Scouting DuPage County college football
Top teams: North Central, Wheaton.
Top players: Benedictine: John Alessi, rb, so; John Borsellino, rb, so.; Pat Hanlon, c, sr.; Matt Brown, qb, jr.; Preston Earl, qb, sr.; Bryan Wiesemann, te, jr.; Mike Trombetta, wr, sr.; Kevin Novacich, ol, jr.; Mike Hatfield, s, sr.; Tim Shanahan, ss, sr.; Matt McWilliams, cb, jr.; Danny Kleppin, de, sr.; J/.T. Zimmerman, lb, sr.; College of. DuPage: James Kurtz, wr, so.; Bryant Venson, rb, kr, so.; Joe Wilson ot, so.; Terran Buck, lb, so.; Brian Rogers, lb, so.; DeShon Conley, s, so.; Gary Combs, de, so. Elmhurst: Randy Wright, lb, sr.; Brandon Jones, lb, sr.; Joe Furco, qb, so,; Scottie Williams, rb, so.; Rodney Payton, wr, so.; Ryan Bock, te, so; Erik Personius, ol, sr.; Charlie Homoky, ol, so,; Peter Stamos, ol, jr.; Jon Janus, ss, sr.; Kyle DeMus, s, sr. ; Dane Paul, cb, sr.; Jamall Lane, cb, so.; sr. North Central: Steve Hlavac, wr, sr.; Joe Antonacci, wr, jr.; Kyle Fiedorowicz, te, jr.; Jeremy Shaub, ol, sr.; Nick Capristo, og, jr.; Kyle Antos, og, sr.; Willie Hayes, de, jr.; Joe Schneiderbauer, lb, sr.; Matt Wenger, lb, sr.; Derek Sulo, ss, sr.; Josh McLeod, fs, jr.; Scott Hogan, cb. sr.; Spencer Stanek, qb, so.; Nick Hicks, wr/rb/ sr. Wheaton: Jordan Langs, s, jr.; Brian McMullen, s, jr.; Tyler Langs, cb, sr.; Jordan Chapman, lb, jr.; Austin Driggers, lb, jr. Charley Mitchell, dt, sr.; Ryan Dougan, de, sr.; Rocky Gingg, tb, jr.; Freddy Ellis, wr, jr.; Justin Zeller, wr, jr.; Nick Biggee, c, sr.; Tommy Burggraf, ot, sr.
Outlook: North Central is coming off its fourth straight CCIW title, and the Cardinals are ranked in the top 20 in every Division III poll. As last week's season opener against Cornell showed, coach John Thorne's group is poised to go to the postseaon again. With seven starters returning on offense and nine on defense, the talent, the speed and experience are there to make this season special. All-America Wenger's return from season-ending knee surgery is a key, while the performances of Stanek, Nicks and Sulo in last week's win over Cornell were signs the Cardinals' attack will pick up where last year's offense left off. Hlavec, coming off a record-breaking year, is another big weapon. Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton will, once again, be there to challenge for the title.
Thorne needs just eight victories to become North Central's all-time leader in coaching wins.
The Thunder struggled a little last year after starting at 6-0 and finished 7-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play. This year's defense is quick and now has a year of running the 3-4 under its belt. The secondary is particularly fast, and there's plenty of depth. Gingg at running back and an outstanding group of returning receivers make the offense promising. There's hot competition for the quarterback job among three talented sophs, while Biggee and Burggraf anchor a line that is solid if not very deep.
"At Wheaton the goal will always be set at winning a conference title," said coach Mike Swider, who has led the Thunder to five Division III postseason appearances.
Elmhurst has the best player in the conference in All-America linebacker Wright, who's getting some attention from the NFL. While last year was a little disappointing (4-6) overall, the Bluejays are a year older and coach Tim Lester believes they're wiser and better and ready to challenge the teams at the top of the standings. "Athletically, we were able to compete with almost every team in our league," Lester said. "But we came up short in the closing minutes on more than one occasion."
That athleticism combined with experience was on display in last week's opening game win over Loras, and it means nobody should take the Bluejays lightly this year.
Benedictine, which tied for second in the Northern Athletic Conference race, expects to be in the thick of things again despite heavy graduation losses. The passing attack is better this year with either Brown or Earl running the show, while Alessi and Borsellino give the Eagles a solid pair of runners who will get better as the new offensive line gels. The secondary led by Hatfield and Shanahan is the strength of the stop troops. "Our defense will be strong, with some unknowns in the defensive line going in," coach Jon Cooper said. "But our guys looked good last week in the 42-7 win over Eureka." Cooper believes any one of six teams is capable of winning conference this year.
The reviews have been mixed for COD. The Chaps, second in conference last year, are 1-1 so far. All-conference wideout Kurtz and the versatile Venson are talented and experienced, and offensive tackle Wilson is being recruited by four-year colleges. The front seven on defense is both physical and athletic. There are a number of good freshmen on both sides of the ball who are learning on the run. "We're younger than we've been in the past," said fifth-year coach Fred Fimbres. "We'll stub our toe a little bit early, but by the middle of the season we'll be able to match up against anybody.
Key games: Oct. 2: Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton, Concordia (Ill.) at Benedictine; Oct. 9 Wheaton at Elmhurst, Benedictine at Aurora; Oct. 16: Elmhurst at Illinois Wesleyan Oct. 23 Illinois Wesleyan at North Central, Joliet at College of DuPage; Oct. 30 Benedictine at Lakeland; North Central at Elmhurst.
-