway through the season and has improved each week.” Collins led the team in tackles against Antioch and had a pass breakup. Matthew Gipson has thrown for 1,879 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 66.1 percent of his passes, while Tyler Zdon is up to 1,140 rushing yards on only 140 carries (8.1 yards per carry) and 16 TDs. Max Hembrey has 38 catches for 792 yards and 8 scores. Grant is looking for its second playoff berth in a row and third since 2019.
Grayslake North (6-2, 4-2) at Round Lake (0-8, 0-6)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: North 40, Round Lake 8
Outlook: North has already clinched an automatic playoff berth with 6 wins and a victory here at Round Lake would almost assuredly guarantee a home playoff game next week. North is in the playoffs for the second time in 3 years (9-2 in 2022 in 6A) and third time since 2019.
North Chicago (3-5, 2-4) at Wauconda (6-2, 5-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Wauconda 64, North Chicago 0
Outlook: If Wauconda wins Friday, it will enjoy no worse than a share of the Northern Lake County Conference title, it’s second conference title since the NLCC formed in 2016. “Offensively, we are pleased with our efficiency and ability to run the football, although we have had some big plays through the air,” Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. “Defensively, we have been tackling better and creating turnovers and tackles in the backfield more consistently. Early in the season, we were in position to make plays but did not finish. We knew we could, and those plays are happening now.” Up front on the offensive line, Anthony Medrano has been excelling for the Bulldogs. “Anthony is having a nice season,” Prostka said. “An opportunity presented itself for Anthony to start and he has solidified that spot.” On defense, Jake Thorstenson has moved up to third on the team in tackles with 38. He also has 3 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery. “Jake is always around the ball and does a great job creating turnover opportunities,” Prostka said. Khalil Roberson had 2 interceptions against Lakes (Wauconda had 4 takeaways in the game). “Khalil is also a solid tackler on the edge and has great instincts,” the coach remarked. Logan Olsen has 984 passing yards and 14 total touchdowns, while Jackson Rudolph has run for 907 yards and has 19 TDs. Luke Sickmeir has 18 catches for 375 yards and 5 TDs, while Nick Ori has 20 catches for 362 yards and 3 TDs in a balanced Wauconda attack. Brody Rudolph has 53 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and a recovery, while Connor Coty has 53 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a recovery. Rocco Garcia, Prostka noted, has been solid handling kickoffs, field goals and playing on multiple other specials units. “On kickoff, he has the ability to perform a variety of kicks and can place the ball well,” he said. Thorstenson had a huge hit, Prostka noted, on a kickoff during a recent game that created a turnover. He also was cited for elite efforts as the holder on field goals. “It has a huge asset to have someone you trust to handle the ball for our kickers,” Prostka said. Also notable has been Jaxson Miglans, who through 8 games had 32 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and returned a kickoff for a score.
Lake Forest (6-2, 4-2) at Mundelein (4-4, 2-4)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last year: Lake Forest 35, Mundelein 14
Scouting this game: Mundelein needs a win to become playoff eligible, while Lake Forest could possibly wind up in a 5-way tie for the North Suburban title (not a typo) with a victory. “I have been most impressed with our depth,” Mustangs coach Johnny Cowhey said. “Unfortunately, injuries have hit our team hard.” Mundelein has started 8 different offensive linemen, 4 different running backs, 7 different linebackers, 7 different defensive backs and 6 different defensive linemen. “We did not expect to rely on our depth this much, but it has been great to see new guys step up when they are called upon,” Cowhey said. Marco Toledano is one player who stepped up in the wake of injuries on that offensive line. “Marco is doing a great job,” Cowhey said. “He already started on the defensive line and now is going both ways and doing a superb job.” Outside linebacker Frankie Lesniak and corner James Krusinski have been notable on defense. “Frankie is our best communicator and helps put everyone in the right place while setting the edge for our defense,” Cowhey said. “James has been doing a really good job of being physical and getting involved in the run game.” Logan Young has passed for 715 yards and 6 TDs and has 2 rushing TDs. Jake Junia has 4 rushing touchdowns, while Maddux Hermestroff has 3 rushing TDs. Brody Paluch has 5 TDs, while Trevor Carman and Ethan Connelly each have 2 receiving scores. Junia (61 tackles, 3 interceptions), Ian Murray (57 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sack, 1 pick), Hermestroff (48 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions) and Antonio Vaughn (44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles) lead the way on defense.
Other Friday Lake County Football Games
Vernon Hills (1-7, 1-3) at Highland Park (2-6, 2-2), 6:30 p.m.
Carmel (3-5, 0-2) at Fenwick (6-2, 2-0), 7:30 p.m.