Scouting Week 3 Lake County football games
Libertyville (2-0) at Warren (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: One of two blue-plate specials on the Lake County docket this week, along with the Lake Zurich-Stevenson neighborhood battle. A highly touted Libertyville Wildcats team heads to the O'Plaine Campus in Gurnee to take on perennial conference power Warren that appears in front of the home crowd with an uncharacteristic 0-2 mark. Warren lost to Barrington 40-33 and Maine South 28-7, teams with a combined 3-1 record heading into Week 3. Libertyville's wins came at home against Lemont (22-13) and Richards (34-14), teams with a combined 0-4 record heading into Week 3. Regardless of on-paper numbers, this figures to be a great North Suburban battle. "Libertyville has as good of a football team as we have seen from them in a long time," Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. "They are aggressive on defense and run to the ball. They have a big offensive line and fast running backs. Their quarterback is the best we have seen so far, as is their receiving core. To be successful, we have to play our game. We are not a flashy program, but we need to do what is required against this team." Nate Foster lead the Blue Devils with 142 yards on 13 carries against power Maine South. McNulty also likes the progress offensive lineman Max Saucedo is making. "Max has been getting better every week," he said.
Lake Zurich (2-0) at Stevenson (2-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The second of the Lake County blue-plate doubleheader sees these two squads both at 2-0 heading into this annual battle of municipalities that sit 11 miles from each other. "Stevenson is our rival," Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. "The game is always a physical battle between two well-coached teams. I don't think this year will be any different. We need to make sure we do not beat ourselves with penalties and mistakes. The team that takes care of the ball and has few penalties will win this game." Chris Pirrone ran for 132 yards on 25 carries with 1 touchdown in the Bears' Week 2 win over Glenbrook South. Lincoln Adams was tough on defense with 14 tackles (8 solos) and 1 tackle for loss. He has 24 tackles (14 solos) through two games. Equally disruptive in the trenches has been defensive lineman Cason Gwizdala, who has 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss this season. Planz is also high on the offensive line, which has helped the Bears average 5.53 yards per carry on 76 totes (420 yards). Pirrone has been a workhorse thus far, racking up 300 yards on 53 carries (5.66 yards per carry). Stevenson beat Chicago Taft 52-24 last week and has put up 90 points in two games. "Lake Zurich is a rivalry game," Stevenson coach Brent Becker said. "Both teams are 2-0. The game will be won upfront on both sides of the ball." Armand Burris had 6 catches for 198 yards and 4 touchdowns in last week's Stevenson win. Aidan Crawley has completed 15 of 19 passes for 311 yards through two games, while Frank Costabile has run 33 times for 358 yards and 4 touchdowns (10.8 yards per carry). Fatman Thorndyke has run 16 times for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns (11.8 yards per carry). Ethan Aghakhan has 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 quarterback pressures on defense so far.
Zion-Benton (0-2) at Mundelein (2-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: Zion-Benton comes to town after losses to Evanston (21-7) and Antioch (55-27). "Zion has played two very quality opponents," Mundelein coach Vince DeFrancesco said. "Zion plays a physical and aggressive style of defense. On offense, they have several playmakers who can beat you. For us to be successful, we must limit the big plays on defense and special teams. In all three phases, we must played disciplined and execute our schemes." Mundelein won both of its nonconference games against Northern Lake County foes Grant and Grayslake North (by a combined 70-24) count. Against North, Adam Alkhatib carried 15 times for 122 yards and leads the Mustangs with more than 200 rushing yards this season. Danny McNelly ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for another against Grayslake North. "Danny had a great game in Week 2," DeFrancesco said. "He continues to do a great job at quarterback." McNelly has 7 total touchdowns and is completing more than 70% of his passes. Also against North, Trey Thompson had 6 tackles and a pick-six, while Wyatt Soudan had 4 receptions for 71 yards and 1 touchdown. Vinny Rogalski, DeFrancesco noted, has been another spark on defense. "Vinny continues to play great in the defensive backfield and currently leads our defense with 2 interceptions." Offensively, Brandon Hansen has been a star on the offensive line, which has helped Mundelein average more than 5 yards per rush and has only yielded 1 quarterback sack. "Brandon continues to be dominant at left tackle," DeFrancesco said.
