Week 5: Scouting the Northern Lake

Grayslake Central Rams (2-2, 2-0) at Antioch Sequoits (4-0, 2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Last week: Grayslake Central def. Round Lake, 28-20; Antioch def. Grant, 42-0.

Skinny: Both of these teams are on a roll. Grayslake Central has won its last two games after an 0-2 start, and Antioch is still perfect on the season, with its most dominating win coming last week against a winless Grant team. The 42-0 victory was the Sequoits' first shutout of the season ... For the second week in a row, Grayslake Central was carried by wide receiver-turned-quarterback Nick Paul, who was put in at quarterback in the third series against Grant two weeks ago and has had nothing but success since. Paul rushed for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries against Round Lake. He also passed for a touchdown and was 4-of-8 for 71 yards on the game ... Antioch was tough on both sides of the ball last week. The defense made life tough on Grant, which managed just 7 first downs and 119 yards of total offense ... The Sequoits, up 21-0 at halftime, got a big game out of quarterback Branden Gallimore. He completed 8-of-12 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, a 41-yarder to Javen London. Gallimore also rushed for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries ... Leading rusher Hunter Price was out last week against Grant with a broken thumb, but Drew Porter picked up the slack with 112 yards and 3 touchdowns on 18 carries ... Antioch boasts the highest-scoring offense in the Northern Lake County Conference at 33.3 ppg ... Last year, Antioch defeated Grayslake Central, 49-14.

Grant Bulldogs (0-4, 0-2) at Lakes Eagles (4-0, 2-0)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Grant lost to Antioch, 42-0-; Lakes def. Wauconda, 38-10.

Skinny: The Grant offense, the lowest-scoring offense in the Northern Lake County Conference (11.3 ppg), is looking to get on track after suffering a shutout at the hands of Antioch last week. But the challenge this week will be significant as Lakes boasts the second-stingiest defense in the league, allowing just 9.5 points per game ... Against Antioch last week, Grant managed just 7 first downs and 119 yards of total offense. Quarterback Matt McGraw completed 10-of-25 passes for 95 yards ... Meanwhile, against Wauconda last week, Lakes allowed just 8 first downs and forced an interception and a lost fumble ... Offensively, Lakes rolled up 403 yards, including 326 yards on the ground. Ethan Greenfield was a one-man wrecking crew for the Eagles, finished with 237 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns (including scores of 70 and 81 yards) on just 11 carries. He also caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Johnson (5-for-10, 97 yards) ... Last year, Lakes defeated Grant, 14-7.

Round Lake Panthers (2-2, 0-2) at Grayslake North Knights (2-2, 1-1)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Round Lake lost to Grayslake Central, 28-20; Grayslake North def. North Chicago, 28-7.

Skinny: Grayslake North bounced back last week with a big win, after suffering a tough 31-0 shutout loss to Lakes in Week 3. Now, Round Lake is looking to do the same thing: bounce back. The Panthers have lost two straight games after starting the season 2-0 ... Round Lake got 3 touchdowns last week against Grayslake Central from quarterback Alex Larson, who completed 12-of-16 passes for 93 yards. He connected with Justin Langwinski (6 catches for 44 yards) for a 10-yard touchdown pass and ran in 2 touchdowns himself, including a 55-yarder. Larson finished with 90 rushing yards on 14 attempts ... Grayslake North quarterback Austin Martineau was on point early last week against North Chicago. He threw 3 touchdown passes in the first half to give the Knights a 21-0 lead. On the game, Martineau completed 13-of-28 passes for 179 yards ... Injuries have been an issue for Grayslake North all season, particularly on the offensive line. The Knights are hoping to have the same lineup for offensive line for the second consecutive game for just the first time this season ... Grayslake North had one of its best defensive games last week, recovering a fumble and limiting the North Chicago offense to just one score. The Knights also blocked 2 punts last week ... Last year, Grayslake North defeated Round Lake, 49-6.

Wauconda Bulldogs (0-4, 0-2) at North Chicago Warhawks (3-1, 1-1)

When: 7:15 p.m., Friday

Last week: Wauconda lost to Lakes, 38-10; North Chicago lost to Grayslake North, 28-7.

Skinny: North Chicago is coming off its first loss of the season, and its first game in which it actually gave up some points. Heading into Week 4, North Chicago had pitched three straight shutouts. But the North Chicago defense showed some vulnerabilities in its pass defense in giving up 3 passing touchdowns to Grayslake North in the first half alone ... Wauconda is struggling this season, particularly on defense. The Bulldogs are allowing 35.8 points per game, most in the Northern Lake County Conference. The program is also hurting right now from the death last weekend of assistant coach Joe Ryback ... Wauconda quarterback Andrew Saccameno completed 13-of-19 passes for 158 yards last week against Lakes, but the Bulldogs' only touchdown was on a 10-yard touchdown run by Cameron Francis. The Bulldogs also got a field goal (32 yards) from veteran kicker Oscar Acosta ... Last year, Wauconda defeated North Chicago, 31-6.