Scouting this weekend's DuPage County football games

By Kevin Schmit and Dave Oberhelman

kschmit@dailyherald.com

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Lyons Twp. (2-1, 0-0) at Glenbard West (3-0, 1-0)

West Suburban Silver

Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Last week: Lyons Twp. 45, Leyden 0; Glenbard West 38, Downers North 0.

Last year: Glenbard West 44, Lyons Twp. 7.

Outlook: Dating back to the end of the 2007 season, Glenbard West has won 37 of its last 38 West Suburban Silver games. The lone blemish? A Week 9 home loss to Lyons Twp. in 2010. Even though the Hilltoppers have outscored the Lions by an average margin of 36 points in the three games since, they'll be fully focused on defending Duchon Field. They'll also be focused on defending Lions running back Leonard Ross, who's committed to Miami of Ohio, and third-year quarterback Tom Fiedler. Glenbard West is already strong at linebacker with speedsters like Ben Marcus and Nico Gagliano, but they got an added boost last week when Matt Loftus made his season debut. The Hilltoppers' offense is rolling right now, and the running game of Sam Brodner and Donahvon Vaughn is just half the story. Quarterback Kyle Kramer has been extremely effective, although coach Chad Hetlet wants to see his team cut down on the drops from a week ago.

Next week: Downers North at Lyons Twp.; Glenbard West at Hinsdale Central.

Naperville Central (2-1) at Wheaton Warrenville South (1-2)

Nonconference

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Last week: Naperville Central 59, Hubbard 0; WW South 30, Morgan Park 6.

Last year: WW South 14, Naperville Central 7.

Outlook: See last year's score? Given the stingy defenses, you might see something similar in this matchup. It's the first of two games between the DuPage Valley Conference rivals, but this one won't count in the standings. The Week 9 rematch will count. Naperville Central linebacker Dan DelGrosso missed the bulk of last week's game with a hand injury, but he should be ready to go. Luckily for the Redhawks, they have plenty of depth there with Bobby McMillen, Mack Heatherly, Rick Hatton, Jon Barker and others. They'll be tasked at slowing the Tigers' ground game featuring Mike Campos and Jonathon Johnson, who both nearly rushed for 100 yards last week. The Redhawks also need to shadow athletic quarterback Josh Prueter. Naperville Central's offense is looking for a breakout game with running back Kevin Clifford and receivers Michael Kolzow and Emmanuel Rugamba. WW South defensive lineman Solomon Jackson dominated with 3 sacks against Morgan Park.

Next week: Glenbard North at Naperville Central; WW South at Wheaton North.

Neuqua Valley (1-2, 1-0) at South Elgin (2-1, 1-0)

Upstate Eight Valley Conference

Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Last week: Neuqua Valley 26, Glenbard East 6; South Elgin 62, West Aurora 27.

Last year: Neuqua Valley 40, South Elgin 34.

Outlook: The UEC Valley heats up. Two-time defending champion Neuqua comes off its 13th straight Valley win. Coach Bill Ellinghaus saw a second-half offensive spark against Glenbard East, headed by running back Charlie Hunter and receptions to five different Wildcats with an Evan Moore touchdown catch. Senior linebacker Derrek Warkenthien, at fullback for the first time since he started for the sophomores, broke a dive 34 yards and made 7 tackles. He's a key in the middle of Neuqua's 3-5 defense, which will need Eli Tappin, Tyler Bromer, Christian Malave and all hands on deck against South Elgin, plus four quarters of offense. West Aurora stats credited the Storm with an unruly 633 yards. Its well-earned reputation is as a passing team, but South Elgin also has two dangerous backs in Shawn Griffin and Kyle Ware, who last week combined for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns."We need to be assignment-sound and our defense has to play their best football game," Ellinghaus said.

Next week: East Aurora at Neuqua Valley; Metea Valley at South Elgin.

