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Football: Scouting Week 2 in the Northwest suburbs

Maine South (1-0) at Warren (1-0)Last week: Maine South 41, Stevenson 10; Warren 19, Barrington 0

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: Maine South goes on the road for the second consecutive week to play a team from the North Suburban Conference. Maine South rolled past Stevenson last week, Now the Hawks draw an even tougher task when they go to Gurnee to play the three-time defending conference champion Blue Devils, the top-ranked team in both the Daily Herald Top 20 and in Class 8A by the Associated Press. It will be and offensive power versus a defensive titan when the teams collide. The Hawks, No. 2 in the DH rankings and No. 5 in Class 8A by AP, are led offensively by Rowan Keef, who tossed a pair of touchdown passes and threw for 128 yards and running back Mike Sajenko, who ran for 94 yards and a touchdown. They will face off against a tenacious Warren defense that smothered Barrington last week and limited the Broncos to 1 yard of offense.

Fremd (0-1) at Prospect (1-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Lake Zurich 21, Fremd 9; Prospect 37, Sandburg 14

Outlook: Fremd struggled to get things in gear last week. The Vikings are looking to fill the gaps left from graduation and are hoping to improve on their run defense, which allowed 190 yards last week. Prospect is off to a fast start. Frank Covey was outstanding in his first start at quarterback going 14-of-20 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for 101 yards and another touchdown. Matt Raitano and Gavin Flanagan combined for another 124 rushing yards.

Palatine (0-1) at Hersey (1-0)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: St. Charles North 24, Palatine 0; Hersey 28, Lincoln-Way West 7

Outlook: Palatine was hoping to come out of the gates strong this season. But the Pirates stumbled last week when their offense was stymied with just 25 rushing yards. The Pirates need to get things turned around quickly with Evanston and Maine South coming up next on their schedule. Hersey had one of the most impressive wins in the state last week. The Huskies went to New Lenox and put a huge hurt on perennial state power Lincoln-Way West. Jimmy Makuh was impressive, throwing for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Hersey defense will look to play just as well against Palatine and is led by Josh Bontje and the Pflomm brothers, Justin and Tyler.

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

Last week: Conant 35, Lake Park 20; Buffalo Grove 41, Lincoln-Way Central 0

Outlook: Both teams hit pay dirt often last week led by the running of their quarterbacks. Conant's Giuseppe Dugo ran the option offense to perfection. The three-year starter rushed for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dominick Mininnni and Ryan Kutella also give the Cougars places to go in their running game. Buffalo Grove's Michael Cervantes rushed for 213 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for 111 yards and a touchdown. Scott Murray and Cole Nixon are also great alternatives with the running game.

Elk Grove (1-0) at Schaumburg (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Elk Grove 36, Maine West 12; York 37, Schaumburg 7

Outlook: In his first four years as Elk Grove head coach, Miles Osei had never won a season opener. That changed last week when the Grens, behind the running of Dominic Belmonte (3 touchdowns, 54 yards) and quarterback Mitchell Janczak (76 rushing yards, 114 passing yards), knocked off Maine West. Now Osei looks to cross another thing off his bucket list if his team wins a second game in a row. Schaumburg is hoping to reverse its fortunes after a tough loss. The Saxons are also hoping to have running back Takumi Fred return to the lineup after he was out last week with an injury. His replacement, Najari Williams, did well, gaining 61 yards.

Hoffman Estates (0-1) at Rolling Meadows (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Downers Grove North 24, Hoffman Estates 21; Glenbrook South 37, Rolling Meadows 22

Outlook: This is a key matchup for a pair of teams that have playoff aspirations. Despite being early into the season, a loss here would put the loser in a difficult situation. Hoffman's Jashawn Johnson was his usual terrific self in the season opener with a pair of touchdowns and 138 yards. Rolling Meadows quarterback Evan Grace had a fantastic beginning in his first start. He threw for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which went to Ethan Groark, who had 9 catches for 264 yards.

Wheeling (1-0) at Barrington (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Wheeling 27, Round Lake 15; Warren 19, Barrington 0

Outlook: This may be the first time since 2007 that Wheeling had an even or better record than Barrington when the two teams meet. Both teams were 2-1 in that year when Barrington beat the Wildcats. Wheeling is coming off a historic win last week, breaking its 19-game losing streak. The smallest school in the MSL will now face off against the largest in the hopes of keeping that winning streak alive. Barrington looks to turn things around after an uncharacteristic poor performance by its offense, which was shut out and netted just 1 yard of total offense.

Hubbard (0-1) at Maine West (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Grayslake Central 66, Hubbard 38; Elk Grove 36, Maine West 12

Outlook: Maine West head coach George Klupchak, who used to be the head coach of Payton, is very familiar with Hubbard. He will be looking to slow down the Greyhounds, who piled up lots of points in their loss last week. Maine West was able to rack up 185 yards of offense last week, but the Warriors had trouble finding the end zone. Warriors quarterback Conor McAndrews and running back Isaac Pitman should have more room against a Hubbard defense that gave up 66 points last week

Round Lake (0-1) at Maine East (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Wheeling 27, Round Lake 15; Niles West 38, Maine East 9

Outlook: With a tough nonconference and conference schedule ahead, this may be Maine East's best shot at breaking its 34-game losing streak. The Blue Demons are improved from previous years and the numbers on the varsity and lower classes are up. A win here could be that springboard they need to change their fortunes for the future.

St. Viator (0-1) at Morgan Park (0-1)When: Friday, 7 p.m., at Gately Stadium

Last week: South Elgin 48, St. Viator 7; Fenwick 35, Morgan Park 12

Outlook: It was crazy week last week for St. Viator. The Lions went from a canceled game, to no game, to a trip to South Elgin and then a tough loss to a very good South Elgin team. Now St. Viator will take on one of the Chicago Public League's top football programs In Morgan Park. Quarterback Alex Konopka, tore his ACL on the first play of the second quarter against South Elgin and is out for the season. Sophomore Charlie Dolson, who threw a touchdown pass last week, will get the nod.

Leyden (0-1) at Proviso West (0-1)When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last week: Highland Park 26, Leyden 3; Wauconda 69, Proviso West 0

Outlook: These two teams struggled to put points on the board last week. Actually, Leyden moved the ball quite well thanks to the running of Julius Sanchez, who had 120 yards on 28 carries. But its inability to close out drives and allowing big scoring plays doomed Leyden. Look for the Eagles to stay with that formula, where they dominated the snap count and time of possession. Proviso West managed just 28 yards of offense in its loss last week.

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