Huntley: October 2008 Archives

It's playoff time for Hampshire, Genoa-Kingston, Bartlett, St. Charles North, St. Charles East and Huntley.

BY. R.J. GERBER
AND BRANDON MANGIA
Staff Writers

Hampshire and Genoa-Kingston don't need any introductions.

The two schools are separated by only nine miles and have a long history on the football field. And the two programs will renew their rivalry this weekend when the 11th-seeded Whip-Purs (6-3) and sixth-seeded Cogs (7-2) hook up in Genoa in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

While I'm still drying out from a wet Friday night, I'll offer a few quick thoughts on what happened around the area in the final week of the regular season.

From Staff Reports

JOHNSBURG -- Huntley was denied a perfect regular season in a 17-7 upset loss in Fox Valley Conference Fox Division action.

The Red Raiders (8-1, 4-1) were seeking an outright FVC Fox title. Prairie Ridge can gain a share of the crown today when the Wolves face Grayslake Central. That contest was postponed Friday night.

An in-depth look at week 9's area contests in the BNC, FVC and SCC. The capsule for the Dundee-Crown vs. Jacobs rivalry game will be featured in a separate post.

Larkin football passed its first must-win test of the season last week, defeating Elgin in the Town Jug game.

The job gets more difficult tonight when the Royals visit Waubonsie Valley. Larkin sits at 4-4 and needs a victory to become playoff eligible.

Huntley might be off to its best start in school history, have the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title in the bag and be a week away from making its second-ever playoff appearance, but that doesn't mean the Red Raiders will be taking it easy Friday when they travel to play at Johnsburg.

Not with a perfect 9-0 regular season only a win away.

With the 2008 regular season about to end, what better time to take a look ahead to what we might expect in 2009.

Although a number of area teams are dominated by talented seniors this year, there are a plenty of underclassmen making a big impact.

Look no further than Bartlett and Huntley, the two unbeaten teams in the area, to find some of the best young talent around.

The conference title scenarios are pretty cut and dry going into the final week of the season. Here's a look at what's on the line this weekend.

I haven't heard about many other area scores from Friday night but I don't need to, Huntley's 31-28 overtime win over Prairie Ridge was the best game of the night. Huntley came into the night as the underdog despite being undefeated. Prairie Ridge came in at 3-0 in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division, the same as Huntley, but the Wolves played better against like opponents. Huntley erased a 28-7 third quater deficit and scored 24 unanswered points to pull off the overtime win. There's only so much space we have in the paper so here's a detailed description of what was without a doubt, the game of the week....

St. Charles East coach Ted Monken is never one to shy away from a shootout.

Then again, that should come as no surprise when he's got a gunslinger like senior running back Wes Allen, who ran for six touchdowns each of the past two weeks.

Despite those heroics, the Saints could only earn a spit in those two games, beating Lake Park 42-41 in double overtime in Week 5 before dropping a 49-42, four-overtime affair against Neuqua Valley last week.

Could East be in for another wild affair this week?

Huntley football coach Steve Graves will be the first one to tell you his team hasn't met much resistance on its way to a 6-0 start.

Sure the Red Raiders have outscored their opponents 229-47, but those opponents own a combined record of 6-30 this season.

It's Week 6 of the high school football season, and every team in the area is dealing with bumps and bruises.

For teams with 3-2 records like Dundee-Crown, St. Edward and St. Charles North, this week is critical as they look to give their playoff hopes a boost. However, the Chargers, Green Wave and North Stars could all be without key offensive playmakers when they take the field this weekend.