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Scouting this weekend's Fox Valley football games

Riverside-Brookfield (1-1) at St. Edward (2-0)

When/where: today at 7 p.m. at Greg True Field

Last week: St. Edward 56, Clark 0; Nazareth 49, Riverside-Brookfield 6

Outlook: This Metro Suburban League crossover matchup represents one of the stiffer challenges of the year for St. Edward, which takes on a school almost four times its size. "They'll be a really good test," Green Wave coach Mike Rolando said of the Bulldogs. "They are bigger than us for the most part, they have very few kids going both ways and they have some pretty good athletes. They're every bit as good as Genoa, but we're a better football team since Genoa. We'll come out and play as mistake-free as possible and let the chips fall." St. Edward gets a lift with the return from injury of senior defensive lineman Kasey Cooke, a 275-pound, 6-foot run stopper at defensive tackle. The team will be without receiver/defensive back Danny Favela for the second straight week due to injury, but the offense didn't miss a beat last week, thanks to junior Trevor Loewen. He caught a pair of 18-yard touchdown passes from Joe Mullen. St. Edward will face a defense that shut out Morton 22-0 in Week 1. Offensively, the Wave will keep an eye on running back Matt Chapp, who rushed for 66 yards and gained 26 yards via receptions in the Morton game. He also returned a kickoff against Nazareth 95 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Nick Fucinato booted 3 field goals in the season opener. R-B has much to prepare for since the St. Edward offense has rushed 55 times for 356 yards and completed 14 of 26 attempts for 193 yards and 3 touchdowns. "We should be a hard team to prepare for," Rolando said. "We want to continue to run and throw and maybe have our defense make some big plays."

Next: St. Edward at IC Catholic Prep (0-2); Walther Christian (0-2) at Riverside-Brookfield

Bartlett (1-1, 0-0) at Metea Valley (1-1, 0-0)

When/where: today at 7:30 p.m.

Watch: Streaming broadcast via highschoolcube can be seen at football.dailyherald.com

Last year: Metea Valley 20, Bartlett 6

Last week: Glenbrook South 33, Metea Valley 30; Bartlett 3, Notre Dame 0

Outlook: The Bartlett defense is coming off the program's first shutout since 2012, led by player of the week Dan Danek and his 10 tackles and 1 sack. The Hawks face a Metea Valley offense that in 2 games against Plainfield North and Glenbrook South has piled up 68 points and 786 yards. The player to watch is senior Bryson Oliver. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound running back already has 66 carries for 364 yards and 5 touchdowns. He scored a sixth TD on an 11-yard reception from quarterback Kyle Mooney (5-11, 170), who has completed 20 of 37 attempts for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns. "That's a concern because they can mix it up," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. "They've been averaging 33 running plays a game. (Oliver) is a workhorse. And the quarterback can throw it deep. They run some real good inside zone stuff, and they have skill kids that can play." Bartlett's offense has done everything but score touchdowns. The Hawks threw for 384 yards against Huntley and rushed for 246 against Notre Dame. They have 721 yards in 2 games and exactly zero touchdowns to show for it. "We can run it and pass it. We just have to put them together in the same game," Meaney said. "We've just had drives come up short. We'll have a bad run or a dropped pass or a ball sails or whatever. But the kids are working hard. I can't complain about their effort."

Next: West Aurora (0-2) at Metea Valley; Waubonsie Valley (2-0) at Bartlett

South Elgin (1-1) at West Aurora (0-2)

When/where: Today at 7:30 p.m.

Watch: Streaming broadcast via highschoolcube can be seen at football.dailyherald.com

Series: First meeting

Last week: Plainfield East 14, West Aurora 7; Crystal Lake South 32, South Elgin 29

Outlook: Special teams play was the emphasis of the South Elgin coaching staff in practice this week. Last Friday, South Elgin yielded a 57-yard kickoff return that set up a Crystal Lake South touchdown, muffed a punt deep in its own territory and had a squib kick deflect off a front-line player only to be recovered by the opposition. "We've worked on some special teams areas and I'm sure we've cleaned it up," coach Pat Pistorio said. "We learned a valuable lesson in the kick return game. Despite those blunders we were able to keep it close down to the wire." The Blackhawks, returning to their Upstate Conference roots in this Valley Division debut, attack with an offense the Storm has not seen in awhile: a variation of the wing-T. Fortunately, defensive coordinator Steve Szjepnowski is familiar with that offense from his days at Augustana. The Storm will "have kids in the right spots, reading keys and doing things effectively on that end," Pistorio said. South Elgin's offense has amassed 78 points and 911 yards (396 rushing). Senior quarterback Hayden Nelson has completed 29 of 48 attempts for 484 yards and 5 touchdowns. He has been intercepted twice. Nelson's top receivers thus far are Andrew Kamienski (10 rec., 205 yards, 2 TD), Nick Menken (8-83-1) and Derek Kumerow (7-56-3). They take on a West Aurora defense that runs a 3-3-5 scheme layered with various blitz packages. "On film they have an extremely active defensive line that chases running backs down," Pistorio said. "We have to be careful to get the ball off and not second guess ourselves at the quarterback position because they have more speed compared to the teams we played the first two weeks."

