Week 8: Scouting the Mid-Suburban West
Palatine (7-0, 3-0) at Barrington (6-0, 2-0) When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Palatine 26, Barrington 24
Outlook: It's the game of the year in the Mid-Suburban, so expect a playoff-like atmosphere and a full house. These two teams can get up and down the field with both teams averaging nearly 40 points each and over 425 yards per game. Palatine has won the last two meetings and 8 of the last 9. Palatine has a plethora of weapons on offense. They are led by quarterback Zach Oles, who is complemented by wide receivers Jack Grochowski, Johnny O'Shea and Courtland Cornelius along with running back Josh Turner. Barrington counters with its pair of 1,000-yard rushers in quarterback Ray Niro and running back Logan Moews. Josh Babicz is a favorite target of Niro.
Fremd (4-3, 1-2) at Conant (0-7, 0-3)When: Friday 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Conant 26, Fremd 17
Outlook: With a victory, Fremd becomes playoff-eligible. After a pair of consecutive losses, the Vikings turned things around last week and had a solid game on both sides of the ball. With Alec Honickel running strong, the Vikings broke loose offensively, gaining 469 yards. The defense, led by Jimmy Walsh, Jake Haas, Mark Metzen, Will McCabe and Luke Bilek, played its best game of the season, forcing 4 turnovers. The Vikes need to be sharp as not to look past Conant. The Cougars are hoping to turn things around this week after a tough loss to Palatine.
Schaumburg (4-3, 1-2) at Hoffman Estates (5-2, 1-2)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last year: Schaumburg 26, Hoffman Estates 22
Outlook: After winning 4 in a row, Schaumburg has now dropped its last 2. The Saxons need to turn things around quickly if they hope to make the playoffs this season. Jordan Salgado, who has rushed for 746 yards this season, looks to take advantage of a Hoffman team that surrendered 446 yards on the ground to Barrington last week. Despite that, Hoffman gave Barrington all it could handle last week. Now the Hawks, who are on the bubble with playoff points, are looking for that magical sixth win that would clinch their first playoff appearance since 1996. Quarterback Austin Coalson, who threw 6 TDs last week and has 17 on the season to go with 1,533 yards, continues to impress.