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Scouting Week 5 Fox football games

Cary-Grove (3-1, 3-1) at Prairie Ridge (3-1, 3-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Cary-Grove beat Prairie Ridge 42-7 in Week 5 last season.

About the Trojans: C-G defeated McHenry 18-0 last week. … The Trojans won Class 6A state titles in 2018 and 2021. … FB Colin Desmet leads C-G with 456 yards rushing, with RB Andrew Prio at 320 yards and 10.7 per carry. … The defense stood out against McHenry with four interceptions and one fumble recovery. It was the Trojans' first shutout since the last week of the 2021 spring season. … C-G is tied at No. 10 in The Associated Press Class 6A poll.

About the Wolves: Prairie Ridge lost to Jacobs 42-35 last week. … The Wolves won Class 6A state titles in 2016 and 2017, then were runners-up in 2019. … QB Tyler Vasey has 935 yards rushing and a 10.5 average per carry. Vasey ran back the first two Jacobs kickoffs last week for 85- and 89-yard touchdowns. … FB Nathan Greetham had 503 yards rushing. … Prairie Ridge is No. 4 in the Class 6A poll.

Burlington Central (1-3, 1-3) at Crystal Lake South (3-1, 3-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Crystal Lake South defeated Burlington Central 44-26 in Week 5 last season.

About the Rockets: Central lost to Huntley 16-7 last week. … Rockets QB Jackson Alcorn has thrown the ball well with 579 passing yards and five touchdowns. … WR Michael Person leads Central with 14 receptions. WR LJ Kerr averages 26.8 yards per catch and has eight grabs, WR Caden West has nine receptions. … Central has lost three in a row after winning its opener.

About the Gators: South held off Dundee-Crown 39-32 last week. … RB Nate Van Witzenburg had another big game with five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in last week's victory. He is fifth on the area rushing list with 614 yards and 11 touchdowns. … QB Caden Casimino is second in the area with 1,107 passing yards. … WR Michael Prokos is second in the area with 28 receptions. WRs Colton Hess (12) and Brady Schroeder (10) are the other top targets, along with Van Witzenburg (11). … The Gators received nine points in the Class 6A poll and are two spots out of the top 10.

Dundee-Crown (2-2, 2-2) at Crystal Lake Central (1-3, 1-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Crystal Lake Central beat D-C 48-20 in Week 5 last season.

About the Chargers: D-C lost to Crystal Lake South 39-32 last week. … That loss halted a streak of two wins in which the Chargers came from behind late. … QB Zach Randl has 711 yards passing and has completed 72.3% of his throws. … WRs Anthony Aguilar (20 receptions), Kali Freeman (13), Dashaan Bell (12) and Henry Kennedy (11) give Randl a variety of options. … RB Keegan Otte leads the team with 276 rushing yards, but missed last week's game with an injury. Jeff Boerger filled in and ran for 63 yards.

About the Tigers: Central defeated Hampshire 7-0 last week. … DE Tony Morales had a huge game with four sacks and a fumble recovery in that victory. That was the Tigers' first shutout since a 47-0 win over Dundee-Crown in Week 2 of the 2021 spring season. The Tigers limited Hampshire to 111 total yards. … QB George Dimopoulos threw for 181 yards last week and ran for the lone score in the game. … WRs Griffin Buehler (19) and Carter Kelley (17) lead Central in receptions.

Hampshire (0-4, 0-4) at McHenry (0-4, 0-4)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Hampshire beat McHenry 28-14 last season in Week 5.

About the Whip-Purs: Hampshire lost to Crystal Lake Central 7-0 last week. … Sophomore RB Cole Klawikowski has 829 rushing yards. Central slowed him down to 85 yards last week. … The Whips have been in every game. Only the 27-14 loss to Crystal Lake South in Week 3 was by more than one score.

About the Warriors: McHenry lost to Cary-Grove 18-0 last week. … The Warriors have played some of the traditionally best FVC teams through four weeks and only last week's loss was by more than one score. … QB Dom Caruso has 1,045 yards passing.

Jacobs (4-0, 4-0) at Huntley (3-1, 3-1)

When: 7 p.m

Last matchup: Jacobs defeated Huntley 27-17 in Week 5 last season.

