High school football capsules
Last year: Did not play
Notes: The Hawks and Sabres renew their rivalry tonight for the first time since 2004. Bartlett leads the all-time series 5-2.
• Hopes of making a 10th straight trip to the playoffs are fading for the Hawks after last week's 16-0 loss at Neuqua Valley. The defeat was Bartlett's third in a row and marked the second time in three games that the Hawks failed to score. Bartlett has 11 turnovers during its three-game skid. Sophomore QB A.J. Bilyeu has six interceptions to go along with 251 passing yards this season. Junior WR Zach Karys is out this week with a rib injury, leaving the Hawks without their top two receivers after losing senior Zach Konstanzer for the season to a collarbone injury.
• Streamwood ranks last in the area in points scored and points allowed following last week's 42-7 loss to Lake Park. Sophomore RB Alex Morrow and senior RBs Derrick King and Wayne Holloway give the Sabres three formidable options out of the backfield. Streamwood will be without sophomore QB Dalton Lundeen, who is out for the year after sustaining a broken collarbone last week. Coach Cal Cummins said he is comfortable handing quarterback duties to junior Nick Pryor, who has admirably filled several different positions on both sides of the ball since last season.
Quote: "Streamwood has a couple running backs that any team in the Upstate Eight would love to have. We're taking this game very seriously. We're not good enough to just show up."
-- Bartlett coach Tom Meaney
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Bartlett
Last year: Lake Park 43, Elgin 23
Notes: The Maroons look to snap a six-game losing streak against the Lancers that dates to 2001.
• Lake Park improved to 2-0 in the UEC with a 42-7 win against Streamwood last week. Senior RB Artie Monaco has scored seven TDs this season and paces an offense that averages 30.3 points per game.
• After beating East Aurora 20-19 last week, Elgin looks to notch back-to-back wins in the same season for the first time since 2002. Junior RB Jordan Dean ran for 254 yards and three TDs on 27 carries to key the victory. Senior QB Ryan Parks started at quarterback for the first time since Week 1. Coach Dave Bierman said Parks will start again this week as Elgin looks to jump start a passing game that has yielded only 192 yards this season.
Quote: "Lake Park has a great tailback. He's a tough one to bring down. The key defensively is to try to get more than one defender on the ball at all times because it's a lot easier to break one tackle than two."
-- Bierman
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Lake Park
Last year: Did not play
Notes: The Phoenix is coming off its first two wins in program history the past two games, including a 40-0 victory against Thornwood last week in Southwest Suburban Conference Red Division action. Lincoln-Way North went 0-9 last year in its first varsity season. The Phoenix failed to score in its first two games this year and is averaging only 165 yards per game. RB Jim Hermle leads the team with 140 rushing yards this season.
• The Storm looks to get back on track following last week's 21-14 loss to St. Charles East. Junior RB Bradley Birchfield ran for 159 yards on 17 carries in the defeat. South Elgin has been outgained in total yards in all four of its games this year. The Storm defense is yielding 357.8 yards per game and 5.6 yards per rushing attempt.
• Of the Storm's final five opponents, only one team currently has a losing record. South Elgin can improve to 3-0 against non-conference opponents with a win.
Quote: "There's no breaks. Every game is important in a nine-week season. Lincoln-Way North is a good football team and they've won a couple games now. They are going to get to play a homecoming and everybody loves a shot to ruin someone's homecoming."
-- South Elgin coach Dale Schabert
Erik Jacobsen's pick: South Elgin
Last year: St. Edward 42, ACC 7
Notes: The Green Wave's three-game win streak came to a screeching halt in last week's 19-16 home loss against Chicago Christian. St. Edward was held well below its season average of 37.8 points, and its 299 yards of offense was also down from its season average of 440.5 yards per game. Senior FB Jordan Torres leads the team with 440 rushing yards and has scored a TD in every game.
• The Chargers picked up their first win last week by knocking off Michigan Lutheran 62-21 on a neutral site in Valparaiso, Ind. ACC had accumulated only 17 points through its first three games prior to last week's outburst. Senior RB/DB Alex Schaefer is one of the top offensive threats for the Chargers.
