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Scouting this weekend's DuPage County football games

By Dave Oberhelman and Kevin Schmit

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

kschmit@dailyherald.com

Bartlett (3-3, 2-2) at Neuqua Valley (4-2, 4-0)

Upstate Eight Valley

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

Last week: Bartlett 23, Glenbard East 20 OT; Neuqua Valley 48, West Aurora 35.

Last year: Neuqua Valley 34, Bartlett 20.

Outlook: Bartlett, winning last week on Alex Triantos' overtime field goal, looks to delay Neuqua's playoff qualification and spoil its perfect Valley record going into next week's game against Waubonsie Valley. Bartlett coach Tom Meaney benched senior quarterback Jordan Flint last week, but junior Brenner Wallace threw 3 interceptions. The Hawks, who set a program mark by turning Glenbard East over 7 times, power behind Nolan Bernat's 680 yards rushing. Bartlett has 1 throwing touchdown to 8 rushing. Neuqua's 17 rushing TDs to 11 passing is more the balance Wildcats coach Bill Ellinghaus seeks. The coach is looking for a defensive line push by Patrick Cadogan, Tyler Bromer and Chris Rice, and for his offensive line of Jon Bylak, Devin Eubanks, Hank Michalski, Jarred Cruger and Tommy and Anthony Cwiok to crack Bartlett's 4-4 defense and protect quarterback Broc Rutter. After a slow start Rutter has completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,033 yards, 11 touchdowns.Next week: South Elgin at Bartlett; Neuqua Valley vs. Waubonsie Valley at North Central College.

Carmel (4-2, 3-1) at Benet (4-2, 2-2)

East Suburban Catholic Conference

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

Last week: Carmel 38, St. Viator 20; Nazareth 35, Benet 13.

Last year: Did not play.

Outlook: The Corsairs have bounced back from a slow start with three straight wins. Slowing Carmel always means slowing the option, which is easier said than done. Last week quarterback Michael Huiras and running back Rondel Jamison combined for 300 of the team's near-400 rushing yards. Benet's defense suffered a setback in two straight losses, but it remains strong with Trent Kramer, Glen Kleinschmidt and Nick Pavlishin up front, Brian Runger at linebacker and Colin Brahler in the secondary. The Redwings, though, have seen spread offenses all season. They'll need to get up to speed with the option pretty quickly. Benet running back Brad Sznajder gutted through another 100-yard rushing performance last week, but for the Redwings to get back on track they'll need more consistency in the passing game. The good news there is sophomore quarterback Jack Sznajder's been spreading the ball to a half dozen targets each game.

Next week: Marian Central at Carmel; Benet at Joliet Catholic.

Lake Park (4-2, 1-1) at Glenbard North (3-3, 1-1)

DuPage Valley Conference

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

Last week: WW South 14, Lake Park 7 OT; Glenbard North 27, Wheaton North 23.

Last year: Glenbard North 41, Lake Park 12.

Outlook: Glenbard North has forged an offensive identity after a rocky few weeks that saw the Panthers hammered with injuries at the skill positions. They've also settled on a solid crew up front led by guard Dominic Heredia. Junior running back Devion Hodges notched his second straight 200-yard rushing performance and handled the load to the tune of 40 carries last week. Sophomore quarterback Shane Conway, meanwhile, continues to grow into his role. It's a strength-on-strength matchup with Lake Park's brick-wall defensive line featuring Mike Panasiuk and Christian Oshana. Another clear strength rests in the secondary with senior Antonio Shenault, who verbally committed to Minnesota on Thursday. The Lancers' offense continues to rotate quarterbacks Mike Perry and Jaron Fields. They'll need to somehow get Kenny Jones and the ground game going against the Panthers' defense and standout linebacker Luke Greenberg.

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

Montini (4-2, 1-0) at St. Francis (4-2, 0-1)

Chicago Catholic Green

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

Last week: Montini 49, St. Joseph 7; St. Francis 36, St. Laurence 0.

Last year: Montini 30, St. Francis 7.

Outlook: After blowout wins over Leo and St. Joseph, Montini should finally get push-back from the Spartans, who limited St. Laurence to 102 yards. Playing at St. Francis' home field for the first time since 2007, Montini returns 300-pound lineman Michael Johnson from injury to the benefit of quarterback Chuck Norgle, who has completed 63 percent of his passes for 17 touchdowns. Patrick Maloney, Tyler Millikan and Leon Thornton III - a force returning kicks - all are impact receivers, and running back Prince Walker keeps teams honest with 431 yards rushing. St. Francis' conversion from a run-based offense to a spread has been a success and lends a practice simulation it hasn't had in years against Montini. Quarterback Clint Bobowski, also the team's rushing leader, has thrown for 1,241 yards, his favorite targets Michael Shaw and Matt Hanson. Montini must figure out how to handle defensive end Quinn Calcagno, who has 14 of his 43 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Next week: Fenwick at Montini; St. Francis at De La Salle.

Wheaton Warrenville South (2-4, 1-1) at Naperville North (2-4, 0-2)

DuPage Valley Conference

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

Last week: WW South 14, Lake Park 7 OT; Naperville Central 27, Naperville North 6.

Last year: Naperville North 21, WW South 14.

