Scouting Week 6 DuPage County football
Glenbard North (5-0, 3-0) at
Naperville Central (3-2, 2-1)
DuPage Valley Conference
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Last week: Glenbard North 31, West Aurora 21; WW South 14, Naperville Central 7.
Last year: Glenbard North 21, Naperville Central 14.
Outlook: At times these DVC contenders may feel like they're looking into a mirror at the line of scrimmage. Both sides offer a vaunted running game and a quick, crafty, dual-threat quarterback. This is the first major challenge of the conference season for the Panthers, who are outscoring opponents by an average margin of 42-8.
The run-dominant offense features running back Phil Jackson, who has 499 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and quarterback Brian Murphy. They aim to grab an edge on Naperville Central's stiff run defense anchored by lineman Zach Borta. The Panthers haven't leaned on Jackson as too much of a workhorse, but that may change against the Redhawks. Naperville Central definitely has leaned on running back Matt Randolph, who's rushed for 762 yards. They'll also need the arm of quarterback Ian Lewandowski, who must be wary of Panthers linebacker Colin Hanson after he returned an interception for a touchdown last week.
Next week: WW South at Glenbard North; Naperville Central at Wheaton North.
Metea Valley (3-2, 1-2) at
Neuqua Valley (4-1, 2-0)
Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Last week: Waubonsie Valley 51, Metea Valley 0; Neuqua Valley 35, South Elgin 21
Last year: Neuqua Valley 42, Metea Valley 0
Outlook: Outscored 84-0 the last two weeks by South Elgin and Waubonsie Valley, Metea Valley looks to control the ball and avoid errors. This proved difficult last week without quarterback Jarrett House (ankle) and running back Cameron Wilcox (knee). The Mustangs can certainly fix last week's minus-78 yards rushing, mainly starting with snaps that just got away. “I don't think last Friday night was a real good indicator of where the program is,” said Metea coach Ted Monken.
Neuqua is tied with Bartlett atop the UEC Valley after staring down adversity to beat South Elgin. Joey Rhattigan has run for 635 yards, 13 touchdowns behind linemen Jeff Borghesi, Brendan Keyes, Ryne Baker, J.P. Quinn and Andrew Geers. Receiver and kick returner Jeff Evak totaled 250 yards, 2 TDs on 7 touches last week. Wildcats coach Bryan Wells would like more development out of the passing game. “If we throw 11 times we hope to complete 8 instead of 3,” he said.
Next week: Metea Valley at Bartlett; Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley.
Proviso West (3-2, 2-1) at
Glenbard West (5-0, 3-0)
West Suburban Silver
Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Last week: York 31, Proviso West 8; Glenbard West 41, Oak Park 6.
Last year: Glenbard West 41, Proviso West 15.
Outlook: Glenbard West faces its latest challenge in trying to forge an unbeaten romp through the Silver. Proviso West struggled last week, but there were several positives highlighted by the 6 interceptions snagged by the defense. The Panthers also created tremendous pressure up front led by Deonte Eiland. Offensively, the Panthers can be explosive with quarterback Quincy Cole and running back Jamaal Payton.
The Hilltoppers thrive at disrupting opposing teams' offenses, starting with linemen Tommy Schutt and Ruben Dunbar. Glenbard West struggled through a rare slow start last week, so look for the Hilltoppers to respond accordingly. Glenbard West was able to rest running back Avery Balogh for most of last week's game, allowing fullback Joey Zito to step up. Now that running back Kendall Johnson is back in the fold, he'll continue to add energy to the offense. Quarterback Justice Odom and receiver Nathan Marcus are starting to consistently connect.
Next week: Downers North at Proviso West; Glenbard West at Addison Trail.
Ridgewood (2-3, 1-0) at
Fenton (5-0, 0-0)
Metro Suburban Conference
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.
Last week: Ridgewood 25, Riverside-Brookfield 20; Fenton 56, St. Francis de Sales 6.
Last year: Fenton 42, Ridgewood 14; Fenton 39, Ridgewood 13.
Outlook: While Riverside-Brookfield has provided its share of stumbling blocks during Fenton's two-year reign as MSC champions, Bison coach Mark Kos considers Ridgewood as perhaps the program's top rival. The Rebels dropped their first three games but have since bounced back. They edged Riverside-Brookfield behind running back P.J. O'Connor's 200 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Bison defense — led up front by linemen Freddy Joyner, Josh Carasquillo and Ryan Rogers — will look to pressure quarterback Dylan Beketic.
Fenton's “hybrid spread” has been effective all season with quarterback Sean Havlovic, who's thrown for more than 1,000 yards, and do-it-all receiver Alan Geneva, who boasts 51 catches and 9 touchdowns. The Rebels, though, would be wise not to focus all their attention on that potent pair. Gervonta Walls also reeled in 100 receiving yards last week while the Bison ran the ball 21 times highlighted by 50 rushing yards by Joe Butz.
Next week: St. Joseph at Ridgewood; Fenton at Glenbard South.
St. Francis (4-1, 1-1) at
Montini (3-2, 1-1)
Suburban Christian Conference Blue Division
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Last week: St. Francis 58, Guerin 19; Montini 55, Aurora Christian 14
Last year: Montini 28, St. Francis 14; Montini 21, St. Francis 14 (5A playoffs)
Outlook: Due to playoff pairings this will be their seventh meeting in four years. St. Francis brings a swarming defense and linemen Alex Napoli, Peter Quirk, Kyle Bosch, Josh Croci and James Kalfas leading Wing-T backs like Jeff Rutkowski and Jack Petrando, who has run for 727 yards, 10 touchdowns. Spartans coach Greg Purnell hopes quarterback Nick Donati can return from an injury that sidelined him against Guerin.