• The Green Wave has lost six of its past 10 meetings against the Chargers. Tonight's game won't count toward either team's conference records as ACC is a member of the Suburban Christian Conference Blue Division this year.
Quote: "As a program we didn't answer the bell last week. We need to learn from it. We've really got to settle down and refocus on ACC this week. They scored 62 points on Saturday. I don't know much about who they played, but regardless, 62 points is a lot of points. So we need to be ready to play some defense."
-- St. Edward coach Mike Rolando
Erik Jacobsen's pick: St. Edward
Last year: Did not play
Notes: Tonight's game marks the first meeting between the Saints and Tomcats since 2004. St. Charles East has won 14 straight games against East Aurora dating to 1989.
• The Saints improved to 2-0 in the UEC with a 21-14 win at South Elgin last week. Senior RB Corey Campbell was sidelined with a shoulder injury and senior RB Matt Payne left in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle, but junior RB Zach Zajicek picked up the slack with 152 rushing yards and a TD on 23 carries. Campbell practiced this week and is expected to play tonight, but Payne will remain sidelined. Tonight's game marks the second of four straight road games for the Saints.
• A second-half rally fell short for the Tomcats last week in a 20-19 loss at Elgin. QB Bryan Robinson ran for 179 yards and three TDs on 26 carries to lead East Aurora, which trailed 20-0 at halftime.
Quote: "By no means are we looking past anybody. We're taking every opponent as seriously as the next. We're well aware that they've got some real nice athletes over there at East Aurora, starting with their quarterback. We're just looking to shut them down and hopefully keep our offense rolling."
-- East coach Mike Fields
Erik Jacobsen's pick: St. Charles East
Last year: Hampshire 21, Richmond-Burton 11
Notes: The Whip-Purs officially begin the defense of their 2008 Big Northern Conference East Division title tonight in the league opener for both teams. The Rockets have won six of the past 10 meetings between the schools.
• Richmond-Burton ran for 400 yards on 40 carries in last week's 35-16 win against Winnebago. Senior RBs Chad O'Kane and Justin Russell and senior FB Kenneth Riordan all have at least 330 rushing yards this year. R-B is ranked No. 10 in Class 4A.
• The Whips rolled to their first victory last week, notching a 32-0 win at Byron. Senior Ryan Burke has completed 19 of 28 passes for 235 yards since taking over as the team's quarterback in Week 3. Hampshire is hoping for a repeat of last year, when it also started the season 0-3 before reeling off six straight wins to claim the conference crown and reach the playoffs.
Quote: "It was a nice team win last week. It was a good confidence booster to get the victory and play well on both sides of the ball."
-- Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Richmond-Burton
Last year: Central 41, North Boone 14
Notes: The Rockets look to maintain their dominance over the Vikings in tonight's BNC East opener. Central has won all three meetings between the teams by a combined score of 128-27 since North Boone joined the league in 2006.
• Three turnovers and a fourth-quarter safety didn't help the Rockets' cause in last week's 16-14 loss at Oregon. Senior QB Tim Maroder leads the team with 268 rushing yards on 39 carries. Central's offense is averaging only 205 yards per game. Sophomore CB Trevor McMillian has been fighting lower back issues this week and will likely miss tonight's game.
• The high-flying Vikings were grounded in last week's 43-16 loss at Genoa-Kingston. North Boone entered that contest averaging 48.7 points, but standout junior QB Alex Albrecht struggled in the loss before leaving the game on a stretcher in the fourth quarter following a violent hit.
Quote: "We know that (North Boone) put up a lot of points early and kind of caught everybody's attention with that. They are a program that every year has been bridging that gap between some of the top teams and some of the bottom teams (in the conference)."
-- Central coach Aaron Wichman
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Central
Last year: G-K 28, Winnebago 12
Notes: The Cogs will be looking for their fourth win in five meetings against the Indians in tonight's BNC West opener.