Next: West Aurora at Metea Valley (1-1); Neuqua Valley (0-2) at South Elgin

Geneva (2-0, 0-0) at Streamwood (0-2, 0-0)

When/where: Today at 7:30 p.m. at Millennium Field

Last year: Geneva 55, Streamwood 6

Last week: Dundee-Crown 41, Streamwood 39; Geneva 22, Richards 19

Outlook: Consider: Streamwood was a 2-point conversion away from taking a 2013 playoff team to overtime on the road last week. Coach Mark Orszula said it probably wouldn't have come down to that conversion try had Streamwood not lost the turnover battle 4-0. "When we put on the film we see a good football team, but we see a good football team making mistakes," Orszula said. Junior running back Tae Reetz enjoyed a breakout game. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back - the strongest player on the roster, according to his coach - rushed for 199 yards on 12 carries, including scoring runs of 72, 45 and 28 yards. Reetz's 2-game totals: 266 yards and 4 touchdowns on 21 carries; 5 receptions for 60 yards and another score. "Tae is doing a great job and the offensive line is opening holes," Orszula said. "But a lot of times he makes runs by himself by breaking tackles. All that time in the weight room he put in is showing up on the field." Geneva is led by NIU-bound quarterback Daniel Santacaterina (6-2, 190). In last week's victory over 2013 Class 6A runner-up Richards, he completed 20 of 31 attempts for 311 yards with 1 interception. He threw 2 touchdowns, highlighted by a 74-yard scoring strike to 6-2 senior receiver Pace Temple, who also plays basketball. Can the improved Sabres give the No. 7 team in the Associated Press rankings of Class 7A schools a run for its money? "We want to go in there and get the W, which is our goal every week," Orszula said. "We know they're good, but we also think we're a good football team once we take care of the little mistakes."

Next: Streamwood at Larkin (0-2); Geneva at St. Charles North (2-0)

Larkin (0-2, 0-0) at Batavia (1-1, 0-0)

When/where: today at 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Batavia 46, Larkin 14

Last week: Batavia 23, Glenbard North 12; Vernon Hills 41, Larkin 9

Outlook: Defending Class 6A champion Batavia returns five starters on either side of the ball. Larkin is in rebuilding mode with only three starters back from last year, a new coaching staff and four sophomores in starting roles. It's a mismatch on paper, but Larkin coach Dragan Teonic's goals are basic at this point. "We just have to play better. We have to protect the football and give ourselves a chance," he said. "We know what we're up against. Batavia is so big, strong, fast and well-disciplined. It's a huge challenge. But it's a great game for us because regardless of what happens we get to witness what a state champion-caliber team looks like and acts like." From a technical standpoint, the Bulldogs are offensive chameleons, capable of lining up with five wide receivers on one play, switching to a prostyle shotgun formation the next and a wing-t attack the play after that. More imposing is the line blocking for those formations. Most of the state championship line returns, led by Florida Atlantic recruit Jake Breshears (6-foot-5, 285 pounds). Teonic doesn't expect his team to stop the Batavia offense, but he wants to see his defenders lined up in the right gaps, an area of concern through 2 games. "If Batavia is better than us, they're better than us," Teonic said. "I just want to see us do what we're supposed to do and play was well as we can."

