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Scouting this weekend's DuPage County playoff football games

By Dave Oberhelman and Kevin Schmit

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

kschmit@dailyherald.com

No. 1 Stevenson (12-0) at No. 2 Glenbard West (12-0)

Class 8A semifinals

Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Road to the semifinals: Stevenson beat No. 16 Lyons Twp. 21-17, No. 8 Loyola 24-21 and No. 4 New Trier 38-10; Glenbard West beat No. 15 Fremd 34-14, No. 10 Palatine 41-7 and No. 6 Barrington 28-21.

Playoff history: Making its 26th consecutive playoff appearance and 27th overall, Stevenson, under fifth-year coach Bill McNamara, seeks its second state title game berth. The first came in 2002 when the Patriots beat Wheaton North in the semifinals before losing to Lockport in the final. Stevenson fell to Loyola in last year's semifinals. Glenbard West is a qualifier for the eighth straight year and for the 25th time overall. The Hilltoppers have made four title game appearances, winning the Class 5A title in 1983 and the 7A title in 2012. The Hilltoppers and eighth-year coach Chad Hetlet, competing for the first time in 8A, are in the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years.

Outlook: The matchup everyone wants to see is Stevenson's potent offense against Glenbard West's defense. The Patriots have it all on offense led by experienced third-year starting quarterback Willie Bourbon, who will play baseball at Northwestern. While receiver Cameron Green, also committed to Northwestern, is the focal point of the passing game, Jack Sorenson's actually piled up similar numbers. Combined they've caught 100 passes for 1,568 of Bourbon's 2,248 yards in the air. The Patriots, though, also have a 1,000-yard rusher in Jack Joseph. It's a handful for Glenbard West's defense, which has given up some big plays the past few weeks. Even still, the unit allowed only 2 touchdowns last week. Unlike Stevenson's offense, the Hitters' defense is a no-name group anchored up front by talented ends Declan Ryan and Nate Orrison. The next level features linebackers Ben Marcus and Nico Gagliano, but the pressure will be on the secondary. Michael Darnall and Co. need to keep the talented Stevenson receivers in check. Glenbard West's offensive strength is no secret. The Hilltoppers will pound junior running back Sam Brodner as much as they can. He's rushed for 1,840 yards and 27 touchdowns, including an average of 207 yards and 3 touchdowns in three playoff games. The Hilltoppers mix it up with fellow backs Donahvon Vaughn, Sean Mackey and Isaiah Skinner, but Brodner's the go-to guy. He won't be shy about carrying the ball 30 times or more. Despite 3 interceptions last week, quarterback Kyle Kramer's brought a steady balance with Glenbard West's play-action passing. Six-foot-three Aidan Gould leads the team with 42 catches, but last week Kramer spread to the ball to seven receivers. Like its offense, Stevenson's defense also has its share of star power with 6-foot-2, 275-pound Eastern Michigan-bound tackle Nick Dillon, who has 7 sacks, and linebacker Jason Vravick, committed to Columbia. Jack Leahy and Glenbard West's offensive line make a habit of wearing down defenses, something that may have been a factor in last week's come-from-behind victory over Barrington. That won't be easy, however, against Stevenson's deep talent on that side of the ball.

Intangibles: Glenbard West loves home cooking, and the Hilltoppers have gotten a steady diet this season. Saturday marks their ninth home game of the year. While most teams, like Stevenson, are accustomed to artificial surfaces, Glenbard West makes a living on grass. Duchon Field has been rock hard late in the season, but it has held up well. If it thaws and then the rain comes, it could be quite messy. Does that play to Glenbard West's advantage? While it wouldn't hurt to try slowing down Stevenson's immense speed, Glenbard West relies on speedy athletes on both sides of the ball. A muddy field likely would hurt both teams, although the Hilltoppers' ground game fits in with muddy field conditions much better than Stevenson's spread attack. Last week the Hilltoppers turned the ball over three times and committed 9 penalties. If Glenbard West hopes to win, that can't happen again.

Advancement: The winner advances to the state title game to play the winner between No. 2 Simeon (11-1) and No. 3 Homewood-Flossmoor (10-2).