St. Patrick (2-1, 0-1) at Benet (3-0, 1-0)

East Suburban Catholic Conference

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lisle's Benedictine University.

Last week: Nazareth 52, St. Patrick 27; Benet 23, Notre Dame 0.

Last year: Benet 37, St. Patrick 13.

Outlook: In every phase Benet gets better with each game. It starts with special teams, where last week Matt Tromp booted 3 field goals. The Redwings' defense, led by linebacker Charlie Weidenbach and safety Mac Cooney, pitched a shutout while allowing only 140 yards. The challenge gets tougher this week with St. Patrick third-year starting quarterback Zach Fuller, who's already thrown 9 touchdown passes. Fuller presents the toughest passing test the Redwings have seen so far this season. Cooney and Andrew Valadka, however, have combined for 5 of the team's 6 interceptions. Benet's offense has the ground game churning behind experienced linemen Tyler Takahashi, Connor O'Donnell and Sean O'Connor. Last week running back Brad Sznajder rushed for 296 yards and scored both Redwings touchdowns. He also had 3 catches for 35 yards, although Benet's looking to expand its passing game to keep the Shamrocks' defense from stacking the box.

Next week: St. Patrick at Carmel; Benet at Marist.

Waubonsie Valley (3-0, 1-0) at Bartlett (2-1, 1-0)

Upstate Eight Valley

Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Streamwood's Millennium Field.

Last week: Waubonsie Valley 49, East Aurora 6; Bartlett 14, Metea Valley 3.

Last year: Waubonsie Valley 47, Bartlett 6.

Outlook: Waubonsie Valley is in the race for its first UEC Valley title since the 2010 season, when it shared the honor with Bartlett. Offensively, Waubonsie has thus far thrived on the ground, tailback Tony Durns and quarterback Zach Bennema running for 463 and 235 yards, respectively, with 4 touchdowns apiece. The passing game struck last week on a 36-yarder to Keaton Casey in a rare blocking-role reprieve. Bartlett, coming off its 100th win, is improved over last season. The Hawks have size and lead blockers in front of junior back Nolan Bernat, who has run for 203 and 187 yards the last two games, Waubonsie coach Paul Murphy hopes the overall speed of his defensive front seven of linemen Kurtis Chione, Adam Ziminski and Nick Horn and linebackers Max Ihry, Kenny Woodruff, Jake McCabe and Ryan Strick can force Bartlett quarterback Jordan Flint to the air. "Our quickness has got to find a way to get through their wall of blockers and find their tailback," Murphy said.

Next week: Waubonsie Valley at Glenbard East; Bartlett at West Aurora.

Addison Trail (3-0, 1-0) at Leyden (0-3, 0-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: As much as the Blazers have enjoyed pounding the ball with junior running back Malik Pierre-Louis, they know they need to get the pass game going with quarterback Mike Rybarczyk and explosive receivers Jaavion Bradley and Jake Atiyeh.

Brother Rice (2-1) at St. Francis (2-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: St. Francis coach Mike Fitzgerald thinks Brother Rice will seek revenge based on his experience at rival Marist. Spartans quarterback Clint Bobowski will go with what works; he and Michael Shaw have connected 12 times for 204 yards, 2 TDs.

Chicago Christian (1-2) at Wheaton Academy (3-0)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The Warriors have outscored opponents 129-0, and a big reason is turnovers. They're at a 15-2 advantage. Contributions are coming across the board. Last week linebacker Kyle Maranhas and safety Kordell Bowling combined for 17 tackles.

Downers Grove South (1-2, 0-1) at Morton (1-2, 1-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Expect changes to Downers South's offense. For one, defensive lineman Jamaal Harvey will play both ways. Running back Jacob Baker, out last week with an injury, should return. Linebacker Ryan Taylor will continue to see time in the backfield.

