Football preview
Last year: North 54, Streamwood 0
Notes: The North Stars have won six straight times against the Sabres and lead the all-time series 6-1.
• North's defense rose to the occasion in a 20-7 win against Larkin last week, limiting the Royals to only 71 yards of offense. Junior RB Ben Hodges paced the offense with 97 rushing yards and two TDs on 23 carries. Senior RB Jordan Huxtable was not available for last week's game for an apparent disciplinary reason. Coach Mark Gould said he couldn't comment on the situation or whether Huxtable will be in action tonight.
• Streamwood trailed by only seven at halftime last week before losing to Bartlett 38-14. Junior Nick Pryor completed 9 of 11 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in his first start at quarterback following sophomore QB Dalton Lundeen's season-ending collarbone injury. With a loss, the Sabres will be assured of their 10th straight year without a winning record.
Quote: "Like a few of the other teams that are sitting there at the top of the league, I don't know that (St. Charles North) has dominated all the time, but they've just played really solid football from beginning to end all year."
-- Streamwood coach Cal Cummins
Erik Jacobsen's pick: North
Last year: East 21, Waubonsie Valley 0
Notes: The Saints have won five in a row against the Warriors dating to 1998 and lead the all-time series 9-3.
• East is on the road for the third straight game and will look to improve to 4-0 in the UEC. The Saints are coming off a 41-0 win at East Aurora last week. Senior QB Nolan Possley passed for three TDs and ran for another in the victory. Senior G Rafael Flores could return from a right knee injury and senior LB Sam Leopardo is expected to return from an ankle injury. Senior RB/DB Matt Payne is questionable with a left ankle sprain. Payne missed last week's game.
• Waubonsie Valley slipped to 2-1 in the UEC with last week's 28-7 loss to Neuqua Valley. The Warriors allowed only 177 total yards in the defeat. Senior QB Kenny Clay is the team's top offensive threat. He's passed for 821 yards and run for 296 yards this season. Waubonsie Valley needs to win two of its final four games to become playoff eligible for the sixth straight year.
Quote: "They've got some great athletes over there and they are utilizing them as best as they can. We know we've got our work cut out for us. This will be a good Upstate Eight battle."
-- East coach Mike Fields
Erik Jacobsen's pick: East
Last year: Did not play
Notes: The Green Wave can become playoff eligible for the first time since 2003 with a win. St. Edward is coming off a 42-14 win against Aurora Central Catholic last week. Junior QB Ben Lehman is tied for the lead in area passing yards. Senior FB Jordan Torres and senior RB David Hoebbel have both run for over 475 yards. Senior T/LB Shane Finnane leads the team with 60 tackles. Coach Mike Rolando said St. Edward's offense will throw in a few new wrinkles this week.
• The Gators allowed touchdowns on six straight possessions to start the game in last week's 54-14 loss against Marmion. QB Dennis Kelly completed 13 of 27 passes for 236 yards and two TDs in the defeat. Guerin has allowed 121 points during its current three-game losing streak after allowing no touchdowns in its first two games.
• Tony Pecoraro is in his first season coaching the Gators. Guerin, which is located in River Grove, has never reached the playoffs.
Quote: "They spread the ball around real nice. They don't really key on any one player when they're throwing the ball, so we're going to have to be alert in all positions in the secondary and figure out who they're trying to throw the ball to."
-- Rolando
Erik Jacobsen's pick: St. Edward
Last year: Richmond-Burton 34, Central 7
Notes: Richmond-Burton is ranked No. 9 in the Class 4A state poll following last week's 37-14 win against Hampshire. Senior FB Kenneth Riordan and senior RB Chad O'Kane both average more than 7 yards per carry and have over 500 rushing yards to pace an offense that has scored at least 35 points in all four victories. Richmond-Burton can become playoff eligible for the third straight year with a win. Richmond-Burton advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals last year.
• Central rallied from a 12-point, first-quarter deficit to beat North Boone 20-12 last week. Junior Tre Llanes ran for 137 yards and a touchdown to lead a rushing attack that averaged 6.3 yards per carry during the contest. Sophomore CB Trevor McMillian (back), junior LB Evan Billek (concussion) and junior OL Rene Saravia (knee) will all miss tonight's game with injuries.
• Central has won four of its past six meetings against Richmond-Burton, which is also nicknamed the Rockets.
Quote: "Everybody knew at the beginning of the year that (Richmond-Burton) was going to have a good team and they certainly haven't disappointed. They are a pretty solid team all around."
-- Central coach Aaron Wichman
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Richmond-Burton
Last year: Hampshire 27, Harvard 20
Notes: Last year the Whip-Purs beat the Hornets for only the second time in 11 meetings dating to 1987.
• Hampshire must win its four remaining games to avoid the program's first losing season since 2003. The Whips are coming off a 37-14 loss against Richmond-Burton. Junior WR Ray Quesada and senior WR Alex Niccum are the top targets for senior Ryan Burke, who has thrown for 365 yards since taking over at quarterback in Week 3.