Next: Batavia at St. Charles East (0-2); Streamwood (0-2) at Larkin

St. Charles East (0-2, 0-0) at Elgin (0-2, 0-0)

When/where: today at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Field

Last year: St. Charles East 42, Elgin 16

Last week: Huntley 63, Elgin 8; Jacobs 49, St. Charles East 20

Outlook: Two teams coming off lopsided losses seek their first taste of victory in this Upstate Eight River lid-lifter. St. Charles East was competitive in the season opener against South Elgin until surrendering 28 fourth-quarter points. The Saints were within 21-14 of Jacobs at halftime last week but allowed 14 points in each of the last two quarters. Though Elgin was never competitive in its matchup against a physically imposing Huntley squad, the Maroons sense an opportunity to snap their 14-game losing streak against the Saints. "I think we have to get the ball to go our way a couple of times, but I think it is a winnable game if we put the pieces together," Elgin coach Kyle Rohde said. "We have to play well because they're itching for a win as well because they've been beaten pretty good the last two weeks. We have to rise to the occasion." The Maroons were shut down in all phases against Huntley last week, but a team that has rushed for only 193 yards in 2 games hopes to make better headway against the Saints, who have allowed 491 yards on the ground. Linebacker Mike Behning leads the Elgin defense with 14 tackles (13 solo), followed by Dontrell Gaddy (12 tackles) and Jordan Smith (10). The Elgin defense is preparing for a ground assault. "I think they're going to try to run the ball down our throats so we've been working on our inside run game this week," Rohde said. "We have to be able to stop that."

Next: Elgin at West Chicago (1-1); Batavia (1-1) at St. Charles East

Cary-Grove (2-0) at Grayslake North (1-1)

When/where: today at 7:15 p.m.

Last meeting (2007): Cary-Grove 63, Grayslake North 14

Last week: Cary-Grove 24, Lake Zurich 7; Grayslake North 42, Hampshire 31

Outlook: The top team in Class 7A rolled last week past then-No. 3 Lake Zurich. The Trojans held the Bears to 148 yards. The defense will be tested again by Grayslake North junior quarterback Merrick Gentile (6-1, 205) and senior tailback Titus Booker, committed to Indiana. The Knights amassed over 500 total yards last week against Hampshire. "They have some very good athletes and everything starts with the quarterback and the tailback," Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said. "But the difficulty with them is you can't just hone in on those two guys. It all seems to start with (Gentile), but they are very, very talented, especially at the specialties positions." Seaburg said he was happy with the way his team executed the game plan in wins over Wheaton North and Lake Zurich and he saw improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. Fullback Tyler Pennington ran for 165 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against Lake Zurich. Though the 5-foot-10, 190-pound sophomore benefits from having an offensive line that includes Notre Dame recruit Trevor Ruhland and four-year starter Michael Gomez, among others, his unique talent is a key part of the equation. "It's definitely a combination of the two," Seaburg said. "When you watch Tyler on film, he's very consistent. You know what you're going to get. He's not a plodder with a big, slow game. He also doesn't have (former all-state fullback Kyle) Norberg's speed. But he's very good at the finite details and he's got a lot of football instinct. His feet never stop. Give a lot of credit to our offensive line, but Tyler has gotten us a lot of yards, too." The Trojans are 2-0 against the Knights, who played Cary-Grove in their first two seasons o varsity football in 2006 and 2007.

Next: Woodstock North (0-2) at Cary-Grove; Normal West (2-0) at Grayslake North

Crystal Lake South (1-1) at Bloom Township (1-1)

When/where: Saturday at noon

Watch: The Comcast Game of the Week on CN100, this matchup can be seen on delay on Saturday at noon and 4 p.m. and Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Last week: Crystal Lake South 32, South Elgin 29; Lincoln-Way West 17, Bloom Township 14

Outlook: Coming off a victory on Tyler Baker's 22-yard field goal with no time left, the Gators look to begin a winning streak in this nonconference duel at high noon. The film of this week's opponent reminds Gators coach Chuck Ahsmann of the team they defeated last week. "They are a lot like South Elgin," he said of Bloom. "They have South Elgin-type linemen, they have good size at quarterback and he has a good arm, their running backs are very good and their defense rallies to the ball. We just can't give up the big plays like we did against South Elgin. We have to eliminate that." The Gators allowed a 53-yard touchdown run last week and a 25-yard scoring pass. Junior linebacker Dylan Sambrano leads CL South with 15 tackles, followed by junior defensive back Joe Ashmann. The CL South offense broke out for 362 yards, led by nearly 200 yards rushing by junior back Corey Sheehan (5-11, 175). In 2 games he has 291 of CL South's 314 rushing yards. Sheehan has scored 1 touchdown and has averaged 6.3 yards on 46 carries. As defenses adjust to shut down Sheehan, the burden may shift to senior quarterback Payton Minogue, who came up with a 28-yard pass to Kyle Bartusch to set up the game-winning field goal last week with 5 seconds left. Minogue has completed 8 of 25 attempts for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has thrown 1 interception. "Payton is capable," coach Chuck Ahsmann said. "It's just a matter of playing with more confidence. Last week was only his second start at the varsity level. I hope with more confidence will come with more throwing." The Blazing Trojans lost their opener 21-0 at Thornwood.

