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Scouting Week 3 football games in the Northwest suburbs

Hersey (2-0) at Maine East (0-2)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Hersey beat Palatine 31-24; Maine East lost to Round Lake 26-7

Outlook: After a tough battle with Palatine, the Huskies are looking to ease into the third week of the season. They face a Maine East team that has lost 35 straight. Hersey continues to get solid production from quarterback Jimmy Makuh and running back/wide receiver Ben Clawson, who tallied 4 touchdowns last week. The Huskie defense has also been solid and kept Palatine off the board in the closing moments last week.

Buffalo Grove (2-0) at Maine West (1-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Buffalo Grove beat Conant 41-35; Maine West beat Hubbard 49-16

Outlook: Buffalo Grove is operating on high octane. For the second week in a row, the Bison scored 41 points. Scott Murray, who had a kickoff return for a touchdown and rushed for 102 yards, along with Michael Cervantes and Cole Nixon key the attack. Maine West had a huge outing from Isaac Pittman. The junior is coming off a 5-touchdown, 209-yard performance.

Elk Grove (1-1) at Vernon Hills (2-0)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Elk Grove lost to Schaumburg 27-20; Vernon Hills beat Waukegan 47-0

Outlook: Elk Grove has played well in splitting its opening games. The Grenadiers fell behind early against Schaumburg but made a late run. Mitchell Janczak has played well at quarterback for Elk Grove, throwing for 380 yards this season. Vernon Hills has been impressive in its first two games. The Cougars also got back quarterback Nolan Lazor, who fired 4 touchdown passes last week.

St. Francis (1-1) at Prospect (2-0)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: St. Francis beat Peoria 51-26; Prospect beat Fremd 41-13

Outlook: This game got set up when St. Francis' opponent, St. Edward, and Prospect's opponent, Niles West, both canceled due to COVID restrictions. St. Francis' game last week was also a rescheduled game. Prospect is right where many observers thought it would be. The Knights are rolling again offensively with Frank Covey getting them in line. The junior has led Prospect to 78 points in its first two games. This could be a shootout with a St. Francis team that has scored 75 points in its first two games.

Rolling Meadows (0-2) at Deerfield (2-0)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Rolling Meadows lost to Hoffman Estates 34-32; Deerfield beat Grayslake North 45-20

Outlook: Rolling Meadows has played well in its first two games. The Mustangs just need to get over the hump and get into the win column. Evan Grace has been on fire for Meadows. He has thrown for 749 yards and 7 touchdowns this season. Ethan Groark has 18 catches for 395 yards.

Wheeling (1-1) at Glenbrook North (1-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Wheeling lost to Barrington 42-0; St. Patrick beat Glenbrook North 32-6

Outlook: After an impressive win in the first week, Wheeling had a difficult time in its game with Barrington. Still, the Wildcats are determined to keep their stars aligned and have defensive end Diego Giles back in the lineup. Glenbrook North has split its first two games with Chicago opponents, beating Taft and losing to St. Pat's.

Fremd (0-2) at Maine South (2-0)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Fremd lost to Prospect 41-13; Maine South beat Warren 10-2

Outlook: Fremd continues to struggle. And it won't get any easier for the Vikings. Fremd had difficulty stopping Prospect last week, allowing over 300 yards of offense in the first half. Maine South returns home after its battle with Warren. Maine South had trouble moving the ball at time against Warren's tough defense. The Hawks are flying high with a defense that stuffed Warren.

Barrington (1-1) at New Trier (2-0)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Barrington beat Wheeling 41-0; New Trier beat Stevenson 32-14

Outlook: Barrington bounced back in a huge way. The Broncos, who struggled on offense in their opener, had everything firing on all cylinders last week. Evan Panesis had a solid performance with 128 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Panesis and Barrington will need to keep that going this week against a New Trier team that has averaged 31 points in its first two games.

Conant (1-1) at Glenbrook South (2-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Conant lost to Buffalo Grove 41-35; Glenbrook South beat Sandburg 23-0

Outlook: Conant's ground game has been deadly the first two weeks. Led by quarterback Giuseppe Dugo, who has rushed for 395 yards, along with Dominick Minnini and Ryan Kutella, the Cougars have scored 70 points in their first two games. They will look to outscore a Glenbrook South team that has scored 60 points in two games.

Hoffman Estates (1-1) at Highland Park (1-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Hoffman Estates beat Rolling Meadows 34-32; Highland Park lost to Lakes 20-6

Outlook: Hoffman lit up the offensive board again last week. Quarterback Aidan Cyr threw for 434 yards and 4 touchdowns while Yashua Pettis-Taylor rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown. Jashawn Johnson has been nearly unstoppable in the first two weeks of the season with 297 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Teammate Stephon Sellers has 10 catches for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns,

Palatine (0-2) at Evanston (1-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Palatine lost to Hersey 31-24; Evanston lost to Libertyville 32-13

Outlook: Palatine needs to right its sinking ship quickly before its season is scuttled. The Pirates, who are playing their third consecutive road game, made a valiant comeback attempt last week thanks to Dom Ball and jake Bostick touchdowns, only to fall short. Evanston was manhandled last week against Libertyville. The Wildkits do have North Carolina commit Sebastian Cheeks at linebacker.

Schaumburg (1-1) at Niles North (1-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Schaumburg beat Elk Grove 27-20; Niles North lost to Niles West 18-14

Outlook: Schaumburg matched its spring win total with its victory last week. The Saxons will look to now double that total against a Niles North team that lost to its district-rival last week. Schaumburg got a big performance from quarterback DJ Wilson, who threw a pair of touchdowns.

DePaul Prep (2-0) at St. Viator (0-2)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: DePaul Prep beat Ridgewood 49-0; St. Viator lost to Morgan Park 30-22

Outlook: St. Viator comes home for the first time this season. The Lions had a pair of tough games to begin the season with South Elgin and Morgan Park. Charlie Dolson has stepped in quite nicely at quarterback for Viator. DePaul Academy has won both of its games by identical 49-0 scores.

Hinsdale South (0-2) at Leyden (1-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Leyden beat Proviso West 27-0; Hinsdale South lost to Oak Park 48-7

Outlook: The teams open West Suburban Gold play. Leyden is the only team in the entire conference to post a win so far. The Eagles will look to make it two wins with junior running back Diego Mendoza leading the way. Mendoza has 250 rushing yards this season.

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