No. 6 St. Francis (10-2) at No. 1 Nazareth (12-0)

Class 6A semifinals

Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Road to the semifinals: St. Francis beat No. 11 Grayslake North 26-24, No. 3 Lakes 39-36 and No. 10 Hinsdale South 41-14; Nazareth beat No. 16 Boylan 56-28, No. 9 King 45-8 and No. 13 Lake Forest 54-24.

Playoff history: Coach Mike Fitzgerald leads St. Francis' 12th playoff appearance and second straight with a cumulative 12-10 record. The Spartans made the 2000 Class 3A quarterfinals, then went all the way to win the Class 5A championship in 2008. That season was their only time past the quarterfinals until now. This is Nazareth's second straight playoff appearance and 14th overall, with a cumulative record of 11-13. This semifinal marks Nazareth's deepest playoff run. Former Driscoll coach Tim Racki's Roadrunners reached the 5A quarterfinals in 2007 and the 6A quarters in 2011. St. Francis beat Nazareth 42-20 in a second-round game on the way to the Spartans' 2008 state title.

Outlook: Led offensively by first-year starting quarterback Clint Bobowski, operating a spread offense implemented by a first-year coach, St. Francis' ascent has been amazing. Bobowski has passed for 2,354 yards, 22 touchdowns and 7 interceptions; his main targets are receivers Michael Shaw with 60 catches for 806 yards and 6 touchdowns, and Matt Hansen with 42 catches, 652 yards, 5 touchdowns. After top back Steven Fassnacht broke an ankle in a Week 3 loss against Marmion, Bobowski stepped up for a team-high 673 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Fassnacht returned last week for 78 yards and a touchdown. Spartans defensive coordinator Joe Horeni also switched schemes, to a 3-4 from a 3-5. St. Francis has responded with an average of 14 points allowed. It's a swarming, opportunistic defense that has recovered 18 fumbles and intercepted 20 passes led by cornerback Hanson's 5 picks. All-state defensive end Quinn Calcagno leads St. Francis with 90 tackles, 15 for loss, with 12 sacks. Except for two-way lineman Calcagno, the defensive line, including end Michael Riley and nose tackle Thomas Brundage, is not big, but it's plenty active and supported by linebackers such as Brian Marren, Thomas Petrando and burly John Vargyas. Fitzgerald's keys were establishing the run, sustaining drives to enjoy field position and, defensively, avoiding the big play. Nazareth ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in 6A and has outscored teams 256-27 in the first quarter. Two quarterbacks, Carson Bartels and more active passer Jonah Beauduy, target big-play receivers. Thriving on the perimeter, top threat Chris Simmons averages 22.8 yards on 26 receptions, 6-3 Kevin Jackson averages 27.9 yards on 16 catches and, out of the backfield, Julian Love averages 27.3 yards per catch. Love, a slasher with an Illinois offer who has 2 interception returns for scores, has run for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running between huge tackles in this multiple-look offense is Neuqua Valley transfer Nolan Dean with 1,764 yards and 25 touchdowns (but 4 fumbles). Headed by 6-6, 290-pound Jack Shutack with offers from Minnesota and North Carolina State, the offensive line averages 285 pounds and has led an offense that's gained at least 500 yards four times, including 615 yards against Lake Forest. Defensively, versatile Decx Kelly and linebacker and team captain Dak Bakovich lead Nazareth with 90 and 89 tackles, respectively.

Intangibles: St. Francis has rallied around grit, discipline and chemistry all season. If successful early they may instill doubt into the higher seed. Racki-coached teams offer surprises and won't quit, but Fitzgerald is familiar with Nazareth's schemes after the prior six years as offensive coordinator at Marist, which plays Nazareth in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. It's hard to believe but Racki has been at Nazareth 10 years, longer than his seven years as head coach at Driscoll which included a 24-2 playoff record and four straight Class 4A championships from 2001-04. After falling short in 2011 at 10-2, he'd love to put the Roadrunners in contention for a title.

Advancement: The winner advances to the state title game to play the winner between No. 1 Lemont (12-0) and No. 1 Peoria Notre Dame (12-0).

No. 1 Geneseo (12-0) at No. 6 Montini (9-3)

Class 5A semifinals

Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Road to the semifinals: Geneseo beat No. 16 Belvidere 30-20, No. 8 Rich East 41-16 and No. 12 Sycamore 23-13; Montini beat No. 11 DuSable 56-8, No. 3 Joliet Catholic 27-13 and No. 15 Marian Central 23-13.