• Winnebago suffered its first defeat of the season last week in a 35-16 loss against state-ranked Richmond-Burton. The Indians had allowed only 14 points prior to that contest. Senior RB Seth Gustafson and sophomore RB Marcus Posley have both run for over 300 yards this season.
• G-K erupted for 29 points in the second quarter last week to break a scoreless tie in a 43-13 win against North Boone. Junior RB/DB Robby Thurlby ran for 186 yards and two TDs on 23 carries in his team's first game without standout senior RB/LB Garrett Johnsen, who is out for the year.
Quote: "Winnebago is very good. I thought they gave Richmond-Burton all they could handle, so our work is cut out for us. They are well coached and their kids work hard."
-- G-K coach Bill McCarty
Erik Jacobsen's pick: G-K
Last year: South 42, D-C 7
Notes: The Chargers will try to snap a four-game losing streak against the Gators in tonight's Fox Valley Conference Valley Division opener. Crystal Lake South has won 12 of the past 14 meetings between the schools.
• The Gators maintained the No. 7 spot in the Class 7A state poll after last week's 38-7 win against Prairie Ridge. South has outscored its four opponents 137-14 and allowed only one TD in its past 13 quarters. Junior QB Drew Ormseth leads the team's balanced offensive attack. He's completed 25 of 43 passes for 364 yards.
• D-C is coming off a humbling 41-18 loss against Grayslake North. Junior QB Tanner Kotlan returns following a two-game disciplinary suspension. He will start under center despite the fact that senior Nick Torres threw for 458 yards the past two games. Junior RB/DB Danny Sharp is the team's top playmaker. He has 548 combined rushing and receiving yards this year. The Chargers have lost 11 straight conference games dating to 2006.
Quote: "I think (Crystal Lake South) is better than they were last year, especially defensively. I don't see a weakness anywhere on that team."
-- D-C coach Mike Davis
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Crystal Lake South
Last year: Huntley 28, McHenry 19
Notes: The Red Raiders are 1-3 against the Warriors since joining the FVC in 2003. Tonight's game marks Huntley's first FVC Valley contest since switching from the FVC Fox prior to the season.
• The Red Raiders look to bounce back from their first loss of the year, which came in a 27-24 defeat against Woodstock in double overtime. Huntley led 16-3 at halftime in that contest, but six turnovers proved too much to overcome. Senior RB Brett Kleckner has run for 410 yards and five TDs on 55 carries this year, good for an average of 7.5 yards per rushing attempt.
• McHenry is coming off a 28-14 loss against Crystal Lake Central. Senior QB Thomas Rose leads the FVC with 863 passing yards, but he left last week's game on a stretcher in the fourth quarter. The Warriors are averaging only 11 points in their three losses. McHenry is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the second straight year. The Warriors had a 20-year playoff streak snapped last fall.
Quote: "McHenry runs a no-huddle so it's a little different tempo than we're used to seeing. They have a really good passing quarterback and some very talented receivers. They also have a huge fullback that will be hard to stop if we overplay the receivers."
-- Huntley coach Steve Graves
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Huntley
Last year: Cary-Grove 41, Jacobs 0
Notes: The Golden Eagles have lost nine straight against the Trojans going into this week's FVC Valley opener. They've been outscored 137-20 in the past four meetings between the schools.
• Jacobs will be coming off an eight-day layoff following last week's 20-0 loss at Grayslake Central. The Eagles were held to a season-low 120 yards in that contest while sustaining their third straight defeat. Senior RB Ben Albano has been the team's most consistent offensive performer, running for 258 yards on 63 carries this year.
• Cary-Grove has been nothing short of dominant this season, outscoring its first four opponents 203-6. The Trojans are ranked No. 3 in the Class 6A state poll following last week's 56-0 win against Woodstock North. Senior FB Eric Chandler is one of several threats in Cary-Grove's triple-option attack. The Trojans are in search of their sixth straight conference championship. They've won 32 straight conference games and 49 of their past 50 regular-season contests.
Quote: "Cary-Grove is very good at what they do on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game. They don't have many weaknesses."
-- Jacobs coach Dean Schlueter
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Cary-Grove