Next: Crystal Lake Central (2-0) at Crystal Lake South; Bloom Township at Hammond Gavit, Ind. (1-2)

Dundee-Crown (2-0) at Morris (1-0)

When/where: today at 7 p.m.

Watch: Streaming broadcast via highschoolcube can be seen at football.dailyherald.com

Series: first meeting

Last week: Morris 12, Metamora 8; Dundee-Crown 41, Streamwood 39

Outlook: Fans can watch this game streaming online, but in the opinion of D-C coach Mike Steinhaus it's really worth the trip to visit this tradition-rich football town on a Friday night. By enrollment, a Class 8A school like Dundee-Crown would seem to have an advantage against a Class 5A school of 916 students, but this is no ordinary 5A program. Morris has qualified for the playoffs 29 times and won state titles in 1980 (Class 3A), 1984 (4A) and 2005 (6A). Dundee-Crown is the first Fox Valley Conference school to play Morris since Crystal Lake South dropped a 33-13 decision in a 2005 Class 6A semifinal played in Crystal Lake. "Morris has a great tradition, so we're excited to go down and play them," Steinhaus said. "It'll be a fun environment and we're excited to go." D-C's coach said Morris' players "explode" out of their stances on both sides of the line and they play a physical brand of football at a low pad level. "When you've got that up front, usually you're going to have positive things happen for you," Steinhaus said. "It's one of those games where we're going to see how our front matches up because they play so well. This will be a good measuring stick to see where we're at." Safety/running back Malik Dunner and running back Caleb Parson both left last week's game with sprained ankles and were limited in practice this week. Both are game-time decisions, according to their coach.

Next: Morris at Sterling (1-1); Dundee-Crown at Prairie Ridge (1-1)

Whitney Young (0-2) at Jacobs (1-1)

When/where: Today at 7:15 at Jacobs athletic field

Series: First meeting

Last week: Jacobs 49, St. Charles East 20; Sterling 37, Whitney Young 13

Outlook: Jacobs shoots for its second straight win in this nonconference matchup with the Dolphins, who play the third of 4 straight road games to open the season. This is the second game of a 6-game homestand for the Golden Eagles. Whitney Young's defense has allowed 87 points in two outings. That bodes well for Jacobs, which exploded for 546 total yards and 49 points against St. Charles East a week after being shut out by Barrington. Senior Josh Walker led the way last week with 172 yards on 22 carries, including touchdown runs of 14, 76 and 22 yards. Sophomore quarterback Chris Katrenick has completed 26 of 52 attempts for 312 yards. He has thrown 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Defensively, Mitz said the Golden Eagles must focus on shutting down Dolphins senior wide receiver Christian Everett (6-2, 200) and junior running back Miles Baggett (6-2, 224). "They have two athletes that are basketball players. (Everett) is a good athlete. I've seen him make some catches. And we have to contain their quarterback, too. We just have to work on us getting better and not turning the ball over. We're excited to be home. Hopefully, we can get on a bit of a roll here."

Next: Grayslake Central (0-2) at Jacobs; Whitney Young at Chicago Vocational (1-1)

Gary West Side, Ind. (0-3) at Huntley (2-0)

When/where: today at 8 p.m. at Huntley athletic field

Series: first meeting

Last week: Huntley 63, Elgin 8; Indianapolis Marshall 24, Gary West Side 8

Outlook: Huntley welcomes a team that is rebuilding following the graduation of some key personnel that helped the Cougars reach the Indiana state playoffs last season. Through 2 games, senior running back Barrie Wesby led the team with 225 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Sophomore quarterback Bryce James is his team's second-leading rusher with 8 carries for 42 yards. He has completed 9 of 20 pass attempts for 161 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. "On film, you see some great athletes," Huntley coach John Hart said. "Whether they can win 11 on 11 we'll have to see. Our offensive line has played really well the last couple of weeks. If you can get a hat on a hat like that, you have a pretty good chance of having success offensively. We re-emphasized this week that we can't leave anyone unblocked on an assignment and we have to clean up our mistakes. We're still lining up incorrectly or we'll have one defensive back in one coverage when the other three are in a different one. We hope to take another stop this week in that regard." Huntley quarterback Anthony Binetti has completed 18 of 37 attempts for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception, and the junior has carried the ball 15 times for 71 yards and a score. Junior Casey Haayer leads the Red Raiders in rushing with 125 yards and 2 touchdowns in 29 attempts (4.3 avg.). Linebacker Mike Walker leads the defense with 16 tackles while safety Connor Boos has 14 tackles, 2 for a loss.