About the Golden Eagles: Jacobs defeated Prairie Ridge 42-35 last week. … The Golden Eagles came back with two touchdowns after Prairie Ridge had taken the lead. QB Max Benner's 61-yard scoring pass to TE Grant Stec tied the game, and his 34-yard pass to TE Nick True then set up the game-winning score. … RB Antonio Brown has rushed for 614 yards and has nine touchdowns. … RB Joey Scrivani has 471 rushing yards. … The Eagles are No. 3 in Class 7A.

About the Red Raiders: Huntley defeated Burlington Central 16-7 last week. … The Red Raiders have allowed 77 points, fewest in the FVC. … The Raiders prefer to pound the ball with RB Haiden Janke, who has 542 yards. … Huntley, which missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2014, has equaled last year's win total.

Batavia (2-2, 1-1) at Glenbard North (2-2, 1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Batavia 21, Glenbard North 20 (2021)

About the Bulldogs: Batavia rolled in last week's 42-0 victory over Lake Park. There are plenty of standout performances to choose from, whether it was Ryan Whitwell's 173 yards rushing, linebacker Tyler Jansey's 13 tackles or Ben Fiegel's 10. Both of these teams feature power running games and physical front sevens defensively, but that brand of football tends to favor the Bulldogs more often than not.

About the Panthers: Glenbard North scored 20 unanswered points in the second half of last week's 41-34 victory over St. Charles East. Damarion Elliston rushed for a game-high 183 yards and will likely be a point of interest for the Panthers to sustain this week. Defensively, the Panthers did give up a number of chunk yardage plays, but clearly limited the damage after halftime.

St. Charles East (2-2, 0-2) at Wheaton Warrenville South (1-3, 0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: WW South 24, St. Charles East 7 (2021)

About the Saints: St. Charles East will likely want to make up for a second half last week in which it blew a 13-point halftime lead and ultimately was outscored 20-0 after halftime. The Saints were able to break off some big-yardage plays between Mason Tousignant, Charles Bolsoni, Blake Schuette and more, but had a tough time limiting the running game, an area the Tigers have struggled a little bit to get going offensively for themselves in recent weeks.

About the Tigers: WW South's defense has sputtered a bit in recent weeks, giving up 35 points in consecutive games. Couple that with a limited running game impact, the Tigers are looking to get back to the basic identity of what they typically do best: Running the football and limiting mistakes defensively. Charlie Butt had a blocked punt last week as well.

St. Charles North (3-1, 2-0) at Geneva (4-0, 2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Geneva 29, St. Charles North 26 (2021)

About the North Stars: St. Charles North is coming off the best overall win in the DuKane Conference last week, upsetting Wheaton North 22-21. The North Stars did lose starting quarterback Will Vaske to a shoulder injury, but experienced starter Ethan Plumb is back installed for this week and did throw for 256 yards. The North Stars' collective defense continues to impress and limited the Falcons' rushing attack.

About the Vikings: Geneva's offensive identity is pretty clear at this point: Big play potential anywhere on the field. The Vikings, also aided with defensive scores, have scored over 30 points three out of the four games. The connection between quarterback Nate Stempowski and wideout Talyn Taylor is about as dynamic as it gets and Troy Velez is physical out of the backfield.

Marmion (2-2, 0-1) at Marist (2-2, 0-1)

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Marist 38, Marmion 13 (2021)

About the Cadets: The Cadets have taken a little slide in consecutive weeks, getting outscored 61-3 in two losses to Montini and St. Ignatius. One area the Cadets need to clean up is in the rushing game, as the Wolfpack ran for 461 rushing yards to Marmion's 63.

About the RedHawks: Marist's two losses came against Glenbard West and Class 7A AP No. 1-ranked Mount Carmel, but otherwise have looked strong in wins over Nazareth and Richards by a combined 80-9. Mt. Carmel only punted once last week, so look for the Marist defense to step it up against the Cadets. Plenty of standouts to choose from, but keep an eye on junior linebacker Duke White, who averages eight tackles per game.