Outlook: The records say it all. Naperville North's streak of 17 straight playoff appearances is on the line, while the Tigers are at risk of missing the postseason for only the third time since their first appearance in 1988. WW South's offense is pretty banged up. Running back Mike Campos missed the bulk of last week's overtime win with an ankle injury. Quarterback Josh Prueter, the unit's player of the week, and Jonathon Johnson combined for more than 100 rushing yards. Naperville North's defensive effort starts up front with Chris Zhang and Tom Rizzi. The Huskies changed their offensive focus last week, spreading out in multi-receiver sets with Evan Kujawski at quarterback and Chris Gajcak at receiver, where he had a team-high 8 catches. WW South's defense, led by Northwestern-bound linebacker Tom Vitale, saw Jake Kyllonen snare 2 interceptions last week. Solomon Jackson, who added 2 sacks, continues to be a terror on the line.

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

Downers Grove North (1-5, 0-3) at York (4-2, 1-2)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Despite playoff elimination the Trojans will keep pushing for wins behind quarterback David Edwards and running back Jared Whitacre. York's ground game is key with Kyle Coughlin and a slew of backs who chewed up 389 rushing yards last week.

East Aurora (0-6, 0-4) at Metea Valley (3-3, 2-2)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Metea running back Bryson Oliver has run for 515 yards and 6 touchdowns in the last two games. Nick Dodson caught 6 passes for 131 yards in last week's 38-37 loss to Waubonsie Valley. East Aurora will be hard-pressed to stop either of them.

Fenton (4-2, 0-2) at Riverside-Brookfield (4-2, 2-0)Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: With 6 wins looking like a must for playoff qualification, this rivalry game becomes pretty important for the Bison, who must be more efficient in the red zone. Tight end Cody Quarles has been a go-to guy in the pass game, but others need to emerge.

Glenbard East (3-3, 1-3) at South Elgin (3-3, 2-2)Game time: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The quick hit: A lot about ball control for Glenbard East against a diverse South Elgin offense. The Rams turned the ball over 7 times in the 23-20 loss to Bartlett. Getting running back Dominic Wilbertson on track is key after consecutive games of 28 and 5 yards rushing.

Glenbard South (4-2, 2-0) at Aurora Central (5-1, 1-1)Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Sophomore running back Sean Cooke became the latest offensive threat to emerge for the Raiders with last week's 120-yard, 3-touchdown effort behind a line led by Matt Wisla. Andre Steiger and the defense will be pushed by the Chargers' pass attack.

Glenbard West (6-0, 4-0) at Proviso West (2-4, 0-3)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: After a rugged win over previously unbeaten Oak Park, this is a get-healthy, stay-healthy game for the Hilltoppers. Fullback Donahvon Vaughn sat with an ankle injury, allowing Sean Mackey and Isaiah Skinner to take some pressure off Sam Brodner.

Hinsdale South (5-1) at Hinsdale Central (4-2)Game time: Noon Saturday.

The quick hit: A win all but clinches a playoff berth for both. While Hinsdale Central continues to heal up, Hinsdale South running back Marcus Curry is likely out. Josh King should be set to return, though. Ravon Johnson snared two more touchdown catches last week.

Lisle (1-5, 0-4) at Herscher (4-2, 3-1)Game time: 7:15 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Injuries and absences will have Lisle down to 17 players, but the Lions have had much success against Herscher. Fumbles foiled a 20-7 lead over Reed-Custer, and with it Lisle's playoff hopes. Players like David Keleher and Mark McGrath keep plugging away.

Proviso East (1-5, 0-3) at Addison Trail (6-0, 4-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: After clinching a playoff berth and the WSC Gold title, the Blazers are focused on a win and the best start in program history. With Malik Pierre-Louis out, look for receiver Darrion Conrad and running backs Larry Thomas and Mike Hundley to carry the load.

Reed-Custer (1-5, 1-3) at Westmont (3-3, 2-2)Game time: 7 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Rallying to a 27-22 win over Seneca was huge for Westmont, whose homecoming is this week. The Sentinels got lineman Sam Soltwisch back from injury and now look to return receiver Marquis Thomas, who had 322 yards receiving in his last full game.

West Aurora (1-5, 1-3) at Waubonsie Valley (6-0, 4-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Any team that scores 35 points against Neuqua Valley is of concern, and Waubonsie Valley has not been winning demonstrably of late. Still, the option game of quarterback Jake Bennema, tailback Tony Durns and fullback Ryan Berg has yet to be stopped.

West Chicago (3-3, 2-2) at Geneva (6-0, 4-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The return of quarterback Peyton Seidler will do wonders for West Chicago's offense. Defensively, it'll be all hands on deck against Northern Illinois-bound quarterback Daniel Santacaterina. Wildcats defensive backs Peter Dolan, Jon Sturm will be busy.

Wheaton Academy (4-2, 0-2) at IC Catholic Prep (2-4, 1-1)Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

The quick hit: IC Catholic's health situation is an issue with running back Jordan Rowell and receiver Rhashaun Epting banged up from last week's loss. Wheaton Academy's defense will be ready regardless with linebacker Kyle Maranhas and lineman Josh Dutton.

Wheaton North (2-4, 1-1) at Naperville Central (5-1, 2-0)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: Falcons sophomore quarterback Luke Anthony faces his stiffest test against a Naperville Central defense that's snared 14 interceptions - three last week by Garrett Purdy. Redhawks running back Kevin Clifford had a season-high 250 rushing yards last week.

Willowbrook (1-5, 1-2) at Downers Grove South (4-2, 2-1)Game time: 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The quick hit: The return from injury of quarterback Billy Degnan sparked the Warriors to their first win. Josh Berry stepped up in the rushing, receiving and return games. Downers South's riding a three-game winning streak thanks to last week's cross-town victory.

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