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DeKalb, Sycamore, Kaneland, Genoa-Kingston and Hiawatha went a combined 4-1 last week, with the 11-man teams using strong aerial assaults in their games.
Here is one storyline for each team heading into Week 2 of the high school football season.
DeKalb: Cole Latimer, passing game look to build off Week 1
In a week full of gaudy passing stats, the junior quarterback had some eye-poppers. He was 30 of 42 for 423 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions in a 35-28 loss to Sycamore.
Coach Derek Schneeman said he wasn’t too concerned about the interceptions and thought the completion percentage was much more indicative of his performance. He said he expects Latimer to have another solid game Friday at Plainfield South.
He said one of the interceptions was completely on Latimer, coming in the fourth quarter with his team up 28-21 and having just recovered a fumbled punt. The other two, he said, had extenuating circumstances.
“I thought he played extremely well,” Schneeman said. “The first interception should have been caught, and the last one came on a desperation heave. He basically had the one mistake after the muffed punt. But he completed [71]% of his passes, had over 400 yards and put some difficult throws in good spots all night.”
Sycamore: Offensive line looking to make a leap
The Spartans had just 35 rushing yards at the half against DeKalb and finished with 106 on 26 carries. Dylan Hodges led the way with 18 carries and 84 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Before the game, senior RJ Calfa broke his collarbone and is likely out for the foreseeable future, coach Joe Ryan said. He was one of three returning starters on the line for the Spartans. Starting defensive lineman Ethan Keicher was pressed into service on both sides of the ball.
Ryan said they knew, even before Calfa’s injury, it was going to be a growing experience for the offensive line. Most of the returning experience for the Spartans came at the skill positions. Ryan expects to see that leap, he said, in Week 2 when they host Oswego East.
“Now they have a little more idea what to expect, especially playing in that environment,” Ryan said of the game at NIU’s Huskie Stadium. “You have to grow up quick. There was some good but some also some things that weren’t so good. Now that we’ve seen it on film we can improve upon the things we need to improve upon.”
Kaneland: Establishing the run
Senior quarterback Chase Kruckenberg had a pair of touchdown passes and was 12 of 15 for 162 yards in his varsity debut, a 20-14 Kaneland win at Washington.
But coach Michael Thorgesen said he’s hoping to see more from the ground attack in Friday against Wauconda. Carter Grabowski led the way with 55 yards on 13 carries last week. Thorgesen did say there were flashes, including a big run by Grabowski in the fourth quarter to pick up a key first down that let the Knights run out the clock.
“I think Washington had a very formidable defensive line with a lot of good players back from a semifinal team,” Thorgesen said. “The linebackers filled the gaps well and when they stack the box and play man-to-man it’s hard to run the ball no matter who you are.”
Genoa-Kingston: Not getting away from the ground attack
Although Nathan Kleba had three passing touchdowns for the Cogs and 125 yards, he did it on just eight pass attempts. Slightly high for the Cogs, but still not a ton.
Coach Cam Davekos said the Cogs were merely taking what Leo presented in a 41-21 win.
“They had their corners up and linebackers all trying to stop the run,” Davekos said. “They had no safeties in a cover 0, so we were able to exploit that with some play-action pass, and it worked out for us.”
Davekos said Tyler Atterberry, Owen Zaccard, Peyton Meyer and Patrick Young all ran hard when their number was called.
“We shared the ball, had a good rotation going with all our tailbacks and wingbacks,” Davekos said. “We trust our guys. ... Our game plan is the pound the ball and run. That’s what we did to open up the play-action pass for us.”
Hiawatha: Defense gets a challenge a week after a shutout
The Hawks allowed no points in a 6-0 overtime win at Rockford Christian Life. West Carroll knocked off River Ridge 64-14.
Hiawatha and West Carroll meet in Kirkland in Week 2 after the teams had a preseason scrimmage.
Hiawatha coach Kenny McPeek said he thinks his team can have more success defensively then River Ridge did. The Hawks swarmed the ball against Rockford Christian Life and were led by Tommy Butler’s 12 tackles.
“I think we run a completely different defense than River Ridge did,” McPeek said. “We have a different plan set for them, and hopefully we’re right without changes. But we have to fly to the ball. We can never quit flying to the football.”