Week 7: Scouting the Northern Lake

Lakes Eagles (4-2, 4-0) at Antioch Sequoits (6-0, 4-0)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Lakes def. Grayslake Central, 59-19; Antioch def. Round Lake, 36-0.

Skinny: These two sister schools (same district) are in a battle for first place in the Northern Lake County Conference. Both are on a roll. Of course, Antioch is undefeated, while Lakes has won four straight games…Antioch has put the clamps down defensively lately with two shutouts over the last three games. The Sequoits have allowed just 14 points over that stretch and 17.3 points per game over the season, second-fewest in the conference…Meanwhile, Lakes is coming off of its biggest scoring outburst of the season last week, with 59 points against Grayslake Central…Antioch was up 22-0 after the first quarter last week against Round Lake on the strength of a running game that spread the wealth between five rushers, all of whom gained at least 50 yards on the game…Running back Cameron Ruiz of Lakes has been banged up all season but had a huge game last week against Grayslake Central. The Northwestern commit rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries.

Grayslake North Knights (5-1, 3-1) at Grant Bulldogs (2-4, 2-2)

When: 1 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Grayslake North def. Wauconda, 21-14; Grant def. North Chicago, 21-14.

Skinny: Grayslake North, which has won three straight games, is trying to get that sixth win that would guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Grant is simply trying to keep winning. If the Bulldogs win out, they would have a chance to qualify for the playoffs on points with five wins…The Bulldogs got a crucial win last week at North Chicago, breaking a two-game losing streak. Grant, which has struggled offensively all season, scored 21 points, second most of the season after the 35 points it scored in a win over Grayslake Central in Week 3. Running back Kenyon Jones had a big game, rushing for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries…The Grant offense, which is averaging just 13.8 points per game (second fewest in the Northern Lake County Conference), will have its work cut out for it in facing a Grayslake North defense that is the stingiest in the league. The Knights are allowing just 14.8 points per game, fewest in the NLCC…Senior running back Griffin Gawenda of Grayslake North had a big game last week against Wauconda, taking the featured back role due to an injury to star Dami Oladunmoye. Gawenda rolled up 207 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

North Chicago Warhawks (2-4, 1-3) at Grayslake Central Rams (1-5, 1-3)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: North Chicago lost to Grant, 21-14; Grayslake Central lost to Lakes, 59-19.

Skinny: Both of these teams could use a win. North Chicago has lost three straight games and Grayslake Central has lost two straight games…North Chicago has shown the ability to put up points, scoring more than 25 points in a game three times this season, and 40-plus points twice. That's bad news for Grayslake Central, which already allows the most points in the Northern Lake County Conference (39.5 ppg)…North Chicago quarterback Dyshawn Gales had a big game last week against Grant. He was a one-man wrecking crew, passing for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 91-yarder to Josiah Bouie. Gales also rushed for 43 yards…Grayslake Central running back Mikey Andrews continues to be the focal point of the offense. Last week against Lakes, he rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Round Lake Panthers (0-6, 0-4) at Wauconda Bulldogs (2-4, 1-3)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Round Lake lost to Antioch, 36-0; Wauconda lost to Grayslake North, 21-14.

Skinny: Round Lake is still looking for its first win, not to mention some offense. The Panthers were shut out for the second time of the season last week and are averaging only 6 points per game. Round Lake managed only 109 yards of total offense last against Antioch last week…Wauconda is fighting to stay playoff-eligible. If the Bulldogs win out, they could qualify for the playoffs on points with five wins. Last week, Wauconda showed off its strong rushing game. The Bulldogs rushed for 207 yards and got more than half of those from running back Jacob Bicknase. Bicknase rolled up 179 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.