advertisement

Football: Round 2 playoff scouting, Lake County

CLASS 8ANo. 8 Loyola Academy (8-2) at No. 1 Stevenson (10-0)When: 1 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Loyola def. Warren, 37-20; Stevenson def. Lyons 21-17.

Winner gets: Winner of No. 5 Chicago Curie (9-1) at No. 4 New Trier (9-1).

Skinny: For almost an entire year now, Stevenson has been hoping to get another shot at Loyola. The Patriots squared off with Loyola in the state semifinals last year and wound up losing in the final seconds by one point, 15-14. "There haven't been many times since then that we haven't thought about how our season ended last year," said Stevenson coach Bill McNamara, who has tremendous respect for the Loyola program. "Loyola is Loyola and you're going to have to play one heck of a football game to beat them."…Stevenson, ranked No. 1 in the state for the majority of the season, is coming off a tough first-round test with Lyons. The Patriots had to battle to the end to secure a victory. "I think it's good that we played such a good Lyons team to prepare us for Loyola," Stevenson running back Jack Joseph said. "We're in a good place now. We're ready and we have the talent and the capability to succeed."…Stevenson got 98 rushing yards and all three of its touchdowns last week out of Joseph. The Patriots also had 103 passing yards and quarterback Willie Bourbon targeted Jack Sorenson 4 times for 67 yards. But Northwestern-bound receiver Cameron Green was held to just 1 catch for 1 yard…Meanwhile, the Stevenson defense had trouble containing Lyons running back Leonard Ross, who rushed for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. But the Patriots came up with the big play when it mattered, forcing and recovering a Ross fumble in the final minutes. Linebacker Tyler Vincent popped the ball loose and Patrick O'Connell recovered it…Loyola was down to Warren last week at halftime, 12-10. But the Ramblers exploded in the third quarter for 27 points over a 3-minute span, thanks in part to 3 Warren turnovers. Loyola is on its third-string quarterback, but that hasn't hurt the effectiveness of its offense. Aidan Walsh completed 13-of-17 passes against Warren for 168 yards. He replaced backup Emmett Clifford (collarbone), who replaced starter D.J. Melsheimer (concussion). When Walsh wasn't airing it out, Loyola turned to Dara Laja to pile up yards on the ground. Laja rushed for 128 yards on 16 carries against Warren…After defeating Stevenson in the semifinals last year, Loyola lost in the Class 8A title game to Naperville Central, 13-10.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

CLASS 7ANo. 15 Fenwick (6-4) at No. 10 Carmel (7-3)When: 4 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Fenwick def. Highland Park, 17-10; Carmel def. Machesney Park Harlem, 42-28.

Winner gets: Winner of No. 3 Addison Trail (9-1) at No. 11 Libertyville (7-3).

Skinny: Not often in a high school football season are there rematches. But that's exactly what Carmel gets in Fenwick. The Corsairs also get a chance for redemption. Fenwick defeated Carmel in the season opener in August, 31-20. "If you're a competitor, you like a game like this," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "It's rare that you get the chance to make up for mistakes that you made." The Corsairs had 2 turnovers, including an interception that went for a Fenwick touchdown. A Carmel fumble also set up another Fenwick score. "They were really fast on defense, and we have to find a way (to counter that). We have to play faster and I think we have been lately. We're more confident offensively," Bitto said. "We also have to hold onto the ball. They'll rip at it. They're always looking to create turnovers. We have to hold onto the ball and really protect it."…The Carmel offense has been humming lately, putting up an average of 38.3 points per game over the last three games. Out of their triple option attack, the Corsairs rolled up a whopping 474 rushing yards last week against Harlem. Sophomore running back Rondel Jamison finished with 231 yards on 24 carries while quarterback Mike Huiras added 137 yards on 11 carries. "We were able to find the seams early on and we got a lot of long runs," Bitto said of the Harlem game. "When the defense keyed on Rondel, then Mike got big gains." Carmel has rushed for more than 2,700 yards on the season, about 270 yards per game…Fenwick had a balanced offensive attack against Carmel in the season opener, getting 139 rushing yards and 198 passing yards. Running back Pat Donahue rolled up 124 yards on 29 carries and Iowa-bound quarterback Jack Beneventi completed 13-of-26 passes for 162 yards. "They're actually more of an I-formation team," Bitto said of Fenwick. "Most of their offense is out of a two-back set. It's a little more traditional than what we usually see with all the spreads."

