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Scouting Tri-Cities second round playoff games

By Dave Oberhelman

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Class 7A

No. 1 Cary-Grove (10-0)

at No. 9 St. Charles North (8-2)

Game time: 2 p.m. Saturday.

First round: Cary-Grove 52, No. 16 Niles North 14; St. Charles North 34, No. 8 Rolling Meadows 22.

Outlook: Leading Niles North 31-0 after one quarter and 45-0 by halftime, coach Brad Seaburg's Cary-Grove squad did nothing to dispel the Class 7A No. 1 ranking it's held for weeks. Returning 16 starters from last season including 6-foot-4, 280-pound Notre Dame-bound offensive tackle Trevor Ruhland, the Trojans' triple-option offense has run for an unofficial 3,507 yards - nearly 300 more than St. Charles North has running and passing combined. While daunting, the underdog role is one North Stars coach Rob Pomazak and his squad has enjoyed on its way to tying a program wins record. "We relish it," Pomazak said. Making the jump from 6A, which Cary-Grove won in 2009 and took second in 2012, the Trojans haven't allowed more than 20 points since their season-opener, and average nearly 40. With 260-pound senior guard Michael Gomez shifting with Ruhland along the line, sophomore fullback Tyler Pennington has run for 1,244 yards, among five Trojans backs with at least 290 yards rushing including quarterback Jason Gregoire. "When you start falling asleep with the run game that's when they hit you with the pass," Pomazak said, a ploy that went for 2 touchdowns against Niles North. Defensive backs Jake Chantos, Jake Spaniol, Tyler Bell and now Brendan Joyce and Zach Woeste, both back from injury, will be on alert. The Gregoire pass to Larkin Hanselmann or Matt Sutherland may be a valid option because St. Charles North will be as big and physical as any team Cary-Grove has faced. The North Stars have allowed 94 total points, the Trojans 97. Against Rolling Meadows St. Charles North defensive linemen Dalton Young and Jordan Bergren combined for 20 tackles; Jack Glavin and Bergren each made 2 of the Stars' 8 sacks. Linebackers such as Brendan McCarthy and Jack Callaghan are both big and mobile, and though St. Charles North has practiced against the triple option for only two weeks, assistant coach Jeff Petersen ran it eight years at Antioch. St. Charles North's read-option offense, behind quarterback Nathan Didier, has gotten increasingly comfortable executing. The one-two of running backs Eric Lins and Dom Sidari (provided he stay healthy) plus Didier on keepers hasn't amassed huge numbers, but keeps teams off-balance. The North Stars also do that via the pass, getting decent speed and nearly uniform results from Tyler Mettetal, Blake Kastein, Jayson Reckards and Kyle Novotney, the former quarterback who has emerged as the North Stars' leading receiver by average. Against this Cary-Grove juggernaut eliminating turnovers will be mandatory; the Trojans' Hanselmann and Willie Hartke each added their fifth interceptions last week. It's a tough task Pomazak anticipates mightily. "We're excited for the opportunity," he said. "We want to surpass people's expectations."

Advancement: The winner advances to a Class 7A quarterfinal game against the winner between No. 4 Geneva (9-1) and No. 5 Rockton Hononegah (9-1).

Class 7A

No. 5 Rockton Hononegah (9-1)

at No. 4 Geneva (9-1)

Game time: 2 p.m. Saturday.

First round: Rockton Hononegah 34, No. 12 Rockford Auburn 14; Geneva 41, No. 13 Hersey 27.

Outlook: In 2008 in Rockton, Geneva's Michael Ratay ran for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Vikings' 46-28 second-round Class 7A victory. That did not diminish Rockton coach Tim Sughroue's pleasure to see Geneva and coach Rob Wicinski. "He's a great guy," Sughroue said, "and we just look forward to it. It's a great venue there." Hononegah, which avenged its only regular season loss last week against Auburn, finished the regular season ranked fifth in Class 7A to Geneva's No. 8. To Wicinski's vast pleasure last week the Vikings' ground game was rekindled by Justin Taormina, who followed fullback Max Woodworth and the strong offensive line of Loudon Vollbrecht, Joe Wagner, John Boenzi, T.K. Hood and Ben Baker 29 times for 146 yards and 4 short touchdown runs plus a 26-yard scoring scamper to salt Hersey away. "Probably the best game (the offensive line) played as a unit," said Wicinski, who also noted that after Hersey tied 27-27 with 4:12 left in the third quarter Geneva kept its poise and finished. Speaking of running the ball, that's what Sughroue's Indians specialize in. Running a Wing-T with some option behind veteran linemen Shane Ryczek, T.J. Babcock and tight end Tristyn Berg, Hononegah averages 368 yards rushing, 43 passing. Quarterback Daytona Chandler (3 touchdown passes, 3 interceptions) mainly hands off to backs Marcos Reyes, Alec Dodd, Kienen Nordlie - none of whom average less than 6.6 yards per carry - and the main man, fullback Samuel Ballano. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior has run for 1,486 yards, leading all backs in the NIC-10 Conference, and 23 touchdowns. Wicinski said this unfamiliar offense will be plenty hard to stop - "we're gonna have to put our big-boy pants on," he said. However, Ballano heads right into the teeth of the Vikings defense, nose tackle Steven Kemp, safety Sean Chambers and linebacker Wyatt Shodeen, the Vikings' three leading tacklers. (On the down side, defensive end Jack McCloughan is done after surgery Wednesday on a hand he broke against Hersey; Collin Lee will spell the tall end.) Offensively, Taormina's big game couldn't have come at a better time. Against a 3-3 stack defense similar to what Geneva saw last week, the ground threat keeps players like defensive tackle Jacob Cremeens and his 9 sacks hanging around the line a little longer, perhaps opening up the passing game of Daniel Santacaterina and his receiver pals Pace Temple, Mike Landi and Jack Wassel. The Northern Illinois-bound Santacaterina has thrown for 2,113 yards but is looking for his first multiple-touchdown game since Week 7 against West Chicago. For both teams, this will be about controlling the ball without committing turnovers. "The game is definitely shortened with this team," Wicinski said. "We've got to execute well because we're not going to get as many touches."

Advancement: The winner advances to a Class 7A quarterfinal game against the winner between No. 1 Cary-Grove and No. 9 St. Charles North (8-2).

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