“We've got to be able to control the ball and keep the clock running,” Purnell said. Montini is the healthiest it's been. Defensive linemen Josh Rogers and Fred Beaugard are back as well as quarterback John Rhode, the Marian Catholic transfer. While that bodes well for star receiver Jordan Westerkamp's downfield prospects, St. Francis must be alert for the “Joecat” — receiver Joey Borsellino running the Wildcat, which he did for 3 TD runs last week. “The more familiar you are with people,” coach Chris Andriano said, “the closer things get.”
Next week: Marmion at St. Francis; Montini at St. Edward.
Addison Trail (5-0, 3-0) at Proviso East (1-4, 1-1)
Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The quick hit: In last week's win Blazers quarterback Trevor Bermingham helped bring balance to the offense by throwing for 163 yards and 2 TDs. The defense has its eyes fixed on Pirates quarterback Malcolm Hilliard, who also threw for 2 TDs last week.
Benet (0-5, 0-5) at Notre Dame (2-3, 1-3)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: Several bright spots emerged from Benet's loss to Joliet Catholic, especially in the first half. The defense, led in part by safety-linebacker John O'Shea, allowed no runs of more than 20 yards and held the state-ranked Hilltoppers to 14 first-half points.
Downers Grove South (5-0, 2-0) at Willowbrook (0-5, 0-2)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: The Mustangs have more weapons than RB Josh Williams. QB A.J. Simoncelli ran for a 67-yard TD last week and Anthony Farinella hit a 32-yard field goal. The Warriors' Dom Battaglia switched time between running back and quarterback.
Glenbard South (2-3, 1-0) at Riverside-Brookfield (1-4, 0-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: The Raiders aim to build upon their debut win in the Metro Suburban. They'd like to bottle last week's 21-point fourth-quarter effort, sparked by Wes Sanders' game-tying 82-yard kick return for a touchdown. Matt Loos is another talent in the backfield.
Hinsdale Central (3-2) at Hinsdale South (3-2)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: Beyond cross-town bragging rights, a victory inches the winner a crucial step closer to the playoffs. Each team's QB had his best game last week. Hinsdale Central's Brian Owens threw for 315 yards while the Hornets' D.J. Deolitsis accounted for 6 TDs.
Immaculate Conception (4-1, 2-0) at Chicago Christian (0-5, 0-2)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
The quick hit: Seeking a rebound in the Suburban Christian Conference Gold after a 28-20 crossover loss to Marmion, IC's Matt Mesnard, Demetrius Carr, and Cody Baker will stretch Chicago Christian's defense. IC linebacker James Peachey rules inside.
Lake Park (1-4, 0-3) at East Aurora (0-5, 0-2)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
The quick hit: The Lancers can move the ball when they don't commit critical errors, which have hurt them the last three games. Quarterback Zach Gehant (ankle) and linebacker Matt Mysliwiec (knee) aren't 100 percent, but gutting it out to turn things around.
Naperville North (3-2, 2-1) at Glenbard East (1-4, 0-3)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: The Huskies and Dan Puknaitis already proved they can run the ball behind a talented offensive line. Last week QB Tyler Gehr connected with Matt Stacho for 175 passing yards. Rams leading rusher Javonte Burnett should return from injury.
Reed-Custer (0-5, 0-3) at Lisle (1-4, 1-2)
Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday
The quick hit: The young Comets struggle to score. Lisle defenders like Robbie Dean and Justin Spangler aim to keep it that way. Lions quarterback Nick Saul targeted receiver Dawon Burnell last week for balance with Ty Howell — and Saul's best game of 2011.
Waubonsie Valley (4-1) at Larkin (3-2)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday
The quick hit: Waubonsie Valley's defense has 9 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions the last two weeks. Larkin quarterback Kyle Newquist may present a tougher challenge to the Warriors' strong linebacking corps of Austin Lacke, Tommy Wooten, Hugh Griffin.
West Chicago (0-5, 0-3) at WW South (2-3. 2-1)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: Perhaps most impressive about the Tigers' defense is their run-stopping ability that starts up front with Jack Lipinsky. The Wildcats, who ran for 170 yards last week, saw its injury situation improve with the return of John Ragano and Alex Santillan.
Wheaton Academy (1-4, 0-2) at Marmion (3-2, 1-1)
Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday
The quick hit: It'll be hard in this Suburban Christian Conference Blue contest, but Wheaton Academy aims to continue quarterback Drew Decker's success finding receiver Matt Lindsay. They combined for 7 receptions, 188 yards, 3 TDs versus Chicago Christian.
Wheaton North (4-1, 3-0) at West Aurora (2-3, 0-3)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: Falcons quarterback John Peltz accounted for 5 touchdowns last week, and the offense hopes to get a jolt with the return of running back Patrick Sharp from injury. West Aurora's physical play up front will challenge Wheaton North's defense.
York (4-1, 0-2) at Downers Grove North (1-4, 2-0)
Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The quick hit: York QB Joe Lucca is expected to return from injury. Dukes DB Jake Rzeszutko has returned a punt, kickoff and interception for a TD. The Trojans piled up 350 yards last week and had four drives of 60-plus yards. Finishing, however, is an issue.