Elgin (0-3, 0-1) at West Chicago (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Rain and St. Charles North's buff defense hampered West Chicago last week. Those concerns may be diminished here. To move the ball, the Wildcats look for quarterback Peyton Seidler to find end Alex Mitchell, tight end Zach Ullman on the perimeter.

Elmwood Park (1-2) at Fenton (3-0)Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: After a slow start to last week's win over Ridgewood, the Bison aim for focus out of the gate in this MSC crossover. Fenton was much improved in the second half thanks in part to the continued strong play of junior linebacker Eric Lonergan.

Glenbard East (2-1, 0-1) at East Aurora (0-3, 0-1)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Glenbard East works to minimize mistakes after shooting itself in the foot against Neuqua Valley. Rams tailback Dom Wilberton comes off another strong outing, 93 yards rushing. Rams linebackers Justin Griffin and Anthony Allen are disrupters.

Glenbard North (1-2) at Naperville North (2-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: For all the Panthers' injuries on offense, the defense keeps playing well. Running back Devion Hodges and quarterback Brett Gasiorowski should return. If the Huskies eliminate the turnovers of last week, they'll be in much better position to compete.

Hinsdale Central (2-1, 1-0) at Proviso West (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Starting quarterback Matt Rafferty missed last week's game with injury, forcing sophomore Josh Bean into action. It didn't matter, not with powerful running back Juwan Edmond needing only 17 carries to rush for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Lisle (1-2, 0-1) at Westmont (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The ninth annual game for the Old Plank Road Trophy. Lisle got a fine all-around game last week from Nick Massura, a team-high 7.5 tackles and 75 yards rushing. They'll need more stout line play to stop Westmont 187-pound back Quintin Brown.

Montini (1-2, 0-0) at De La Salle (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Spread offenses battle in Montini's Chicago Catholic Green debut. Broncos quarterback Chuck Norgle seeks a rebound after four scoreless red zone chances against St. Rita in the Broncos' first shutout since 2006. Time for a Prince Walker breakout.

Oak Park (3-0, 1-0) at Downers Grove North (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: After allowing 38 points in a shutout loss to Glenbard West, the Trojans have a tough assignment trying to slow an Oak Park offense averaging 44 points a game. Quarterback David Edwards returned from injury, as did running back Spencer Carr.

Proviso East (1-2, 0-1) at Hinsdale South (3-0, 1-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The Hornets are creating turnovers at a manic pace. They forced six in their win over Willowbrook, including 2 interceptions by Robert Hall. One was a pick six. The team's offensive player of the week, Ravon Johnson, had 2 touchdown catches.

Ridgewood (1-2) at Glenbard South (1-2)Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Battle-tested in the first two weeks, the Raiders played near-perfect while beating Elmwood Park and have an opportunity to build momentum toward another playoff run. Dillon Valdez and Andrew Wrona returned interceptions for touchdowns.

St. Edward (3-0) at IC Catholic Prep (1-2)Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

The quick hit: Offensive changes paid off for the Knights in a win over Walther Christian. Rashaun Epting and freshman Luke Ricobene will keep splitting time at quarterback. Nicky Leslie and others are back from injury to bring much-needed defensive depth.

West Aurora (0-3, 0-1) at Metea Valley (1-2, 0-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Metea tailback Bryson Oliver, receivers Nick Dodson, Michael Sfikas and Kris King and quarterback Kyle Mooney might be salivating hearing West Aurora allowed 633 yards last week. Kelvin Givantt, Mitch Waller both hope to return from injury.

Wheaton North (0-3) at Lake Park (3-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Past one of the state's toughest nonconference schedules, the Falcons should be prepped for the first of two games with the Lancers, who are well-rested from a forfeit win. A healthy Mike Panasiuk is a handful on Lake Park's defensive line.

Willowbrook (0-3) at York (2-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Six turnovers doomed Willowbrook in a loss to Hinsdale South, although David Harris managed 100 rushing yards. Nineteen first downs and 31 minutes of possession should have produced better results for York, which lost to Hinsdale Central.