Carmel, Grant have lot in common

Carmel fans cheer on the Corsairs in a game earlier this season.

(Michael Schmidt/News-Sun)

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Both area teams love to run the football and love to dominate on defense

The running game will be in full effect in tonight's two IHSA football playoff games involving Lake County schools.

Carmel, the final 7A school still alive in the county, is a favorite on the road. Meanwhile, Grant's Bulldogs hope that some of the magic of last week's win over Vernon Hills still lingers when it hosts powerhouse Huntley.

CLASS 7A

Carmel Corsairs (9-1) at

Woodstock Blue Streaks (7-3), 7 p.m.

Something's got to give.

The strength of the Carmel Corsairs is to run the ball, which coach Andy Bitto's charges have been doing with cold efficiency all season long. The backbone of the Woodstock team is its defense -- specifically, its ability to stop the run.

Carmel's wing-T offense features the pounding runs of Mike Taylor, who has racked up 1,386 yards on the ground and crossed the goal line 15 times. He ran wild against Wheeling last week, with 260 yards, while Eric Stevenson added 151.

Quarterback Andrew Nerup, on the tail end of mononucleosis, is the second-highest ground gainer for Carmel, with 636 yards and 12 TDs. But Nerup missed the last game and will probably miss this one as well, according to Bitto.

"We're hoping he's back for the third round of the playoffs, if we can survive," the coach said.

Meanwhile, junior Larry Amato, who, according to Bitto, managed the game effectively with just two miscues last week, will be behind center again.

Bitto noted that the Blue Streaks, who have a big defensive line, have yielded just over 100 points in 10 games this year.

Offensively, Woodstock rallies behind lefty quarterback Derek Brown, a three-sport athlete with the ability to make big plays. Brown has thrown for 1,324 yards this season, with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Neither of the Blue Streaks' two running backs, Kevin Smith and Zac Johnson, is exceptional. Smith has 529 yards on the year, while Johnson has 435.

"They're an effective, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust team," said Bitto. "They run the ball and occasionally take a deep shot down field at you."

CLASS 6A

Huntley Red Raiders (9-1) at

Grant Bulldogs (7-3), 7 p.m.

The expected rain for tonight's Grant vs. Huntley game has got to be considered a big plus for the Bulldogs, whose opponent lives and dies by running the football.

The lone loss for Huntley came during week nine's driving rainstorm against Johnsburg, on a field that inhibited Huntley's potent running attack to such a degree that they scored just one touchdown.

It took the Red Raiders, enjoying the best season in school history, just one week to fully recover. In the first round of the playoffs last week, they set a state playoff record with 700 yards rushing on 54 carries, outscoring Batavia 70-63 in a game of contrasting offenses.

Huntley is led by 220-pound running back Jordan Neukirch, a bruiser with good speed being wooed by Illinois State University. Neukirch has rushed for 1,631 yards this season. And Neukirch is also a big part of the team's defense from his linebacker position. Brett Kleckner has 685 yards on the year and Tanner Stearns adds 587.

"We expect them to try to jam it down our throat," said Grant coach Kurt Rous, whose team survived a double-overtime thriller last week against Vernon Hills.

Grant's strong point is stopping the run defensively, and Rous expects to pinch his corners toward the line of scrimmage in his team's regular 5-3 alignment.

"Worse case scenario, well go to a 6-2 or 6-3," said Rous, who more or less will dare Huntley to throw the ball.

Meanwhile, Grant, with junior Dan Hourihan (898 yards, 10 TDs) carrying the load, will also pound the ball at the Red Raiders.

Rous said that Huntley should expect to see a number of off-beat formations from which they will also attack through the air.

Expect wide receiver Tommy Bychowski and quarterback Justin Cokefair to try to exploit Huntley's exposed defensive weakness against the pass.