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Week 5 Lake County previews

NONCONFERENCE

Carmel (3-1) at Plymouth (Minn.) Wayzata (3-0)

When: 6 p.m. today

Where: University of Dubuque

Last week: Carmel def. Marian, 44-20; Wayzata def. Anoka, 44-21.

Skinny: With a floating bye week built into their schedules, coaches in the East Suburban Catholic Conference have often had to scramble to find nonconference opponents that will play their teams outside of the traditional first two weeks of the season, which are normally set aside for nonconference games. Usually, those searches lead out of state. Last year, Carmel traveled to Cincinnati to play a Week 9 nonconference game. Now, the Corsairs will be playing a team from Minnesota in Week 5. Today’s game will be held at the University of Dubuque, a site that was agreed upon by both teams because it’s close to being a halfway point between each campus.

The Corsairs won’t have time to ease in after a long trip. Wayzata, which is located in Plymouth, a suburb just outside of the Twin Cities, is a powerhouse and boasts a proud football tradition. The Trojans are currently undefeated, ranked second in the state of Minnesota and haven’t been on the losing side in quite some time. Last year, Wayzata won a state championship with a perfect 11-0 record. The Trojans have won three state titles since 2005. “This is team used to winning and used to playing in big games,” Carmel coach Andy Bitto said of Wayzata. “This will be a huge test for us.” … Offensively, Wayzata is balanced with running backs Antonio Ford and Eric Roti leading the rush, while quarterback Nick Martin loves to hook up with wide receiver Ethan Zeidler. “Defensively, those guys fly to the ball,” Bitto said of Wayzata. “They’re not very big, but they are fast. It’s probably the fastest defense we’ll play.” … The Trojans will try to stop a Carmel option attack that hasn’t met with much resistance. Last week against Marian, backs Michael Panico (150 yards) and Jordan Kos (132 yards) led the way on the ground. Overall, the Corsairs rolled up 324 total rushing yards.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw

FOX VALLEY FOX

Grayslake Central (4-0, 2-0) at Johnsburg (0-2, 0-4)

When: 7:15 p.m. today

Last week: Grayslake Central def. Woodstock, 35-0; Johnsburg lost to Grayslake North, 30-6.

Skinny: Grayslake Central is rolling and its momentum doesn#146;t figure to stop now with a winless team on tap. The Rams are gunning for their first 5-0 start in at least the last 21 years and possibly in school history (records prior to 1990 are sketchy). #133; Grayslake Central has been winning with a steady diet of running yards. Fullback Joey Valdivia has been punishing defenses and last week against Woodstock was no exception. He ran for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries. #133; One of the most dangerous parts about the Rams#146; offense is balance. Even though Valdivia can be such a focal point, defenses are finding that keying on him can have serious consequences.

Last week, quarterback Ray Beckman added to the gaudy offensive totals by completed 8-of-15 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. #133; Meanwhile, the Grayslake Central defense is living up to its end of the bargain. Goshe, whose policy is to make his very best athletes defensive players first, has been proud of his defense for keeping opponents away from the end zone. The Rams are tied with Lake Zurich for the second stingiest defense in Lake County. Both teams have given up just 27 points on the season, second behind Antioch, which has allowed 26 points in four games. #133; The Rams#146; stinginess isn#146;t good news for Johnsburg, which has scored only 19 points all season and has been shut out twice. Last week against Grayslake North, the Skyhawks were led by quarterback Jon Torgersen, who completed 10-of-28 passes for 108 yards. Torgersen also rushed for 68 yards.

