Scouting St. Charles North at McHenry

St. Charles North (0-1) at McHenry (0-1)

Game time: 7:15 p.m. today

Last year: St. Charles North 34, McHenry 14.

Last week: South Elgin 52, St. Charles North 12; Larkin 35, McHenry 21.

Outlook: St. Charles North should be on more equal footing after facing the Upstate Eight Conference Valley division favorite. "South Elgin was big and physical and we didn't match up well with that at all," said North Stars coach Mark Gould. "And throw more experience on top of that..." And you get something like South Elgin's 38-7 halftime lead. Offensively St. Charles North did some things - Dirk Schmitt ran hard for 130 yards and quarterback Matt Schiltz, taking his first varsity snaps since Week 3 last year, threw for 148 yards with touchdowns to Schmitt and Andrew Elliott, who caught 3 passes for 115 yards. Other times, drops erased big plays and first downs. The defense, which featured a good outing by strong safety Pat McGushin, will be bolstered by inside linebacker Jimmy Huske, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior who has played rugby the last two years. On the other hand, St. Charles North may miss defensive lineman Shawn Meaney, who Gould said has concussion symptoms. Gould sees McHenry as a group of quick, skilled athletes more prone to passing than pounding the ball like South Elgin. McHenry junior quarterback Robert Tonyan completed 25 of 37 passes for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns, but McHenry trailed 27-0 at halftime. Jimmy Preston was Tonyan's top target with 7 catches for 82 yards. The bottom line with inexperienced St. Charles North is keeping it simple, upbeat. "It's all about not getting down, and improving," Gould said. "Every day improving as an individual and as a team, and keeping a good attitude."

Next week: Neuqua Valley (0-1) at St. Charles North, Sept. 10; Grayslake North (1-0) at McHenry, Sept. 10.