Week 2: Scouting the Northern Lake

Woodstock North Thunder (0-1) at Antioch Sequoits (1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Woodstock North lost to Westosha Central, 28-20; Antioch def. Kenosha Tremper, 41-12.

Skinny: Antioch posted two decisive victories in the nonconference portion of the schedule last season, which set the stage for an undefeated run and a 9-0 regular season record. The Sequoits are hoping for a carbon copy and are halfway there on the nonconference schedule with one big win already in the books. Last year, Antioch opened with a 59-33 win over Tremper and followed with a 49-28 victory at Moline. Now, the assisgnment is Woodstock North, a team that went 6-4 last season and made the playoffs...Antioch got 2 touchdowns out of quarterback Branden Gallimore. He connected with Steven Baum for a 47-yard touchdown pass and then ran for a 5-yard touchdown as well. Gallimore completed 4-of-5 passes for 130 yards.

Glenbrook North Spartans (1-0) at Grant Bulldogs (0-1)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

Last week: Glenbrook North def. Wheeling, 13-8; Grant lost to Crystal Lake Central, 37-21.

Skinny: Grant and Glenbrook North probably had different points of emphasis this week in practice following the season openers last weekend. For Glenbrook North, the offense might be getting a closer look as it sputtered at times, managing just 1 touchdown and 2 field goals against Wheeling. However, the bright side was that the Spartans' defense was stout, coming up with two big stands inside the 10-yard line to help fend off Wheeling in the late stages...Meanwhile, Grant had trouble defensively last week stopping the read-option of Crystal Lake Central. Crytal Lake Central rolled up 461 yards of offense, 205 of which came on rushing plays by the quarterback in the option. But the Grant offense showed some promise as junior quarterback Matt McGraw tossed 3 touchdown passes, 2 to tight end Klaus Kathrein. McGraw completed 13-of-24 passes for 155 yards. Kathrein had 3 catches for 91 yards...Last year, Glenbrook North defeated Grant 42-13 in Northbrook. But the Bulldogs, who wound up going 2-7 in 2016, are upbeat and optimistic for a different kind of season under first-year coach Chris Robinson.

Deerfield Warriors (0-1) at Grayslake Central Rams (0-1)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Deerfield lost to Lakes, 14-8; Grayslake Central lost to Vernon Hills, 28-12.

Skinny: The injury report is already of interest at Grayslake Central. The Rams saw starting quarterback Sam Lennartz go down in the midst of last week's season opener against Vernon Hills. Lennartz wound up on crutches with a leg injury that happened during the opening series. He had completed 4-of-6 passes for 31 yards to that point. "I'll be alright," Lennartz said during the game. "It's just precautionary right now." The Rams could use Lennartz back in the lineup. Their opening series against Vernon Hills was one of their best in four years, said head coach Jason Schaal. The offense struggled at times with him on the sidelines, but back-up quarterback Ben Vogeler did finish with 107 passing yards on 12-of-24 completions. Vogeler ran for a touchdown and also passed for one, a 16-yarder to Jayson Nardi. The Rams got both scores in the fourth quarter...Deerfield ran into a tough Lakes defense last week. The Warriors were limited to just 7 first downs and 128 yards of total offense. Kenny Kerstein scored Deerfield's only touchdown, hauling in a 35-yard touchdown from quarterback Jonah Silverglade.

Sycamore Spartans (0-1) at Grayslake North Knights (0-1)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Sycamore lost to Sterling, 28-14; Grayslake North lost to Willowbrook, 42-0.

Skinny: Grayslake North struggled offensively in a decisive shutout last week, but there were some bright points. The Knights did move the ball well enough to have multiple chances in the red zone, and quarterback Austin Martineau completed 20-of-35 passes for 146 yards. It was the debut for first-year Grayslake North coach Sam Baker, who came to the area from Minnesota...Sycamore probably isn't panicking about losing its season opener to Sterling last week. The Spartans lost their season opener to Sterling last season, were just 5-4 by the end of the regular season but wound up winning three playoff games to advance all the way to the Class 5A state semifinals. There, Sycamore lost to Vernon Hills. Ironically, Sycamore had beaten Sterling in a re-match game in the quarterfinals. Senior Justin Pottorff is starting at quarterback for Sycamore this year after being the back-up last year.

Highland Park Giants (0-1) at Lakes Eagles (1-0)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Highland Park lost to Libertyville, 27-14; Lakes def. Deerfield, 14-8.

Skinny: Lakes had penalties and turnovers last week that limited its offense. But the Eagles' defense stepped up more than enough to preserve victory. Lakes limited Deerfield to just 7 first downs and 128 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Eagles held on 2 fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter, one of which was inside the 10-yard line...Offensively, Lakes finished with 249 total yards. Quarterback Jake Johnson completed 7-of-17 passes for 100 yards and Ethan Greenfield ran for 85 yards on 12 carries. Johnson and Greenfield each scored on 1-yard runs...The win for Lakes was the fisrt in the Jordan Eder era. Eder was named head coach after longtime Lakes coach Luke Mertens took the job at Lake Zurich...Highland Park got most of its offense through the air last week against Libertyville. Quarterback John Sakos completed 13-of-23 passes for 215 yards. His big target was Cristian Volpentesta, who caught 8 passes for 148 yards.

Chicago Amundsen Vikings (1-0) at Round Lake Panthers (1-0)

When: 12 noon, Saturday

Last week: Amundsen def. Chicago Richards on forfeit; Round Lake defeated Proviso East, 34-26.

Skinny: Round Lake got not only a win but an emotional win last week, erasing a deficit with a big fourth quarter rally. Junior running back Brandon Kisiel ran for 3 touchdowns, including 2 during the late rally. And senior Anthony Tellez rushed for a career-high 195 yards on 30 carries for the Panthers. With a win this week, Round Lake could double its win total from each of the last two seasons, in which it finished 1-8.

Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs (1-0) at Wauconda Bulldogs (0-1)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Riverside-Brookfield def. Morton, 33-0; Wauconda lost to Richmond-Burton, 27-14.

Skinny: Riverside-Brookfield finished with 7 wins last season and was a playoff team but narrowly edged Wauconda in Week 2, 21-20. Wauconda had a 14-0 lead after the first quarter but allowed Riverside-Brookfield to make a huge rally in the fourth quarter. Riverside-Brookfield scored all 21 of its points in the fourth...Quarterback Andrew Saccameno came up with a dramatic score for Wauconda last week, hitting Matthew Nolan for a 75-yard touchdown pass.