Bartlett High: September 2008 Archives

Saturday's Upstate Eight Conference tilt between Bartlett and St. Charles North certainly proved wild. A seven-turnover third quarter had the momentum swinging back and forth between both teams before the Hawks were able to put together a lenghty drive and open the fourth quarter with a touchdown to go up 21-7.

Here are the Courier News High School Football Week 5 preview capsules. Don't forget to check out Erik Jacobsen's look ahead to Saturday's Game of the Week between Bartlett and St. Charles North. Sports Editor R.J. Gerber also examines how Hampshire and Burlington Central might fare in the Big Northern Conference East Division, which begins play tonight.

We're halfway through the high school football season, and things are really starting to heat up. For a video preview of Week 5, click here.

There's no doubt the area's biggest game will take place Saturday when St. Charles North travels to play Bartlett. While the Hawks will likely have plenty of support from their boisterous student section, Bartlett coach Tom Meaney might not have the support of his own family.

Elsewhere in the area, the future will be on display when a pair of talented sophomore quarterbacks square off out west. Also, three area teams might be able to pull off season-defining upsets this week.

Several area teams continue to get attention in the state rankings.

Bartlett moved up two notches to No. 5 in the Class 8A poll, and if the Hawks continue their strong play you'd assume they'll eventually get a few votes for the top spot.

St. Charles climbed up a spot to No. 7 in the Class 7A poll, while crosstown rival St. Charles North received a single vote. If the North Stars can upset Bartlett this weekend, expect that vote total to grow substantially.

It's hard to believe we've already reached Week 4 of the high school football season. Time flies when you're having fun.

As we near the season's halfway point, there is plenty to keep an eye on this weekend. Big Northern Conference and Fox Valley Conference teams will be making their final tuneups before beginning league play next week. Meanwhile, three area teams will try to stay unbeaten and five area teams will be in search of their first wins.

Those teams looking to improve to 4-0 are Bartlett, Genoa-Kingston and Huntley. I think all three teams should be able to accomplish the feat. The Red Raiders might face the toughest test of the group in their game at Jacobs, but if these three squads continue the level of play they've displayed so far this year, they'll be tough for anyone to knock off.

Burlington Central, Hampshire, Elgin, South Elgin and Streamwood will all be looking to rebound from 0-3 starts. The Storm and Maroons play each other, so somebody will likely come away a winner. This looks like a pretty even match up, though, so I don't want to rule out the possibility of a tie.

Outside of the Elgin/South Elgin winner, Hampshire is the only other team in the bunch I expect to break through for a victory. The Whip-Purs traditionally haven't had much success against Byron, but I think a return home could help coach Dan Cavanaugh's club overcome three narrow losses and get on track.

Simply put, Central and Streamwood face stern challenges in their games against Oregon and St. Charles East, respectively. The first win of the season will have to wait until another week for these two local teams.

CONTINUED COVERAGE
For more insight into Week 4 of the season, check our weekly preview show Courier Prep Football Weekly. In depth game previews can be found in Friday's Courier News print edition and on our Courier sports web site. Check back throughout the weekend for scores, video highlights and game coverage. We'll also provide more analysis here on the All-Around E-Town blog as my fellow staff writers and I break down the weekend's action.

Lastly, feel free to join the conversation. Your comments on our stories and blog entries are always welcome and will only help bolster the discussion. If we miss something or if you have something to add, jump right in.

I STAND CORRECTED
Before I go, I want to clear up an error I reported on several occasions in last week's sports section. I erroneously reported that Dundee-Crown's current two-game win streak marked its first back-to-back victories since the 2002 season. It turns out that the Chargers won their final game of the 2004 season and first game of the 2005 campaign, so the 2002 win streak was merely the last time the school won two in a row in the same year.

I apologize for the error. I had our staff fact checkers make sure that I got the information right this week, and you can rest assured that D-C is going for its first three-game win streak since the 2000 season when it hosts winless Grayslake Central tonight.

As the videographer for Courier Prep Football Weekly's "Game of the Week," I'm privileged to see some things on the sidelines that you won't see in the box score.

Check out the highlight-package here.