Playoff history: Coach Larry Johnsen Jr. has Geneseo in the playoffs a third straight year, the Maple Leafs' 38th appearance in the series' 41-year history. Geneseo's playoff record is 74-33 with 10 title game appearances and 4 championships, including a 1970s three-peat under legendary Wing-T coach Bob Reade. The Maple Leafs were last year's runner-up in Class 4A. Montini has made the playoffs 22 straight years, the longest run in 5A, and 27 times overall under coach Chris Andriano. The Broncos are 56-21 in the playoffs with the 2004 4A title and 5A state titles each year from 2010-14 plus last year's runner-up finish. The last time they met Geneseo - then Geneseo Darnall - beat Montini 46-15 in the Class 4A semifinals, bound for a title under Larry Johnsen Sr., the current coach's father.

Outlook: Geneseo runs a Wing-T offense in which quarterback Greg Rusk has thrown the ball just 68 times. "If you could go back to the Big Ten of the 1960s, those are our highlight reels," said Johnson Jr. Averaging a stout 6.2 yards per carry, Geneseo has 3,245 yards rushing while Rusk has completed 40 of 68 passes for 748 yards, mainly to two-way stars Drew Himmelman, a 6-foot-4 tight end, and running back Ryan Pitra. Based on technique and fundamentals more than size up front, center Jacob Beeth and two-year starting tackle Jacob VanDoren block for jet sweeps and inside counters and traps. Balance means equal handoffs to three backs. Fullback Lane Akre and halfbacks Pitra and Joey Medina all have between 102 and 147 carries, headed by Pitra's 1,152 yards and 18 total touchdowns. What really stands out in black and white are the Maple Leafs' paltry 106 points allowed, or 8.8 a game. Entering the playoffs their 6.3 points allowed led all of Class 5A, and the 5-2 defense pitched shutouts in four of five games at one point. In addition to players like lineman Zach Humphrey and nose tackle Grant Pritchard, several of the principals are the same as on offense, such as defensive end Himmelman, linebackers Pitra and Akre. Johnsen said his club has seen spread offenses but not one like Montini's. But the Broncos' goal will be about the same as Geneseo's - move the chains and grab field position where, if push comes to shove as against Marian Central, kicker Mason Weissenhofer can at least knock in some field goals. Broncos quarterback Chuck Norgle has thrown for 2,469 yards and 20 touchdowns, indeed spreading the field to core receivers Patrick Maloney, Tyler Millikan and Indiana-bound Leon Thornton. Montini will attempt to find offensive rhythm with short passes and perimeter patterns then hit with running back Prince Walker, now up to 976 yards rushing. One twist Geneseo must handle is Thornton running the Wildcat formation; he's scored 4 times out of 21 carries. Defensively, the goal is to force the pass as the Broncos did against Joliet Catholic, where one of linebacker Terrell Johnson's team-high 6 interceptions was a turning point. To plug those gaps Andriano may add another defensive lineman to the starting group of Pat Howard, Mark Salvo, Joe Spivak and Eric Kibbey. But linebackers Johnson and John Embrey, credited with a combined 235 tackles, are pretty sure in that department.

Intangibles: Ranked behind only Sacred Heart-Griffin in 5A at the end of the regular season, Geneseo has thrived in the 5A playoffs where it hadn't played since 2007. It's arguable, though, it has faced the competition Montini has - a 34-47 regular-season record on a schedule including four playoff teams to Montini's 45-36 regular-season record and six playoff teams. (On the other hand, the Maple Leafs beat 8-3 Yorkville and 9-2 DeKalb in Northern Illinois Big XII crossovers.) Being defending state runners-up, both will fight for a chance at retribution. Anticipated rains could benefit Geneseo's chugging ground game, but the Duffy Memorial Stadium turf negates some of that effect. Montini runs basically a two-platoon, Geneseo fields several two-way players, so fatigue and pounding could factor in.

Advancement: The winner advances to the state title game to play the winner between No. 3 Peoria (11-1) and No. 1 Sacred Heart Griffin (12-0).

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