Antioch (2-0) at Lakes (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Sequoits open Northern Lake County Conference action on the road in Lake Villa. Antioch scored a combined 97 points in its two nonconference games against Schaumburg and Zion-Benton. "We have to stop Lakes' run game," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. "They have a couple of running backs who are very good." Speaking of very good running backs, Antioch has a pair of those in Martin Cohen, a junior, and Nick Day, a senior. Cohen ran 10 times for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns against Zion and has 19 touches for 523 yards and 9 touchdowns through the first two games. He's averaging 27 yards per touch. "Insane," Glashagel deadpanned. Day has run 31 times for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2 games. Lakes is coming off a 28-21 nonconference loss against Vernon Hills in Week 2. "Antioch is a very well-coached team and they do a lot of things on offense that stresses the defense," Lakes coach Jason Ellerman. "We will need to win the time of possession to be successful and limit their possessions." Eagles running back Rondelle Griffin ran 31 times for 146 yards against Vernon Hills. "This couldn't have happened without the offensive line." A huge positive for Lakes last week: It ran 86 offensive plays compared to the Cougars' 37. Griffin is up to 207 rushing yards. Sophomore Dillan Davis and junior Zach Raffone are leading the team in tackles. "Veteran coach Ray Gialo, who is our linebackers coach, has done an awesome job of preparing those guys all summer." Ellerman has been pleased with the progress of sophomore running back-defensive back Mason Crowley and wide receiver-defensive back and fellow sophomore Mason Gialo. "Mason has been getting more carries at running back and Mason added four more receptions against Vernon Hills and is leading the team in receiving yards," Ellerman noted.
Grant (1-1) at Grayslake North (1-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The consensus by more than a few folks around the county is Grant is a team on the upswing. "Grant is very well-coached and has a lot of experience returning," North coach Brian Johnson said. "On offense, they have run the ball really well and can still catch you off-guard with the pass. Defensively, they have players with high motors and really swarm to the ball well. This will be a classic in-the-trenches type of ballgame." Freshman free safety Beckett Dovel was a standout for the Knights in last week's loss to Mundelein. He had 4 tackles and 7 assists. North quarterback Mitchell Hughes (a junior) has completed 14 passes for 274 yards and 2 touchdowns this season. Junior Cam Bates has been a main beneficiary with 7 catches for 145 yards. Junior linebacker Tyler McBride has 19 tackles in two games, while Dovel has 15 and junior linebacker Landon Dovel has 14 tackles for the Knights. Grant is coming off a 1-score win against Glenbrook North.
Grayslake Central (0-2) at North Chicago (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Rams will look to get their first win under new coach Brent Pearlman, opening NLCC play on the road at North Chicago. "North Chicago has some impressive athletes and you can clearly see they are getting better with every snap in 2023," Pearlman said. "In order to have success we have to one, trust the system, two, trust our teammates and three, return to having fun playing the game that I am sure most of our guys love." Pearlman noted running back Romeo Reyes and Matty Jens are off to strong starts. "Romeo is playing well on offense and Matty is feeling much more comfortable at the MIKE linebacker in a defense he is still adjusting to," he said. Pearlman added the Rams still are "'game adjusting' to a somewhat new system and growing into a team," he said.
Wauconda (1-1) at Round Lake (0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Scouting this game: The Bulldogs split their two nonconference games against Hinsdale South and Kaneland (1-3 combined heading into Week 3). "Round Lake has some athletes at receiver and they also get them involved in the run game," Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. "They are going to take some shots down the field and we have to eliminate their big plays. Offensively, we need to take care of the football and be more consistent overall." Highlights from the Week 2 setback to Kaneland include Zac Johnson registering 10 tackles (1 tackle for loss), John Kleich catching 4 passes for 52 yards and Nathan Pilaski hauling in a 61-yard touchdown catch. Through two games, Jackson Rudolph has 14 tackles, while Connor Vanselow has run for 183 yards and a score. Prostka lauded the offensive efforts of Brock Pfeiffer and Kleich. "Brock led us in receiving in Week 1 with two impressive catches," he pointed out. "John made some catches against Kaneland to keep drives going for us."
Buffalo Grove (1-1) at Vernon Hills (1-1)
When: Friday, 6 p.m.
Scouting this game: Once again, the Cougars will spend the next two weeks playing teams from the Mid-Suburban Conference, starting with a Buffalo Grove team that split with Hoffman Estates (1-point win) and Palatine (25-point loss). "Buffalo Grove is a well-coached football team," Cougars coach Bill Bellecomo said. "They do a lot right. We will have to play our best football game, thus far. We need to clean up our mistakes and we need to play better up front than we have the last two weeks. Pre-snap penalties are hurting our offense right now." Bellecomo likes the play of Shep Ratnow thus far. "Shep is making plays when he gets the opportunity," he said. "We need a few more guys to match him. When we are in position to make a play, we need to make it on a consistent basis. Right now, we are not doing that. We are leaving some points on the field right now."
Other Lake County Games
Chicago DePaul College Prep (1-1) at Carmel (2-0), 7:30 p.m.