Scouting Week 4, Lake County
FOX VALLEY FOX
Grayslake Central (3-0, 1-0) at Hampshire (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7:150 p.m., today
Last week: Grayslake Central def. Johnsburg, 28-21; Hampshire lost to Crystal Lake Central, 46-21.
Last year’s result: Hampshire def. Grayslake Central, 46-20.
Skinny: Grayslake Central’s home win against Johnsburg last Thursday night gave the Rams one more victory than they had all of last season. They’ll be looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Whip-Purs, who started this season by winning their first two games. Hampshire won 3 games last season, after going 1-8 in 2011. “Hampshire is going to be a tough game,” Rams coach Ben Ault said. “They were much improved last year and they seem to have improved again this year. They run the ball very well and their play-action passing game is a good complement. They have good size in the front eight, so they will provide a challenge for our offense. This game will be tough, like all our conference games, so we have to be ready to compete from the opening kickoff.” Grayslake Central QB Alex Lennartz rushed for 3 TDs against Johnsburg, giving him 7 for the season. The senior has thrown for 343 yards, with Matt Loeffl (10 receptions, 3 TDs) being his top target. The Rams have been led defensively by Erik Infante, who has 9 tackles for loss. Drew Garbett and Loeffl have 3.5 and 3 TFLs, respectively.
— Joe Aguilar
Grayslake North (3-0, 1-0) at Johnsburg (0-3, 0-1)
When: 7:150 p.m., today
Last week: Grayslake North def. Woodstock, 42-14; Johnsburg lost to Grayslake Central, 28-21.
Last year’s result: Grayslake North def. Johnsburg, 41-7.
Skinny: Grayslake North RB Titus Booker missed his second straight game with an ankle injury last Thursday night, and he’s iffy for tonight’s game against the winless Skyhawks. Booker, an all-FVC selection as a sophomore last year, rushed for 271 yards and 3 TDs in the Knights’ season opener against Lakes. “Not sure about Titus,” coach Steve Wood said. “He could play, but we may hold him out one more week.” Sophomore QB Merrick Gentile has picked up the slack in Booker’s absence, rushing for 5 TDs and 137 yards against Woodstock. For the season, Gentile has scored 8 TDs and thrown for 7 for a team that has piled up 143 points, while yielding 59. Junior slotback Brad Baker leads the Knights with 13 receptions (152 yards) and 2 TDs. Three of Andrew Martineau’s 7 catches have been for touchdowns.
— Joe Aguilar
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKE
Libertyville (2-1) at Stevenson (1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Libertyville def. Grant, 38-21; Stevenson def. Zion-Benton, 48-13.
Skinny: The traditional heavyweights of the North Suburban Conference always seem to bring out the best in each other. “We love this matchup,” Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. “You go back and you look at the historical tradition of the rivalry and it’s really pretty interesting. Our players understand that and I think that gives more meaning to this game.”…The Patriots are also keyed up for other reasons. They are in urgent mode after starting the season 0-2. Last week’s win was a welcome change. “We knew we hadn’t played to our potential,” McNamara said. “It just all starts in practice for us. We needed to re-focus and pick up our intensity.” The Patriots had a turnover problem early in the season that wasn’t too much of a problem last week against Zion-Benton. Receiver Matt Morrissey also looked sharp in catching 2 touchdown passes. The offense rolled up the rushing yardage as well, thanks to 94 rushing yards by Jack Joseph…Libertyville put up big numbers on the ground and in the air last week against Grant. Conor Simpson ran for 141 yards on 12 carries and quarterback Anthony Monken completed 20-of-27 passes for 243 yards. “(Monken) is showing a lot of confidence in his decisions and his comfort level,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said of his quarterback. “Our level of execution was pretty good last week all the way around. Everything seems to be clearer for us and in better focus.”
— Patricia Babcock McGraw
Zion-Benton (0-3, 0-1) at Warren (2-1, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Zion-Benton lost to Stevenson, 48-13; Warren lost to Lake Zurich, 27-7.
Last year’s result: Warren def. Zion-Benton, 34-0.