Kaneland (2-2, 1-1) at Ottawa (3-1, 0-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Kaneland 52, Ottawa 26 (2021)

About the Knights: Kaneland snapped a two-game losing streak (both against teams that are still undefeated) with a 49-7 win against Woodstock, getting big contributions from all three of its running backs. Coach Pat Ryan said Chris Ruchah, Tyler Bradshaw and Josh Mauthe give a lot of variety to the backfield and are all finding their rythym. "I thought the offensive line in general played pretty well," Ryan said. "They've really improved in as the year has gone on. We have three backs that can effectively run the ball and each has their own little things about them. Our run game just continues to get better." Ryan said his team is ready to face a much improved Ottawa team, even off a big loss to Sycamore last week. The Knights face the Spartans next week. "I think they're a much more sound football team," Ryan said. "They play better fundamentals than they've played in the past. They did have some big plays against Sycamore last week. Historically Ottawa has always been able to get big plays on us. If we can eliminate of limit their big plays we'll be OK.

About the Pirates: At 3-0 through three weeks, Ottawa expects things to get tougher as it dove into Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White divisional play. Things did with a 54-20 loss at Sycamore in Week 4. Still, the Pirates saw some positives in that loss and will look to build on those in another KR/I8 White matchup, with a win putting Ottawa in excellent position for the program's first playoff berth since 2012. Ottawa is outgaining opponents 337.0-256.3 in yards from scrimmage, led by strong line play clearing the way for RBs Julian Alexander (264 yards, 1 TD) and Ryder Miller (233 yards, 4 TDs), QB Colby Mortenson (490 yards and five TDs passing; 113 yards and four TDs rushing) and WR/Wildcat QB Levi Sheehan (10 receptions, 144 yards, two TDs).

Chicago Christian (1-3, 0-2) at Aurora Christian (2-2, 0-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Aurora Christian 48, Chicago Christian 0 (2021 at Chicago Christian)

About the Knights: A Metro Suburban Red matchup here. "Week 5 is against Chicago Christian, a team we have history with going back to when the program started," Aurora Christian coach David Beebe said. "It's our homecoming as well, so it should be a fun game."

About the Eagles: Beebe likes the progress the Eagles are making, but would like to see one area take a particular step forward. "We have a lot of very invested kids who are working hard," he said. "It's a great group of young men. But the one thing we are lacking right now is to learn how to win tight games. There are certain things that winning teams do every week, and we are learning what those things are." Beebe liked the way offensive-defensive lineman Aidan Malone, wide receiver Owen Hampton and safety Sal Delgado played last week.

West Aurora (1-3) at Oswego East (3-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Oswego East 27, West Aurora 7 (2021 at West Aurora)

About the Blackhawks: The Blackhawks open Southwest Prairie West play on the road in Oswego. "Oswego East is a very good football team," West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said. "Defensively, they keep everything in front of you and they tackle very well. Their quarterback is the most dynamic player we have seen all year." Eimer had huge praise for the steps forward the Blackhawks have taken. "Our biggest stride has been finding our rhythm throwing the ball," Eimer said. "Our wide receivers have really developed and Gino Martino is a big-time quarterback." Forced turnovers have taken an upward turn for the Blackhawks' defense. "We are causing turnovers," Eimer said. "We have kids who are really making plays on the ball." Highlights from Week 4 included Andrew Kolich catching 11 passes and Martino throwing for more than 200 yards. Eimer also liked Malcolm Smith's disruptive play on both sides of the ball.

About the Wolves: The Wolves are on a two-game winning streak after scoring wins at Plainfield East and at home against Joliet Central-two teams with a combined 1-7 mark heading into Week 5.

Glenbard South (4-0, 4-0) at Bartlett (3-1, 3-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Glenbard South 28, Bartlett 0 (2021 at Glenbard South)

About this game: An important game with Upstate Eight and playoff implications. Glenbard South is tied atop the UEC with South Elgin at 4-0 with Bartlett and Glenbard East a game back at 3-1 at the 44.4% mark of the 9-game conference schedule. Glenbard South, 13-2 over its last 15 games, hasn't scored less than 44 points this year and has hit 49 or more in three of its four games. However, the Raiders opponents thus far have a combined 4-12 record (four 1-3 teams). Bartlett started off with wins against Streamwood, West Chicago and East Aurora (combined 2-10 record right now) and then lost 24-7 to Elgin last week. A Glenbard South win makes them playoff eligible with 5 victories, while a Bartlett win inches it closer to that mark and creates a likely second-place log jam in the UEC.