#8212; Patricia Babcock McGraw

Hampshire (0-4, 0-1) at Grayslake North (2-2, 1-0)

When: 7:15 p.m. today

Last week: Hampshie lost to Cary-Grove, 35-6; Grayslake North def. Johnsburg, 30-6

Skinny: Hampshire enters a portion of its schedule in which the Whip-Purs should be more competitive than they were in their first four matchups. Hampshire#146;s first four opponents (Burlington Central, DeKalb, Grayslake Central, Cary-Grove) own a combined record of 12-4. Hampshire#146;s next four opponents (Grayslake North, Johnsburg, Woodstock, Woodstock North) are 4-12 combined. #147;That#146;s been our message all along to the kids #8212; that we#146;ve played four very, very good teams,#148; Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh said. #147;And the kids have been great. It#146;s hard when you don#146;t get the #145;W#146; to show for it, but they#146;ve been working hard in practice. Our message is to do the things we do better every week.#148;

Grayslake North operates out of a spread offense but still runs the ball. Running back Andrew Soulis gained 111 yards on 23 carries last Friday in a road win over Johnsburg. Quarterback A.J. Fish has thrown for over 450 yards. Hampshire will be strengthened in the trenches with the return of two-way lineman Dalton Ritchey (6-0, 210), who missed last week#146;s game due to injury. Hampshire will play football on artificial turf for the first time since Cavanaugh coached the Whip-Purs to the Class 2A state title in 1995 on the artificial turf at Illinois State#146;s Hancock Stadium.

#8212; Jerry Fitzpatrick

NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE

Libertyville (3-1, 1-0) at Stevenson (3-1, 2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Last week: Libertyville def. Mundelein, 28-7; Stevenson def. Warren, 24-21 in double overtime.

Skinny: Year in and year out, this is one of the marquee games in the North Suburban Conference. This year, the intrigue is dialed up a few notches with the understanding that it will be the last game in the series for longtime Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski, who will be retiring at the end of the school year after 18 years as head coach. Kuceyeski#146;s long-time nemesis in the rivalry, former Stevenson coach Bill Mitz, retired two years ago. #147;This is a classic rivalry, one of the best rivalries in the state,#148; Kuceyeski said. #147;Over the years, both programs have been very competitive and have always shown a lot of respect for each other.#148; #133; That won#146;t be any different this time around, especially with both teams 3-1 and coming off of wins last week.

Libertyville got a well-round effort out of its offense in its win against Mundelein, something that was missing in its 21-0 shutout loss to Antioch in the previous week. #147;We really struggled to rush the ball against Antioch,#148; Kuceyeski said. #147;We weren#146;t blocking well, we just couldn#146;t get into a rhythm offensively. It was an off night for us. Against Mundelein, we were able to come back and play like the team I thought we were. We ran and threw the ball effectively and when we win games, that#146;s what we are able to do.#148; Brian Swift, who sat out the fourth quarter against Mundelein with a minor injury, rushed for 91 yards on 15 carries for the Wildcats. #147;He#146;s been the key to our offense,#148; Kuceyeski said. #147;He is rushing the ball most consistently for us. He has a natural knack for being shifty but he can also run for power. He#146;s got that great combination.#148;

Meanwhile, Libertyville quarterbacks Jack Deichl and Hutch Herchenbach each threw for a touchdown against Mundelein. Deichl (11-of-19 passes for 167 yards) started in place of Herchenbach and played for three quarters. Herchenbach, who has been battling back problems, played the fourth quarter. #133; #147;We#146;re going to have to be really aggressive offensively,#148; Kuceyeski said. #147;Stevenson really flies to the ball on defense.#148; #133; The Stevenson defense cinched a double-overtime win over Warren last week when Dominykas Bickus intercepted a pass. #133; Offensively, the Patriots got a big game out of quarterback Matt Micucci. He rushed for 2 touchdowns and threw for another. On top of that, Micucci, Stevenson#146;s kicker, kicked the game-winning field goal, an 18-yarder, in the second overtime. He also threw a TD pass in OT to sophomore Matt Morrissey, who led the defense with 13 tackles and 2 interceptions.

#8212; Patricia Babcock McGraw

Lake Zurich (3-1, 1-0) at Mundelein (0-4, 0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Last week: Lake Zurich def. Lakes, 28-0; Mundelein lost to Libertyville, 28-7.