Skinny: Zion-Benton has scored just 19 points, 13 of which came after the Zee-Bees spotted Stevenson a 34-0 lead last Thursday night in Lincolnshire. The Zee-Bees opened the season with losses to Deerfield (15-0) and Waukegan (14-6). No matter, Blue Devils coach Dave Mohapp knows Zion-Benton always has its share of athletes. “Dangerous team — always have good team speed,” Mohapp said. “They seem to be improving each week. The key for us will be to establish balance between the run and pass — which we couldn’t do last week — and for our defense to eliminate the big plays.” Against Lake Zurich last Thursday night, Warren allowed a 64-yard TD pass and 48-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter. The Blue Devils pulled within 14-7 in the third quarter, but Lake Zurich was back up by 14 entering the fourth. Warren QB Andrew Nickell has been outstanding through three weeks, completing 73.8 percent of his passes (59 of 80) for 802 yards and 6 TDs. The Blue Devils boast three receivers with double-digit receptions: Max Sorby (14), Javon Charleston (12) and Caleb Reams (10). Zach Rappel has 9 catches. Sorby leads the team with 114 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
— Joe Aguilar
Lake Zurich (3-0, 1-0) at Mundelein (1-2, 0-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Lake Zurich def. Warren, 27-7; Mundelein lost to Lake Forest, 40-6.
Last year’s result: Lake Zurich def. Mundelein, 49-0.
Skinny: No team in the area has been stingier defensively than Lake Zurich, which finally allowed a point last Thursday night. Since winning Opening Night, Mundelein has been outscored 71-8 in losses to Highland Park and Lake Forest. RB Emanuel Jones scored 5 TDs in the Mustangs’ first two games. “We are a very young team and it showed the last two weeks in critical situations,” Mundelein coach George Kaider said. “We have had three starters out on defense and they guys who have stepped in have done an outstanding job. We start six sophomores and we are excited about their effort and the overall performance. We need to be more productive on offense, string together first downs and keep our defense off the field. We have had terrible field position the first three weeks and it has limited our play-calling.” Lake Zurich’s defense boasts Syracuse-bound Colton Moskal and safety Sean Lynch, who had an interception against Warren. “Lake Zurich is one of the best teams in the state,” Kaider said. “Their D-line is the best I have ever seen, and their two offensive guards are fast and physical. We will compete hard and do more to feature Emanuel Jones in the offense. We don’t quit and our kids play very hard, so Lake Zurich will see a very different Mundelein football team.”
— Joe Aguilar
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIE
Antioch (1-2) at Lakes (2-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Antioch def. North Chicago, 28-27; Lakes def. Round Lake, 51-7.
Skinny: It’s the sister-school rivalry that fires up the district and much of northern Lake County. Antioch and Lakes have seen their fan bases swell as both have been NSC Prairie Division contenders and regular playoff teams in recent years. “This is a big game for us and we always like playing in this game,” Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. “Lakes is a challenge because they always have the same ingredients, just a lot of talent and balance. They can run the ball, they can pass the ball and they’ve got a lot of speed.”…Lakes, which is averaging 45 points per game, is getting impressive production out of two main running backs, senior Cameron Johnson and sophomore Devyn Cedzidlo. They’ve helped the Eagles rush for more than 200 yards in each of their last two games. Yet at the same time, quarterback TJ Edwards is keeping defenses guessing by frequently taking to the air. He passed for 154 yards and back-up Ethan Sage added 58 more as eight different receivers got involved last week against Round Lake…Antioch, which has been involved in two 1-point games and a 3-point game so far this season, also showed good balance in getting its first win last week. The Sequoits had 162 rushing yards and 142 passing yards against North Chicago. Zach Andre seems to be settling into his new role at quarterback while running backs Griffin Hills, Cameron Cory and Alan Taylor get plenty of touches.
— Patricia Babcock McGraw
Grant (0-3) at Vernon Hills (0-3)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Grant lost to Libertyville, 38-21; Vernon Hills lost to Wauconda, 18-7.
