Harper, DuPage to battle again
Rivals Harper College and College of DuPage will reprise their rivaly, and this time it's the playoffs.
No. 3 regional seed Harper and No. 2 seed College of DuPage will meet on the football field Saturday in a Region IV semifinal at 1 p.m. in Glen Ellyn.
The winner advances to play the winner of top-seeded Grand Rapids and No. 4 seed Joliet on Nov. 6. Also at stake is a ticket to the Graphic Edge Bowl.
College of DuPage coach Fred Fimbres has a 1-4 lifetime postseason record. His only playoff win came in 2008 over Grand Rapids. The Chaparrals' Bryant Venson (Glenbard West) had 114 total yards in the regular-season meeting, which DuPage won 35-0 on Sept. 4.
“We have to eliminate the big plays,” Waldstein said.
That was a problem in the first meeting, as the Chaparrals outgained the Hawks 378-166.
“They've hit some big plays on people the last few weeks,” said Harper coach Eric Waldstein.
Harper sophomore quarterback Stuart Augustine was 13-for-28 for 123 yards in the Week 1 loss.
Expect both teams to look mostly like they did in Week 1, with the exception of a College of DuPage offensive line that has added some new faces, and a Harper defense that is hoping to have linebacker David Hettiger and defensive back Dennis Stratton ready for action; Stratton was unable to play in the first meeting and Hettiger played only one half.
Waldstein believes his team has improved since the Week 1 meeting.
“We are a better football team than we were eight weeks ago,” he said.
The Hawks want to pass the ball in order to set up an effective running game.
“They (COD) do a pretty good job of stoping the run, especially from the inside,” Waldstein said. “We have to catch them in the blitz and take advantage of what they give us.”
No. 2 seeds have a 9-12 record in the Region IV semifinals and are 1-4 since the current playoff format was adopted in 2005.
COD beat visiting Harper 35-0 in the opener this season. This is 15th time the two long-time rivals have met in the postseason with COD having a 10-4 edge.