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

No. 3 Addison Trail (9-1) at No. 11 Libertyville (7-3)When: 3 p.m., Saturday

Last week: Addison Trail def. Lake Zurich, 7-3; Libertyville def. Chicago Lincoln Park, 47-0.

Winner gets: Winner of No. 15 Fenwick (6-4) at No. 10 Carmel (7-3).

Skinny: After suffering a thorough defeat at the hands of Stevenson in its regular season finale two weeks ago, Libertyville bounced back with authority last week. The Wildcats were up 41-0 by halftime. "It's a confidence builder coming off last week's loss," Libertyville quarterback Riley Lees said. "It gives us momentum in the playoffs." Lees had yet another big all-around game, rolling up the yards on the ground and through the air. He rushed for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns on 7 carries. He also completed 4-of-9 passes for 185 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown pass to Nick Rossetti and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Henry Schmidt. Overall, Libertyville rolled up 391 yards of total offense…Addison Trail, which was just 2-7 last year and got its first playoff victory since 2004, was on the opposite end of the offensive spectrum against Lake Zurich. The Blazers managed just 7 points and 197 total yards in a defensive struggle. The game was a scoreless tie at halftime and both teams had fewer than 80 yards of offense each. On the game, Lake Zurich finished with only 127 yards and 7 first downs…Malik Pierre-Louis gave Addison Trail its only points against Lake Zurich, a 7-yard touchdown run. He totaled 71 rushing yards in his return from injury. He had missed the previous three games…Injuries have been a problem for the Blazers, who have been using back-up quarterback Ryan Zygowicz for the last three games. He replaced starter Mike Rybarczyk, who is out with a broken ankle. Zygowicz completed 6-of-10 passes for 71 yards.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

CLASS 6ANo. 6 Wheaton St. Francis (8-2) at No. 3 Lakes (9-1)When: 3 p.m., Saturday

Last week: St. Francis def. Grayslake North, 26-24; Lakes def. Prairie Ridge, 38-14.

Winner gets: Winner of No. 2 DeKalb (9-1) at No. 10 Hinsdale South (8-2).

Skinny: Lakes bulldozed its way through an emotional hurdle last week that had been hanging over the program for an entire year. The Eagles were upset on their own field last season in the first round by Prairie Ridge. Lakes turned the tables and emphatically bounced Prairie Ridge out of the playoffs last week. The Eagles were their usual prolific selves on offense, rolling up 418 yards of offense and 38 points. Lakes is averaging 43.8 points per game this season. Against Prairie Ridge, Lakes got 324 of its yards on the ground. Running back Izayah James, who has been battling a hip injury this season, accounted for 143 yards and 3 touchdowns. James is one of several running backs who have been hit with injuries this season. The Eagles lost starter Devyn Cedzidlo in a Week 5 loss to Stevenson with a broken fibula and Cameron Ruiz has had trouble with a leg injury as well…Meanwhile, quarterback Jordan Mercure continues to consistently produce big numbers for Lakes. He completed 6-of-11 passes for 94 yards last week while also rushing for 129 yards on 11 carries…Wheaton St. Francis is on a six-game winning streak but is coming off its closest win of the season, last week's 2- point win over Grayslake North. In the season opener, Lakes pounded Grayslake North, 37-14. Against Grayslake North, St. Francis used a balance attack on offense, dividing its 359 total yards only slightly in favor of the pass (193 passing yards, 166 rushing yards). The Spartans' offense was set up by its defense, which got a fourth-quarter safety by tackling a Grayslake North runner in the end zone. St. Francis then scored five plays later. "The offense and defense depend on each other," St. Francis quarterback Clint Bobowski said. "If the offense is down, the defense picks us up. When the defense is down, we come through. We were just a few inches from some big plays. But we stuck with it and grinded things out."…Bobowski completed 18-of-25 passes for 193 yards. Will Purdom led the St. Francis rushing attack with 99 yards on 24 carries.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.