Skinny: Both of these teams are frustrated, but the good news is that one of them will finally get a win this week. “That is one positive,” Grant coach Kurt Rous said. “We’ve kept a pretty good attitude, better than I thought we would. We’re practicing well and the kids are still loving football.”…The Bulldogs aren’t loving their injured list, though. Starting quarterback Jake Bychowski is out with an ankle injury after a tackle during last week’s Libertyville game. He’ll be replaced by either Simeon Tate or senior Jason Bach. Bach filled in at quarterback last year due to injuries. “They can both do some nice things but we need to focus on running the ball,” said Rous, referring to his tricky option offense. Grant rolled up 195 rushing yards last week against Libertyville, 91 of which came from Marshall Clark…Vernon Hills, which used to run almost an identical offense to Grant, is now passing more. The Cougars had 159 passing yards to just 44 rushing yards last week against Wauconda with new quarterback Connor McNamara under center. He replaced injured starter Jordan Freibrun who went down in Week 1 with a broken leg.
— Patricia Babcock McGraw
NORTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVER
Round Lake (1-2) at Lake Forest (3-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: Round Lake lost to Lakes, 51-7; Lake Forest def. Mundelein, 40-6.
Last year’s result: Teams did not play each other.
Skinny: Round Lake will get an up-close at an all-state candidate in Scouts RB Hub Cirame, whose 4 touchdowns against Mundelein last Thursday night gave him 11 for the season. Cirame, who rushed for 95 yards, sat most of the second half. Lake Forest has posted point totals of 33, 39 and 40 points. Round Lake got another touchdown from Chris Perry last Thursday night. It was Perry’s seventh of the season.
— Joe Aguilar
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC
St. Viator (2-1) at Carmel (1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m., today
Last week: St. Viator lost to Joliet Catholic, 35-20; Carmel def. Marian Catholic, 41-7.
Skinny: Carmel got a reprieve last week after falling to a couple of teams over the first two weeks that both played in state title games last season. The Corsairs took advantage and saw their running game look like their running game of old. Carmel out-rushed Marian 270-49, thanks to 125 yards by Joe Hoy and 83 yards by Darrius Crump. The Corsairs also showed some much-needed versatility with a few big plays through the passing game. Quarterback Nick Grandolfo completed 5-of-6 passes for 136 yards. He found Christian Heinz for a 46-yard touchdown pass. Heinz finished with 2 completions for 62 yards. Sophomore Noah Turner also had 2 big catches for 68 yards…St. Viator is coming off a loss to perennial power Joliet Catholic. The Lions did almost nothing on the ground, finishing with a mere 5 rushing yards. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Bobby Calmeyn completed 22-of-36 passes for 241 yards. He threw for 3 touchdowns, but was also picked off three times.
— Patricia Babcock McGraw
Saturday: Wauconda (3-0) at North Chicago (2-1)
When: 1 p.m., Saturday
Last week: Wauconda def. Vernon Hills, 18-7; North Chicago lost to Antioch, 28-27.
Skinny: It’s the battle of old friends and former teammates. Wauconda head coach Dave Mills used to be an assistant at Wauconda for Glen Kozlowski, who was the head coach at Wauconda before taking over at North Chicago five years ago…North Chicago’s only loss was to Antioch last week by a single point. The Warhawks were fairly balanced spreading their 334 total yards about 2-to-1 in favor of the run. They finished with 227 rushing yards and 107 passing yards. Arnold Shead rushed for 154 yards and Jay Amos Mays completed 4 passes for 107 yards. However, the Warhawks did lose 3 fumbles…Wauconda is already coming off a game in which it picked off 4 passes. Joey Lovelle had 2 interceptions last week against Vernon Hills. That helped the Bulldogs keep Vernon Hills out of the end zone after a first-quarter score. Wauconda has been stingy in general this season. The Bulldogs have given up just 20 points for 6.7 points allowed per game…Offensively, running back Alex Payne is getting a lot of work for Wauconda. He rushed for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries last week.
— Patricia Babcock McGraw