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Week 8: Scouting the Mid-Suburban West

Conant (1-6, 0-3) Palatine (4-3, 2-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Palatine 43, Conant 7

Outlook: It is like watching "Groundhog Day" for Conant, after the Cougars lost their third overtime game of the year last week. Again the Cougars had good numbers offensively, with Jack Reiger leading the way with a total of 589 rushing yards this fall. Palatine is coming off a solid win over crosstown rival Fremd. Palatine's offense, led by quarterback DJ Angelacci (1,062 passing yards, 10 TDs), is beginning to move into full throttle mode. Johnny O' Shea continues to be one of the dominant forces on offense; he has 39 catches for 536 yards. Jack Orlando has shown no lasting effects to a knee injury he suffered earlier this year, and the Palatine defense has allowed just 16 points per game.

Barrington (7-0, 3-0) at Schaumburg (4-3, 1-2)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Barrington 49, Schaumburg 20

Outlook: The Nitro has just been too much for opponents. Ray Niro has been the dominant force in the area offensively, with 1,104 yards passing and 1,098 yards rushing. But the Broncos have also looked to Alec Andrea, Michael Curran, Johnny Gagne and Jake Parsons to take that load from him. Schaumburg need a win in one of its final 2 games to become playoff eligible. The Saxons took a huge step forward last week when they rallied to beat Conant in overtime. Heze Trotter is becoming a dangerous weapon for Schaumburg while Marcus Ross stepped in quite nicely in relief at quarterback.

Fremd (1-6, 1-2) at Hoffman Estates (6-1, 2-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last year's result: Fremd 51, Hoffman Estates 0

Outlook: Fremd has shown flashes of brilliance at times thanks to the play of sophomore quarterback Andrew Saxe. But the Vikings have had more than a few moments of disappointments and are looking to rally in their final two games to salvage the season. Hoffman Estates will need to rebound after a disastrous first quarter last week at Barrington. Still, the Hawks and played hard throughout the game and could benefit from playing such a talented foe. Hoffman Estates quarterback Austin Coalson has thrown for 1,582 yards and 15 TDs. Jaylan Alexander leads the area with 43 receptions, and Jayvon Blisset is close behind with 34 receptions catches. Together, they make a formidable trio. Hoffman Estates hopes a bounce-back win would help their seeding prospects in the state playoffs.

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