South Elgin: October 2008 Archives

An in-depth look at week 9's Upstate Eight Conference games in the area.

Dani Lopez's growth as a basketball player has been astounding.

Watching the South Elgin senior center play two years ago would never have led you to believe a Division I scholarship was possible. But the improvement the 6-foot-9, 275-pounder has made of late is phenomenal.

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.

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?

Another exciting "Game of the Week" on Saturday as St. Charles North had to come from behind late in the fourth quarter to beat underdog South Elgin 35-24.

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.