Streamwood (1-3, 1-3) at Glenbard East (3-1, 3-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Glenbard East 39, Streamwood 7 (2021 at Streamwood)

About the Sabres: Sabres coach Keith McMaster said his squad will have to be on high alert with Glenbard East's offensive attack. "They attack on the ground and in the air," he said. "They are talented on both sides of the ball. Offensively, we need to keep pounding the rock while maintaining control of the clock. Defensively, we focus on swarm tackling and getting 11 players to the ball." McMaster likes what he has seen offensively of late. "The offense is starting to roll after struggling the first couple weeks," he said. "We have cleaned up mental mistakes and are taking care of the football. That has been allowing us to drive the ball and score more often." Hard work is also paying off on defense. "Defensively, the kids are running the game plans as drawn up," McMaster explained. "We have gone against some high-caliber Division I-commit kids we've worked hard to contain. We still need to get turnovers defensively, which has been lacking this season." Jaiden Thomas had another 100-plus-yard rushing game for the Sabres last week. McMaster also was impressed with Oscar Villapondo, who was tasked with keeping Glenbard South's Cam Williams, a Notre Dame commit, in check. "Oscar held him under 100 yards receiving and to 1 TD," McMaster pointed out. "I know those aren't great stats, but with that caliber, we're pretty happy about it." Cris Marquez also played well defensively. "He leads the team in tackles," McMaster said. "Cris also plays both ways and we kept him on the offensive side of the ball most of the second half."

About the Rams: Rams coach John Walters said his team isn't going to let a Sabres' 1-3 record fool it for a second. "Streamwood is tough," he said. "They have a ball-control offense that likes to sideline the opponent's offense. We need to get their offense off the field and put the ball in the endzone to pressure them." Walters said the Glenbard East offense is "really starting to click in all phases of the game," he said. "I really like the way we are executing. It's showing on the scoreboard and in the stat line." And progress is being seen defensively. "I think our defense gets better every week," Walters said. "They are more comfortable and trusting. Our defense is the backbone of this team, no doubt."

East Aurora (1-3, 1-3) at South Elgin (4-0, 4-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: South Elgin 58, East Aurora 0 (2021 at East Aurora)

About the Tomcats: The Tomcats' only win this season came against Elgin in Week 2. "East Aurora is improving offensively and has been competitive in multiple games this year," South Elgin coach Dragan Teonic said. "We must be able to run the football and control the line of scrimmage on both sides."

About the Storm: Teonic noted the Storm has improved its timing and efficiency on offense. "We've successfully been able to execute 2-minute and 4-minute scenarios in games, and that's only going to help us in the future," he said. Teonic also has been impressed with his team's poise on defense when faced with defending dynamic players. "We have been tested with some extremely athletic, dynamic ball carriers and we have been able to minimize gains allowed," he said. "We are improving our tackling in space and our pad level as well." Mason Montgomery again came up big for South Elgin last week. He ran for more than 100 yards and caught 2 touchdown passes. "Mason had a huge game for us," Teonic said. Lucas Noworol also was cited for strong play. "Lucas had a good offensive game," Teonic added. "He chipped in more than 100 yards rushing and blocked well." Quarterback Jake Sullivan was yet another standout against Larkin. "Jake played a very good game," Teonic said. "He threw 4 touchdowns and made many great reads on the option."

Elgin (2-2, 2-2) at West Chicago (0-4, 0-4)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Elgin 41, West Aurora 0 (2021 at Elgin)

About the Maroons: "West Chicago has some good things happening with the triple option and that offense can always pop if we are not disciplined and tough," Elgin coach Anthony Mason said. "We have to execute properly every play and play disciplined football." Mason said blocking has been a massive focus for the team. "The strides we have made is out-blocking," he said. "We are trying to be a good blocking team and finishing blocks until the whistle blows. When we do that, we are good." Limiting yards after contact has been the message on defense. "Defensively, we are trying to stop players on first contact," Mason said. "We have made strides on this by focusing on tackling and getting to the ball with all players and staying disciplined in our duties." Sophomore wide receiver Julio Soto has made huge advancements in a short amount of time, Mason noted. "Julio is starting to get used to football," he said. "He has only played two years and is starting to make an impact on varsity." Senior Fernando Jimenez also got a hat tip for his work at strong safety. "Fernando is doing good things on defense," Mason said. "The game is starting to slow down for him and he can play faster." Adam Lambaz continues to excel as a two-way lineman . "Adam is our everything on the line," Mason said. "He knows everything and more, and can play physical when he is disciplined." A win here keeps the Maroons on track in the playoff hunt.

