St. Charles East: 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.

From Staff Reports

ST. CHARLES -- Wes Allen rushed for 117 yards and three scores on 13 carries as St. Charles East easily dispatched visiting Thornridge 42-0 in non-conference play.

The Saints improved their record to 7-2 to close out the regular season. Tim Russell was efficient, completing all seven of his attempt for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

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

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.

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.

It's rivalry week here in Courier country, and in my opinion there's no better week on this year's schedule.

There's something about showdowns between natural rivals -- whether they play in the same town or in neighboring communities - that always seems to bring out the best effort from players, coaches, student cheering sections and sometimes even entire communities.

This weekend, area fans can't go wrong by going out to any one of three local showdowns. On Friday, Hampshire and Burlington Central will renew pleasantries in Burlington. Meanwhile, St Charles North and St. Charles East will be squaring off on the northwest side of St. Charles. On Saturday morning, Elgin and Larkin will meet for the 48th time at Memorial Field.

So what is it that separates these games from the rest? Answering this question has a number of layers.

St. Charles North and St. Charles East renew their rivalry Friday at North. Here's a year-by-year look at the rivalry.

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?