Scouting Cary-Grove at CL Central

Cary-Grove (14-0) at Crystal Lake Central (8-3)

When: today at 7:15 p.m. at Owen Metcalf Field

Last year: Cary-Grove 40, Crystal Lake Central

Outlook: This game will answer question marks on both sides. Cary-Grove, which enters the season ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, has new starters at 19-of-22 positions after most of the impact players from the Class 6A state champion team graduated. The coaching staff knows little about how this team will perform under game conditions. They know even less about their opponents, now coached by nine-year CL Central assistant Matt Fralick. "We know nothing about them. They're one of the best-kept secrets in the conference," Cary-Grove coach Bruce Kay said. "No one has seen them or heard anything about them. We know they have a couple of running backs coming back and their quarterback. They had nine seniors on defense when we played them last year. But it's a new guy running the offense, a new guy running the defense. We know they'll be in orange and black, but that's about all we know." The Tigers return junior running back Gage Harrah, who last year rushed for over 1,400 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. The Trojans will be young in the backfield with junior Corey Laktas at quarterback and two sophomore ball carriers behind him.