About the Wildcats: Vincent Muci was huge for the Wildcats last week, rushing for 190 yards and 3 touchdowns. Johnny Montana caught a touchdown pass and made several tackles on defense. Coach Adam Chavez also cited recent strong play from Alan Cuautle, Ali Nasib, Alexis Correa, Joseph Flores, as well Ean Arizmendi. "Ean had a great night opening up huge holes for the running game," Chavez said.

Fenton (1-3, 1-3) at Larkin (1-3, 1-3)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Previous matchup: Larkin 56, Fenton 0 (2021 at Fenton)

About the Bison: The Bison got into the win column last week with a 1-point victory over West Chicago, snapping the program's 15-game losing streak dating back to the COVID spring season of 2021. "Fenton is improving and it will be a tough task," Larkin coach Grant Dietz said. "Coach (Matt) Lynch will have them ready to play. We have to put pressure on them and force them to make mistakes. We will have to capitalize off those mistakes and score early and often. We must execute our offense, play stingy, attacking defense and game-changing special teams for all four quarters."

About the Royals: Running back Jalen Miller, a junior, scored 2 touchdowns against South Elgin. "Jalen ran the ball hard against a very tough South Elgin defense," Dietz said. Sophomore defensive end Diyonnes King also was cited for strong play. "Diyonnes had a tough task of slowing a good South Elgin option attack," Dietz noted. "He played hard and showed toughness for all four quarters." Dietz has several observations through four weeks. "So far offensively we are balanced in our run and pass yards through four games," he said. "It may not seem like it when you watch us. Defensively, we gave up more than 100 points in two games. Our defense is working hard to get back to the basics. We are looking forward to the matchup."

Batavia (2-2, 1-1) at Glenbard North (2-2, 1-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Batavia 21, Glenbard North 20 (2021)

About the Bulldogs: Batavia rolled in last week's 42-0 victory over Lake Park. There are plenty of standout performances to choose from, whether it was Ryan Whitwell's 173 yards rushing, linebacker Tyler Jansey's 13 tackles or Ben Fiegel's 10. Both of these teams feature power running games and physical front sevens defensively, but that brand of football tends to favor the Bulldogs more often than not.

About the Panthers: Glenbard North scored 20 unanswered points in the second half of last week's 41-34 victory over St. Charles East. Damarion Elliston rushed for a game-high 183 yards and will likely be a point of interest for the Panthers to sustain this week. Defensively, the Panthers did give up a number of chunk yardage plays, but clearly limited the damage after halftime.

St. Charles East (2-2, 0-2) at Wheaton Warrenville South (1-3, 0-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: WW South 24, St. Charles East 7 (2021)

About the Saints: St. Charles East will likely want to make up for a second half last week in which it blew a 13-point halftime lead and ultimately was outscored 20-0 after halftime. The Saints were able to break off some big-yardage plays between Mason Tousignant, Charles Bolsoni, Blake Schuette and more, but had a tough time limiting the running game, an area the Tigers have struggled a little bit to get going offensively for themselves in recent weeks.

About the Tigers: WW South's defense has sputtered a bit in recent weeks, giving up 35 points in consecutive games. Couple that with a limited running game impact, the Tigers are looking to get back to the basic identity of what they typically do best: Running the football and limiting mistakes defensively. Charlie Butt had a blocked punt last week as well.

Other area games

IC Catholic Prep (3-1, 2-0) at Aurora Central Catholic (1-3, 1-1), 7:15 p.m.

Riverside-Brookfield (3-1, 2-0) at St. Edward (1-3, 0-1), 7 p.m.

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