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Palatine vs. Prospect headlines Mid-Suburban slate

Palatine (2-1) at Prospect (1-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Palatine 33, Prospect 20

Outlook: This should be a high-scoring affair, as the matchup features two of the area's top offenses. To stop Palatine, teams must stop quarterback Zach Oles. The junior has been a one-man wrecking crew, throwing for 553 yards while rushing for another 383 yards; he's the No. 2 rusher in the MSL. The No. 1 rusher will be right across the field in Prospect's Bobby Jarosz, who already has 511 yards and is averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. If Palatone focuses too much of its energy on stopping Jarosz, look for quarterback Matt Drew to pick up yards off the option or Andrew Shafis on the counter.

Hersey (1-2) at Conant (3-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Hersey 6, Conant 3 OT

Outlook: Conant continues to be impressive on both sides of the ball. Led by quarterback Kyle Bradley, who threw for 263 yards, the Cougars piled up 41 points last week in their convincing win over Wheeling. Led by Palmer Graham, Conant allowed just 7 yards passing and has allowed an average of 88 yards the past two games. Conant can match its best start since 2010 win a victory. Hersey, which opened the season with a 41-point performance, has struggled a bit offensively in its last two games. The Huskies have scored just a touchdown in each of those contests, averaging 90 yards passing.

Buffalo Grove (1-2) at Fremd (3-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Fremd 49, Buffalo Grove 0

Outlook: Fremd is 3-0 for the first time in 5 seasons. But the Vikings need to find a way to close out games if they hope to stay undefeated. For the second week in a row, the Vikings nearly surrendered a huge halftime lead before hanging on for a victory. Defensive end Matt McCabe, who was credited with 22 tackles against Prospect, will lead the charge for the Vikings. They face the area's top passer in Buffalo Grove's Trey Cervantes and area's top receiver in Jimmy Trieb. Cervantes has thrown for 806 yards and 8 TD's while Trieb has 25 catches for 321 yards.

Schaumburg (2-1) at Elk Grove (0-3)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Schaumburg 30, Elk Grove 6

Outlook: In its first 3 games this season, Schaumburg has already eclipsed its win total for last season. Schaumburg has been able to get great production from its offense, which piled up 392 yards last week. Emmanuel Little has come up big for the Saxons, rushing for 250 yards this season. Elk Grove continues to play well but keeps coming up a bit short against quality competition. The Grens played both Fremd and Barrington tough, averaging 333 yards of offense in those games. Joe Gatziolis has 350 of the Grens' 445 passing yards.

Rolling Meadows (1-2) at Hoffman Estates (2-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Rolling Meadows 28, Hoffman Estates 7

Outlook: After an impressive opening week victory over St. Viator, Rolling Meadows has stumbled the past two weeks. The Mustangs, who have had some key injuries, hope to turn things around and get an offense that has averaged 16 points per game, back into high gear. Hoffman Estates turned things around last week after a disappointing loss to Prospect. The Hawks got their offense flying high again thanks to a 195-yard performance by quarterback Keegan Pierce. Chady Bitre just missed his third consecutive 100 yard game last week by rushing for 99 yards.

Barrington (3-0) at Wheeling (0-3)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Barrington 49, Wheeling 0

Outlook: Barrington looks to get through its final tuneup before MSL West play begins next week. The Broncos have been dominant offensively, averaging 46 points with nearly 450 yards of offense while showing no signs of slowing down. Quarterback Johnny Davidson has been solid again, throwing for 560 yards and rushing for another 320 yards while Nate King has piled up 368 yards on the ground. After a close opening-season loss to Glenbrook North, Wheeling has struggled in its last two games against MSL West foes. The Wildcats have allowed an average of 41 points in their first 3 games this year.

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