advertisement

Football: Week 1 scouting, Northwest

Stevenson at PalatineWhen: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Defending Class 8A Stevenson comes into Palatine with a new-look team after graduating most of its team. The Patriots will have Jack Sorenson at quarterback. Sorenson, who played wide receiver last year, has committed to Miami of Ohio. Palatine and junior quarterback Zach Oles will look to take advantage of a completely revamped Stevenson defense that will start 11 new players this year. Oles will be looking to air it out to the area's top receiving corps in Joey Roy, Javone Stricker, Dan Garcia and Matt Lamm.

Lake Zurich at FremdWhen: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Lake Zurich 10, Fremd 7

Outlook: Lake Zurich leads the series 6-2 and the Bears have won the last five meetings. And with a schedule looming of state-ranked powers Cary-Grove next week and Stevenson the following week, Lake Zurich will hope to make it six in a row against Fremd. To do that, Lake Zurich will look to run the football with three-year starter and Division I Prospect Ben Klett. Fremd has a trio of D-1 prospects of its own to counter with in DB Kenny Lyke (Michigan State), DE Matt McCabe (Yale) and WR Cordell Finley. Fremd quarterback Tommy Josten, who is a junior, will be a huge key to the Vikings' offense, and his passing and running can be a difference maker.

Bartlett at ConantWhen: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: You could call this one the high school version of the Senior Bowl. Both teams come in loaded with seniors. Conant opens its season with 22 senior starters and a goal of getting back to the playoffs; the Cougars are led by quarterback Kyle Bradley and D-I prospect Palmer Graham. Running back Jake Jakubosky, who rushed for over 700 yards last year, will also be a huge factor. The Cougars face a Bartlett squad that boasts 50 seniors on its 73-man roster. The Raiders are led by middle linebacker Mike Bucaro.

Highland Park at HerseyWhen: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Hersey is hoping to catch more of that magic when the Huskies begin their 2015 campaign with a new opponent. Hersey, which faced Glenbrook North the last four seasons, picked up Highland Park on its schedule when its Central Suburban North rival Glenbrook North ended a four-year agreement with Hersey. The Huskies have some rebuilding to do after graduation took its toll. They will be looking to dual quarterbacks Tommy Jackson and Owen Goldsberry to shake things up a bit on the offensive side for the defending East Division champs. Highland Park is coming off a terrific season of its own, as the Giants won their conference before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.

Wheeling at Glenbrook North

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: After being handled the last four years by Hersey in season openers, Glenbrook North made a switch to Wheeling this year. But the Spartans may find this Wheeling team quite difficult to contain as well. The Wildcats may have the most electric backfield in the East in running back Josh Diaz and junior quarterback Jalen Dennis.

Prospect at JacobsWhen: Friday, 7:15 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: After winning its final three games last season, Prospect will find out very quickly if the momentum can continue. The Knights will take on a Jacobs team that just missed the playoffs last season and are led by junior quarterback Chris Katrenick, who has several Division 1 offers, including Virginia. Prospect has a solid quarterback in its own right in three-year starter Matt Drew. The Knights will also look to running backs Bobby Jarosz and Andrew Shafis, who will be operating behind a solid offensive line that averages 239 pounds.

St. Viator at Rolling MeadowsWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Rolling Meadows 29, St. Viator 27

Outlook: Expect another shootout in a game that matches two of the area's top offenses that mirror each other in almost every position. Both teams have massive offensive lines and solid running backs behind it. For St. Viator, it is Joey McIntyre, while Meadows counters with Kevin Lacosse and Nick Delporte. Meadows has a group of receivers that are dangerous while the Lions have D-I recruit Cole Kmet to lean on. At quarterback, it will be a battle of juniors in Tommy Majerus for the Lions and Asher O'Hara for the Mustangs. Each team is solid defensively as well, with lots of quickness and skill players in their secondaries.

Barrington at Glenbrook SouthWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Barrington has won 10 games in back to back seasons and the Broncos are looking for even more this season. Barrington gets to take a giant step forward to that with quarterback Johnny Davidson back at the helm. Davidson, who threw for 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, will get lots of help from running back Nate King and another massive offensive line led by a pair of D-I guys in Nick Bart (6-foot-3, 290), who is a junior, and senior Alex Serrano (6-3, 285), who is a three-year starter. The Broncos defense may be slow to start this year after losing 9 of its 11 starters. Glenbrook South has qualified for the playoffs for 10 consecutive years.

Hoffman Estates at StreamwoodWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Hoffman Estates 42, Streamwood 25

Outlook: Hoffman Estates looks to make its run to the playoffs with a huge start in Streamwood. The Hawks have their largest offensive line in years. That line will get lost of work to open holes for running back Chady Bitre and H-back Dante Cleveland. Streamwood begins the season with new head coach Don Guidon. The Sabres have a number of three-year starters, including running back Tae Reetz, who rushed for nearly 400 yards last year.

Schaumburg at St. Charles NorthWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: It will be a young and inexperienced Saxon team that heads on the road for its opener. Schaumburg suffered its biggest graduation loss with Justice Macneal-Young, who ran for over 1,000 yards last year. The Saxons will counter with a group of running backs - Manny Little, Angel Salgado, Olijah Salley, Dakari Ferguson and Dan Galovich - and junior Justin Perez will handle the quarterback duties. St. Charles North is boosted by an offensive line that averages 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds.

Niles West at Buffalo GroveWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Buffalo Grove just missed a playoff bid last year. And with three MSL West crossover games and a tight East race ahead of them, the Bison have only a slight margin for error again this season. But they feel a strong start against Niles West could help them earn their first playoff trip since 2003. Quarterback Trey Cervantes should give the Bison the boost they need on offense against a Niles West team that has been to the playoffs the last three years.

Elk Grove at LibertyvilleWhen: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: New coach John Sigmund could not have picked a tougher inaugural game. The Grens play Libertyville, who was a state semifinalist last year and has 17 returning starters, including Northwestern-bound Riley Lees. He rushed for nearly 1,800 yards and 35 touchdowns while throwing for nearly 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Elk Grove will counter with its 3-3 defense that is hoping to contain Lees. The Grens return corners Elijah Rivera and Carmen Galgano along with strong safety Jack Strothers to their secondary.

Proviso East at Maine WestWhen: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last year: Proviso East 29, Maine West 7

Outlook: It will be a gold rush for Maine West as it looks for a nugget around which to build their season. Last year the Warriors got off their season off to a slow start by dropping their opener. They are hoping to reverse their fortunes this season behind junior Jake Riportella, who is returning this year to start at quarterback. Marteen Robinson and Woody Corey should also be keys to their offense.

Leyden at FentonWhen: Friday, 7:15 p.m.

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: This will be a battle of youth and inexperience with the team making the least mistakes likely to come out on top. Leyden hopes to get the most out of its four returning starters. The Eagles welcome back running back David DaMarais, who rushed for over 700 yards last season in just 6 starts. The Eagles will need a talented but young group of juniors to step up in their season opener. Fenton is in a similar situation, with just one returning starter in Eric Lonergan, who gained nearly 400 yards last year.

Christian Liberty at Luther NorthWhen: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Last year: Luther North 46, CLA 0

Outlook: CLA ended last season by being shut out in the final 5 games. It was also the school's 18th loss in a row. But there is reason for optimism for the Chargers thanks to 6-foot-4, 240 pound quarterback James Pittman. Add in returnees H-back Jimmy Calkins, running back Diego Cardenas and wide receiver Tommy Froma and CLA appears to be ready to make some noise offensively.

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.