Skinny: Lake Zurich didn#146;t mess around last week against Lakes, scoring all 28 of its points before halftime. Meanwhile, Mundelein has had to be a little more patient. The Mustangs scored a fourth quarter touchdown against Libertyville last week. Not only did it mark their only touchdown of the game, it was also their first touchdown after 11 straight quarters without one. #133; Mundelein was able to get reacquainted with the end zone when quarterback Gable Leppert found wide receiver Drew Malcolm for a 19-yard touchdown strike. Leppert completed 8-of-25 passes for 111 yards. #133;The Mustangs were hampered by two early lost fumbles. #133; Not only did Lake Zurich quickly rack up the points in the first half against Lakes, it racked up the yards: 353 by the halftime break. Quarterback Zach Till, who seems to be back to normal after sitting the first two games with an ankle injury, had a monster game against Lakes.

He completed 9-of-12 passes for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 111 yards on 16 rushes. Till#146;s big target was wide receiver John Orlando, who rolled up 6 catches for 134 yards. #133; Meanwhile, Lake Zurich senior running back Mike Shield rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries and scored 2 touchdowns against Lakes. #133; The Lake Zurich defense continues to shine. The Bears have given up only 27 points this season, which is tied for second fewest in Lake County with Grayslake Central (Antioch has given up a county-low 26 points.). The Bears#146; shutout of Lakes was their first of the season.

#8212; Patricia Babcock McGrawZion-Benton (1-3, 0-2) at Warren (0-4, 0-2)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Last week: Zion-Benton lost to Lake Forest, 33-12; Warren lost to Stevenson, 24-21, in double overtime.

Skinny: A tough early-season schedule means Warren should have no problem making the state playoffs as an-large team with 5 wins. The problem is, the Blue Devils have none heading into Week 5. They#146;re an uncharasteristic 0-4 after last Friday#146;s double-overtime loss at home to Stevenson. The Blue Devils have to fight the distraction that is homecoming tonight, as well as a Zee-Bees squad that has played creditably the last three weeks against three teams #8212; Evanston, Stevenson and Lake Forest #8212;that are a combined 9-3.

Zion-Benton boasts talented runner Alex Pasiewicz, who played quarterback against Lake Forest after QB Javarius Amos-Mays transferred to North Chicago. #147;Should be a great game,#148; Warren coach Dave Mohapp said. #147;Zion is a much-improved football team that is very sound, is executing very well and has great team speed. ... We might be playing against one of the best running backs (Pasiewicz) that we have faced this season. Zion has a fast defense that is very sound and makes you earn everything.#148; ... Warren#146;s new spread offense has produced just 54 points, but the Blue Devils got 3 TD throws from 6-4 junior quarterback Adam Reuss against Stevenson. Reuss completed two to Connor Iwema and one to Mitch Munda. Junior running back Davonte Willcox rushed for 116 yards.

#8212; Joe AguilarNORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE

Round Lake (1-3, 1-1) at Grant (2-2, 1-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Last week: Round Lake lost to North Chicago, 20-17; Grant def. Wauconda, 44-41.

Skinny: Grant coach Kurt Rous isn#146;t a big fan of Saturday games, but if his Bulldogs can pull out a win, he#146;ll take it on any day (or in any way) he can get it. #133; Speaking of, the Bulldogs, who are hosting Round Lake for their homecoming game, which is traditionally held on Saturday afternoon, had to pull out all the stops last week to get a dramatic win over Wauconda. Grant was down by 20 points at halftime. #147;We started out that game playing about as poorly as we could,#148; Rous said. #147;We didn#146;t do much on offense, we weren#146;t pass rushing, tackling or covering anyone on defense. At halftime, we made a few adjustments and the kids just decided they wanted to play, I guess. We played much better. It was good to see.#148;

Grant fullback Kyle Whitman saw plenty of open field in front of him last week. He ran for 307 yards on 24 carries as the Bulldogs rolled up the rushing yards. Jonathon Wells also rushed for nearly 100 yards. #147;Kyle had a great game for us,#148; Rous said. #147;But he didn#146;t get all of those 300 yards on his own. Our offensive line also did a great job.#148; Grant#146;s offensive line is playing without starting center Jared Lalanda, who is out for the season with a torn meniscus ligament in his knee.