After the Hawks' 35-6 win over Larkin on Friday, many of Bartlett's coaches implored their players to keep working hard and to "keep their eyes on the prize." That "prize" being the Class 8A state title. Bartlett's first team on both sides of the ball played outstanding in the first half and quickly erased any doubt that Larkin would be able to beat them for the third time in a row.

For its part, Larkin continues to be a diligent group. Rather than hang their heads after being down 35-0 in the second quarter, the Royals hung with it and scrapped out a late touchdown. After seeing both the players and coaches in practice and at games the last two weeks, I find myself pulling for Larkin. The coaches stay positive and the players listen to the coaches and refrain from negativity on the sidelines.

On that note, something also has to be said about Bartlett. With the score lopsided early, the coaches were preaching "sportsmanship" and continued respect for their opponent. I didn't see any of the Hawks clowning around on the sidelines and they seemed to appreciate that Larkin had beaten them the last two years.

Stay tuned for next week's "Game of the Week."

Three weeks down, 11 to go.

That was the message Bartlett offensive coordinator Mark Williams delivered to the Hawks after they manhandled Larkin 35-6 on Friday at Millennium Field in Streamwood.

After three impressive victories to start the season, Bartlett looks like a team that might just be able to make the 2008 season a 14-game campaign. If the Hawks do that, they'll be playing in the Class 8A state championship game come Thanksgiving weekend.

With a dominant defense and a high-powered offense that can mix the run and pass with equal efficiency, Bartlett looks completely deserving of the No. 7 ranking in the Class 8A state poll. But the Hawks aren't satisfied with being No. 7. They've got their sights set on the top spot currently occupied by Mt. Carmel.

Barring any additional injuries, a look at the schedule makes me think the Hawks will roll through the regular season without a loss. Some potential stumbling blocks remain, including a road matchup against an improved Lark Park team next week and a showdown with St. Charles North on Sept. 27. But the Hawks certainly appear to be the class of the Upstate Eight Conference, especially after perennial UEC title contender Neuqua Valley came up short Lake Park on Friday and slipped to 1-2.

Assuming Bartlett can run the table, its biggest challenge will be staying sharp and keeping the edge that helped spark big wins against Glenbard North and Oswego in the first two weeks of the season. With games against UEC bottom feeders like Elgin and East Aurora on tap in the final four weeks of the season, the Hawks must continue to challenge themselves to prepare for the caliber of play they'll likely see in the postseason.

The bottom line is that a ninth straight postseason appearance looks like a foregone conclusion for Bartlett. It's what the Hawks do in the playoffs that remains to be seen. They've lost in the first round in each of the past three years and the program is 2-8 all-time in the postseason. However, this team is different than its predecessors and should be able to write a lengthy new chapter in the school's playoff history if it continues to play at the level it has shown so far this year.

MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN
Huntley's triumph over McHenry and St. Charles East's easy win against Waubonsie Valley both turned heads, but Genoa-Kingston's 35-13 victory against Harvard is without a doubt the most impressive showing in Week 3.

Never mind that the Hornets have reached the state quarterfinals in each of the past two years and are expected to contend for the Big Northern Conference East Division title. None of that mattered to the Cogs, who jumped out to a big lead and proved that their success in 2007 wasn't just a one-year fluke. Coach Bill McCarty has this G-K team primed to not only make a run at the BNC West crown, but also a lengthy stay in the playoffs.

BIGGEST SURPRISE
I don't know what's more shocking; that South Elgin lost to East Aurora 6-3 or that the Storm's high-octane offense has produced only one touchdown in three games.

Regardless, I never saw South Elgin losing this game. The Tomcats were dealing with some team turmoil after a sideline altercation during last week's game led to two people being arrested. Perhaps South Elgin coach Dale Schabert's health problems that forced him to miss the game weighed heavily on his player's minds, but nonetheless this looked like a perfect time for the Storm to get on track.

That didn't happen, and now South Elgin will try to find its footing next Friday against an Elgin team that is coming off an equally disappointing 61-0 loss at home against Kankakee.

NOTEWORTHY

St. Charles North's 54-0 win against Streamwood marked the North Stars' biggest margin of victory in school history.



Huntley is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2001.



Hampshire is 0-3 for the first time since 2002.