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Football: Scouting Week 3, Northwest

Marist (1-1) vs. St. Viator (1-1) at Forest ViewWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: St. Viator opens its rough East Suburban Conference schedule with Marist, which lost in the Class 8A semifinals a year ago. After a disappointing loss to Rolling Meadows in Week 1, St. Viator cruised past Deerfield last week. St. Viator has been explosive on offense, scoring 72 points in their first two games. The Lions' Tyler Johnston is the area's top passing quarterback so far, having already thrown for 594 yards and 6 touchdowns. Matt Darling and Ben Dickey have been Johnston's go-to guys. Marist is coming off a tough loss to neighborhood rival Brother Rice, against whom they allowed 27 points and 165 passing yards. Both teams have dinged up running backs, with St. Viator hoping to have Darreonta Jackson back in the lineup while the Redhawks' Jawill Aldridge left last week's game in the third quarter and did not return.

Hersey (1-1) at Barrington (2-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: Barrington's secret weapon has been exposed in the first two weeks of the season. Mitch Pfeiffer, who didn't play last season so he could concentrate on baseball, has returned with a vengeance, catching 7 passes for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. He joins a strong receiving corps that includes Seamus Moran and the speedy Scotty Miller and has helped the offense average 39 points. That group will match up against one of the best secondaries in the area in Hersey. Will Trossen, who had 2 interceptions and 5 broken up passes last week, along with Cole Monckton, Kamil Jackowski, Joe Caputo and Erik Anderson are exceptional. But Hersey needs to find some scoring power, with the Huskies totaling just 25 points in their first two games.

Elk Grove (0-2) at Fremd (1-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: The Vikings come home to see the Dark Side and hope that their home crowd can help them keep the momentum that gained from last Saturday's victory, in which Fremd looked dominant. The Vikings offense, which was ineffective in Week 1, looked fully charged, scoring 47 points while piling up 440 yards of offense at Prospect. Fremd spread the wealth on the ground as six different ball-carriers rushed for 379 yards. Elk Grove made giant strides last week, despite the lopsided score. The Grens, who were down 14-0 early, closed to within a point before succumbing to Barrington. Wide receiver Nicolas Quirindongo has emerged as a threat for Elk Grove, with 6 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns so far.

Conant (1-1) at Buffalo Grove (2-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: Buffalo Grove is 2-0 for the first time since 2002. That was also the last time the Bison won the East conference title. Buffalo Grove, which came up with two goal-line stands last week against Schaumburg, is led on defense by strong safety John Maddox, who was credited with 15 solo tackles. On offense, quarterback Trey Cervantes has the Bison offense moving strong, throwing for 410 yards and 4 touchdowns. Conant, which was blanked two weeks ago, found the end zone and a victory behind reserve quarterback Kevin Smith, who ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for another. The Cougars defense, led by Michael Meier, Odell Andrews and Palmer Graham, hopes to have as much success as it did last week while holding Wheeling to 95 yards rushing.

Palatine (1-1) at Wheeling (1-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: The Pirates got the ship back on course last week thanks to the running of Chris Cornelius, who finished with 190 yards and 4 touchdowns. But while Cornelius was running wild, the Palatine defense also stepped up. Shredded a week earlier, allowing 41 points, the Palatine defense held Rolling Meadows in check, allowing just 13 points and less than 250 yards of total offense. Palatine will need that kind of effort against Wheeling, especially in light of the expected return of Isaac Branch from an ankle injury. Without Branch last week, the Wildcats struggled offensively, scoring just 3 points with 95 rushing yards.

Schaumburg (0-2) at Rolling Meadows (1-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: Both teams need a win after disappointing losses last week. Schaumburg failed twice to score from inside the 5 as the Saxons fell to 0-2 for the first time in 5 years. The Saxons got their ground offense moving, though. That effort is led by running back Justice Macneal-Young, who has gained 234 yards. Schaumburg still is having trouble through the air, throwing for just 27 yards in their first two games. RJ Mattucci has picked up the Rolling Meadows offense well in his first two games. The senior has thrown for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. However the Mustang defense has allowed 864 yards of offense and 68 points in its first two games.

Prospect (0-2) at Hoffman Estates (2-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Did not play

Outlook: Hoffman Estates has not won three games in a season since 2001. Coach Mike Donatucci's squad, which was 2-0 last year before losing its final 7 games, looks to stay on track. The Hawks rallied last week and then survived a last-second field goal attempt to win at Hersey. Look for H-back Dante Cleveland to keep clearing the way for quarterback Jeff Mayes and running back Connor McCreary, who combined for nearly 300 yards rushing in their first two games. Prospect got some good news when Greg Suarez, who was taken away by ambulance last week, was released from the hospital. The Knights will need him back on the field after surrendering 74 points in the last 6 quarters while scoring only 3.

Leyden (0-2) at Lyons (1-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Lyons 31, Leyden 14

Outlook: The Eagles hope that flying from their home nest will help them. Leyden has stumbled at home the first two weeks of the season and takes on a Lyons team that has defeated them the last three years. The Eagles have found some success on offense thanks to the combination of Tom Pajor to Alex Lemon. Pajor has completed 21 passes so far this season, 14 of which have gone to Lemon for 156 yards and a touchdown. They will try to avoid Lyons' defender Jack O'Malley, who had 2 interceptions last week.

Maine West (1-1) at Waukegan (1-1)When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Waukegan 35, Maine West 0

Outlook: Jason Kradman got his first win as head coach of the Warriors last week. And Maine West found its offense, with Chris Asuncion running wild for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Warrior defense also stepped up, allowing just 41 passing yards. They also contributed to the scoring with Jake Riportella coming up with an interception return for a touchdown, and Jared Brogni producing a safety. Waukegan has split with neighborhood rivals, falling to North Chicago and then topping Zion-Benton by 2 points. Waukegan managed just 116 yards in the victory, but its defense came up big with a late stop while allowing just 120 yards of offense.

Kirkland Hiawatha (2-0) at Christian Liberty (0-2)When: Saturday, 2 p.m.

Last year's result: Kirkland Hiawatha 38, CLA 0

Outlook: New coach Dave Daniels comes home for the first time and being shut out last week in Ottawa. CLA had 11 yards of offense last week and 4 first downs as the Chargers faced a stout Marquette defense. It doesn't get any easier for the Chargers, who take on an undefeated Kirkland team that is looking to match its win total from last year.

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