• The Hornets have won four straight following a 41-point loss in their season opener. Harvard has won its past three games by 20 or more points, including last week's 49-14 romp against Marengo. Senior RB/DB Vince Gabrys leads the team with 638 rushing yards and 10 TDs. The Hornets can clinch their sixth straight winning season with a victory.
Quote: "Harvard is on a roll. Since their opening-week loss they've kind of steamrolled some people. They're not as big as Richmond-Burton, but I think they're every bit as physical."
-- Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Harvard
Last year: G-K 42, Rockford Lutheran 13
Notes: The Cogs are 5-1 against the Crusaders since Rockford Lutheran joined the Big Northern Conference in 2003.
• G-K looks to get back on track after losing two of its previous three games, including a 17-6 loss against Winnebago last week. The Cogs topped the 40-point mark in all three of their wins but could muster only six points in both losses. Junior QB Craig Billington is third in the area with 578 passing yards.
• The Crusaders are coming off a 41-3 loss against state-ranked Stillman Valley last week. Rockford Lutheran's defense is allowing 41.6 points per game while its offense is averaging only 8.2 points. Senior RB/DB Jonata Pike ran for 114 yards on 25 carries in last week's loss. The Crusaders have lost 13 straight games dating to last year and are assured of their seventh straight losing season.
Quote: "We've got to get it going on 'O'. That hasn't been our problem in the past, but now it is.
Some of it is fundamentals and us coaching it up better and sometimes it's just the execution. -- G-K coach Bill McCarty
Erik Jacobsen's pick: G-K
Last year: McHenry 32, D-C 10
Notes: The Chargers have lost 19 in a row against the Warriors dating to 1989. They've scored more than 14 points against McHenry only twice in that span.
• D-C's Fox Valley Conference losing streak reached 12 games with last week's 55-7 defeat against Crystal Lake South. The Chargers have allowed over 215 rushing yards in three of their past four games. Junior RB/DB Danny Sharp is second in the area in receiving yards and 11th in rushing yards.
• The Warriors won their FVC Valley opener against Huntley 28-7 last week. McHenry's defense allowed only 168 yards in the victory. Senior QB Thomas Rose has completed 102 of 157 passes for 1,056 yards. The Warriors need to win three of their final four games to have a chance at reaching the postseason. McHenry had a 20-year playoff streak snapped last fall.
Quote: "McHenry is always a really physical team. We have to match their physicality right away. They're the type of team that can get out on you early and then you're in loads of trouble."
-- D-C coach Mike Davis
Erik Jacobsen's pick: McHenry
Last year: Did not play
Notes: The Red Raiders are 0-4 against the Trojans and have been shut out in three of those previous meetings.
• Cary-Grove vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the Class 6A state rankings this week, which comes as no surprise considering that coach Bruce Kay's team has outscored its five opponents 260-6 this year. Senior RB Alex Hembrey leads the Trojans with 426 rushing yards and is averaging 12.5 yards per carry. Cary-Grove, which beat Jacobs 57-0 last week, can clinch a playoff spot for the sixth straight year with a win. The Trojans have won 33 straight Fox Valley Conference games.
• Huntley looks to snap a two-game losing streak following last week's 28-7 defeat against McHenry. The Red Raiders allowed only 198 yards in the loss, but three turnovers proved too much to overcome. Senior RB Brett Kleckner has scored a touchdown in four of Huntley's five games. The Red Raiders haven't lost three straight since 2005.
Quote: "Cary-Grove is really good in everything. You name it: special teams, punt block, kick returns, inside run, outside run, passing long, passing short. You can just about name every phase of football and they're very good at it."
-- Huntley coach Steve Graves
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Cary-Grove
Last year: Crystal Lake South 28, Jacobs 0
Notes: The Golden Eagles have won two of their previous three meetings against the Gators.
• Jacobs continued to struggle offensively in last week's 57-0 loss to Cary-Grove. The Golden Eagles haven't scored in their past two games and have only one touchdown in the past 14 quarters. Jacobs was outgained 371-8 last week. Senior WR Derek Collinsworth returns this week for the Golden Eagles, who are playing a state-ranked opponent for the second straight game.
• Crystal Lake South rolled to a 55-7 win against Dundee-Crown last week. The Gators, who are ranked No. 7 in the Class 7A state poll, haven't allowed more than seven points and have scored 35 or more points four straight times. Junior QB Drew Ormseth has thrown for 442 yards and six TDs. Crystal Lake South can clinch a playoff spot for the ninth straight year with a win.
Quote: "(Crystal Lake South) is big, athletic and they have great skill guys. It's hard to find a weakness on the team."
-- Jacobs coach Dean Schlueter
Erik Jacobsen's pick: Crystal Lake South