Next: Gary West Side at Hammond, Ind. (2-1); Hampshire (1-1) at Huntley

Hampshire (1-1) at Grayslake Central (0-2)

When/where: today at 7:15 p.m. at Eiserman Stadium

Last year: Grayslake Central 35, Hampshire 16

Last week: Grayslake North 42, Hampshire 31; Hampshire at Huntley (2-0)

Outlook: It's a long bus ride to Grayslake, so long, in fact, that teams can lose focus, according to Hampshire coach Mike Brasile. He watched film of Hampshire's game at Grayslake North last season and concluded the Whip-Purs never got off the bus in a game they lost by 28 points. He would like to see a different result from the trip to Central. "That's our mantra this week: get off the bus and take it to them early," Brasile said. "It's their third home game in a row so we have to match their intensity and come out right away." The good news for Hampshire was it gained over 400 total yards last week. The bad news? The defense surrendered over 500 total yards. The offense continues to be paced by running back Mason Fleury and quarterback Nick Mohlman. Fleury has rushed for 31 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mohlman has completed 44 of 57 attempts for 526 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was intercepted twice last week. Matt Bridges leads the receiving corps with 16 receptions for 187 yards, while Xavier Bennett has 10 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown. However, the Whips need more production from a running game that managed only 49 yards last week after gaining 210 in the season-opening win against Burlington Central. "We made some costly errors at inopportune times last week," Brasile said. "We fumbled the ball right before the half. And on defense we didn't wrap up and tackle very well. We have to stop the run and we didn't do that."

Next: Hampshire at Huntley (2-0); Grayslake Central at Jacobs (1-1)

North Boone (2-0) at Burlington Central (0-2)

When/where: today at 7 p.m. at Rocket Hill

Last year: Burlington Central 28, North Boone 14

Last week: Dixon 20, Burlington Central 13; North Boone 36, Oregon 21

Outlook: It's not that the Rockets don't know how to tackle and block; they do. The problem through two games is that lapses in those departments on a few plays here or there have proved costly. "Two weeks in a row we do things really well and do a lot of good things during the game, but we don't stay consistent," Central coach Rich Crabel said. "All 3 scores by Dixon last week we had 2 or 3 missed tackles on every one. You can't do that against the running back we see week in and week out. Or in crucial situations, we miss a block. We worked really hard on those things this week." North Boone's offense can vary between the spread offense and a double-tight, Power-I formation. The Vikings have rotated quarterbacks the first two weeks depending on which formation they intend to use in a given series. The Rockets get a lift from two players returning from injury. Speedy junior wide receiver Tim Goehrke will play this week after missing the first 2 games with a finger injury. Also available is junior lineman Esteban Escobar (5-10, 240), who started on the offensive line as a sophomore. The Rockets didn't expect to be winless through 2 games. They enter Week 3 in need of a spark "We're still going out there expecting to win each week. We just have to find something to five us that confidence to get over the hump. Last week we went for it on fourth-and-2½, we miss a block and take a loss. Then we give up a touchdown. We just have to find something to give us that spark, someone to make that big play."

Next: Burlington Central at Harvard (1-1); Johnsburg (1-1) at North Boone

Ottawa Marquette (1-1, 1-1) at Westminster Christian (1-1, 1-1)

When/where: Saturday at 1 p.m. at Warrior Field

Last year: Ottawa Marquette 53, Westminster Christian 7

Last week: Ottawa Marquette 47, Christian Liberty Academy 0; Westminster Christian 13, Mooseheart 12

Outlook: The Warriors are already ahead of last year's schedule. Westminster Christian did not win its first game in 2013 until Week 8, but a road win at Mooseheart gives the fledgling program a .500 record for the first time. One reason the team is enjoying success is the efficiency of senior quarterback Max Tucker, who has completed 73.4 percent of his pass attempts (47 of 64) for 472 yards and 5 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. His top targets thus far have been sophomore Xavier Brown (9 rec., 160 yards, 2 touchdowns) and junior Connor Albrecht (11 rec., 106 yards). The ground game has not gained traction, however. The Warriors have rushed the ball 63 times for 99 yards for a 1.6-yard average per carry. They'll need better results to keep an Ottawa Marquette offense that scored 47 points last week off the field.

Next: Chicago Hope Academy (1-1) at Ottawa Marquette Westminster Christian at Kirkland Hiawatha (2-0)

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