Week 5 Prep Football Outlook

As for coach Meaney's situation, his twin daughters Morgan and Catherine won't be wearing navy and green Saturday, but instead will be decked out in St. Charles North's black and blue. The two sophomores are varsity cheerleaders at North, and according to Meaney they don't mind letting their Dad know who they'll be rooting for this week.

Meanwhile, Meaney's son Shawn is a member of North's freshman team. Wearing a North Stars jersey is a little different for the younger Meaney, who for years has been a fixture on Bartlett's sideline as a ballboy wearing a Hawks jersey with Meaney emblazoned on the back.

North's freshman team played Bartlett's freshman team Thursday, and the elder Meaney said earlier in the week he was looking forward to seeing his son play for the first time this season.

As for whether he planned on taking a peek at his son's playbook, Tom Meaney said he'd never dream of such a thing. And North coach Mark Gould, who has coached against Meaney for years, didn't seem to worried about it, pointing out that his team has already changed its look so many times this year that any base system in his program's playbook probably wouldn't apply.

The biggest element of that changing look for North has been at quarterback. Gould said senior Sean McGushin will start under center for the third week in a row on Saturday. Fellow senior Nick Neari enjoyed a productive junior season and looked sharp the first two weeks of the year before sitting out Week 3 with an injured back. He took a few snaps last week, but will have to be content with serving as a backup for now.

There is no such QB controversy at Burlington Central and North Boone, where both schools appear set at quarterback for the next few years. Speedy sophomore Tim Maroder is the signal caller for the Rockets, while sophomore Alex Albrecht continues to impress as he leads the Vikings offense.

Maroder not only is the top rushing threat in Central's option attack, but his passing prowess brings another element to a Rockets offense that for years has been almost void of any aerial presence. I expect Maroder and his teammates to pick up their first win of the season when they host North Boone tonight.

As for those upsets I mentioned, watch out for Larkin, St. Edward and Dundee-Crown this weekend. I picked against all three teams, so call me a man of little faith. But I must put in the qualifier that all three are capable of pulling off significant upsets this week.

The Royals host a struggling Neuqua Valley team tonight, but you almost have to give the Wildcats an edge because their school is more than twice the size as Larkin. However, the Royals are 2-2 at the moment, and I expect them to beat Elgin and Streamwood later this season. That means they'll need to upset either Neuqua tonight or St. Charles North or Waubonsie Valley later in the year to reach five wins and become playoff eligible.

St. Edward is at home against Marian Central, and the Green Wave is in much the same boat as Larkin. At 3-1, the Wave needs only two wins to become playoff eligible, but that is easier said than done in the rugged Suburban Catholic Conference. However, this team continues to show major strides, and a win tonight would certainly grab St. Edward some attention well beyond the Elgin area.

Dundee-Crown is also 3-1, but faces an equally tough road in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division. The combined record of the three teams the Chargers beat this season is 0-12, so Mike Davis and his squad know they still have a lot to prove. However, I think D-C has made some significant progress, and it is perfectly capable of sneaking up on any team that doesn't take it seriously. Perhaps that will happen tonight against the Blue Streaks.

To wrap it up, I'll just say that I'll readily take some egg on my face for picking against Larkin, St. Edward and Dundee-Crown if just one of those teams can come through with a win.