Week 3: Scouting the Northern Lake
Antioch Sequoits (2-0) at Wauconda Bulldogs (0-2)
When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Antioch def. Woodstock North, 15-14; Wauconda lost to Riverside-Brookfield, 43-21.
Skinny: Antioch is still 2-0, but by the slimmest of margins. The Sequoits were sluggish in practice all week leading up to the Woodstock North game and head coach Brian Glashagel said that couldn't have been more obvious in the game. A couple of mini-miracles on special teams saved the Sequoits, who rallied from a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit. Quarterback Branden Gallimore made a big rushing gain with a fake punt that kept a drive alive. The Sequoits also recovered an onside kick ... Antioch had 240 yards rushing but only 22 yards through the air. Gallimore had 110 rushing yards while Hunter Price rolled up 82 rushing yards. He also scored a touchdown ... Wauconda was tied with Riverside-Brookfield 7-7 at the end of the first quarter last week but Riverside-Brookfield scored 13 unanswered points in the second quarter to take control of the game. Wauconda coach Dave Mills said his team lacked consistency and gave up too many first downs on third and long. Cameron Francis led Wauconda with 2 touchdowns and 71 rushing yards. Quarterback Andrew Saccameno completed 6-of-17 passes for 113 yards and a 40-yard touchdown pass. Last year, Antioch defeated Wauconda 33-29 in a tight game on its way to an 9-0 undefeated regular season.
Grant Bulldogs (0-2) at Grayslake Central Rams (0-2)
When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Grant lost to Glenbrook North, 24-14; Grayslake Central lost to Deerfield, 35-7.
Skinny: Both of these teams could use a win, and Grayslake Central has the added incentive of trying to win its Homecoming game ... Grant played a competitive game against Glenbrook North last week, down by only a touchdown with the ball and four minutes remaining. But the Grant offense sputtered after a penalty and Glenbrook North ran clock and kicked a field goal in the final moments to ice victory ... The Bulldogs are looking to establish more of a rhythm offensively as many of their drives against Glenbrook North were short-lived and yielded punts. Grant finished with only 7 first downs and 195 yards of total offense. Quarterback Matt McGraw threw 2 touchdown passes, a 3-yarder to Klaus Kathrein and a 51-yarder to Noah Lautner. Overall, McGraw completed 8-of-19 passes for 126 yards. Jacob Lotz also had 2 big catches (62 total yards) for the Bulldogs ... Grayslake Central will likely be without starting quarterback Sam Lennartz again. Lennartz suffered a leg injury in the season opener against Vernon Hills. Last year, Grant defeated Grayslake Central, 35-13.
Lakes Eagles (2-0) at Grayslake North (1-1)
When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: Lakes def. Highland Park, 28-20; Grayslake North def. Sycamore, 20-16.
Skinny: This a big rivalry game as many kids from both schools came from Palombi Middle School in Lake Villa. Lakes has gotten off to a strong start with wins over Central Suburban League teams Deerfield and Highland Park. Against Highland Park, junior D'Lo Hardy had a big game in all three facets. He scored on an 81-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Johnson (6-of-9, 168 yards, 3 touchdowns) and thwarted a Highland Park scoring drive with a batted down pass. For good measure, Hardy also returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown ... Grayslake North got its first win under new head coach Sam Baker last week. The Knights were shut out by Willowbrook in Week 1, 42-0. Last year, Lakes defeated Grayslake North, 31-14.
North Chicago Warhawks (2-0) at Round Lake Panthers (2-0)
When: 7:15 p.m., Friday
Last week: North Chicago def. Chicago Robeson, 59-0; Round Lake def. Chicago Amundsen, 42-14.
Skinny: Two programs that have been down on their luck in recent years have gotten off to great starts this season. And both teams had big wins last week, with plenty of offense ... North Chicago is led by an exciting talent in sophomore running back Vondarious Gordon, who is the cousin of Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon. Like the NFL Gordon, the younger Gordon is known for his speed and is nicknamed "Cheetah." Gordon rolled up 125 rushing yards as North Chicago scored 47 first-half points against Robeson last week. Garett Turner and DeQuan Leonard are also dangerous runners for the Warhawks ... Round Lake had its own big runner last week in Anthony Tellez. He racked up 2 touchdowns and 137 yards on 15 carries in helping Round Lake start 2-0 for the first time since 2006. Quarterback Alex Larson guided the Panthers offense to 364 total yards and he scored 2 touchdowns, on a 58-yard run and a 34-yard pass to Chandler Nixon ... Last year, North Chicago defeated Round Lake, 43-0.