Round Lake is coming off an equally dramatic game, only the result was a loss. The Panthers, who got a Week 3 win over Wauconda in the final seconds, turned around and suffered a loss in the final seconds to North Chicago. Round Lake scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run by Daniel Vega with 27 seconds left by marching 92 yards. But the Warhawks answered with a game-winning touchdown pass with 4 seconds left. #133; Round Lake quarterback Anthony Burton rushed for 86 yards and passed for 84 yards against North Chicago. He and Vega are the focal points of the Panthers#146; offense. #147;Those guys are really good, they#146;re really explosive and I was really impressed with them when I saw them (against Wauconda),#148; Rous said of Burton and Vega. #147;I think this is going to be a really good game. They beat Wauconda, and we barely did. So you can do the math on that.#148;

#8212; Patricia Babcock McGrawWauconda (1-3, 0-2) at Antioch (4-0, 1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Last week: Wauconda lost to Grant, 44-41; Antioch def. Vernon Hills, 10-7.

Skinny: Wauconda has lost by 3 points each of the last two weeks, despite prolific numbers put by quarterback Branden Rowe and wide receiver Jake Ziolkowski. Rowe threw for a combined 581 yards (33 of 50) against Round Lake and Grant, while Ziolkowski caught 17 passes for 337 yards (19.8 average) and 4 touchdowns. The Bulldogs face an Antioch team that has allowed just 26 points (best in the entire North Suburban Conference). #147;Antioch is a good team,#148; Wauconda coach Dave Mills said. #147;They run their (option) offense well and their defense is fast.#148; Antioch boasts running back/workhorse Dan Arden (638 rushing yards, 5.9 average, 7 TDs).

Wauconda isn#146;t necessarily focused on spoiling Antioch#146;s homecoming, but rather playing 48 minutes. #147;We are trying to concentrate of playing a complete game of football,#148; Mills said. #147;We have put together great halves, great quarters, but not a great game. We have been frustrated the last two weeks with 3-point losses. It is a waste of time and energy to talk about the what ifs, so we have tried to set our sights on the next game. We have worked all week at tackling better, blocking better and #145;finishing.#146; At the end of the Antioch game we will judge ourselves by how well we #145;finished#146; the game.#148;

#8212; Joe Aguilar

Lakes (3-1, 1-0) at Vernon Hills (2-2, 1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Last week: Lakes lost to Lake Zurich, 28-0; Vernon Hills lost to Antioch, 10-7.

Skinny: Two teams that are capable of scoring points in a hurry got grounded last week by two of the better defensive teams (Lake Zurich and Antioch) in Lake County. Lakes got decent production from wide receiver Justin Bergeron (6 catches, 80 yards) and running back Direll Clark (11 carries, 55 yards) against defending Class 7A state runner-up Lake Zurich. #147;Very impressed with what I saw on film with Lakes,#148; said Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken, whose team will be playing its homecoming game. #147;Even though they lost to Lake Zurich, I really liked a lot of what they tried to do on offense. We#146;re gonna have our hands full.#148; ... Vernon Hills spreads the ball around with its option attack. The Cougars boast five players who have rushed for double-digit yardage, led by Jarrett Wood (227 yards, 4 TDs) and Dylan McNamara (213 yards, 5 TDs). Quarterback Steve Nelson has rushed for 152 yards and 4 scores, and has thrown for 299 yards. ... Defensively for Vernon Hills, Tyler Peterson has 2 interceptions and Wayne Didier has 2 sacks.

#8212; Joe Aguilar