Glenbard North: October 2008 Archives

At The Office, before the 2008 season began, we guessed the number of victories each program would finish with, and how the DuPage Valley Conference would play out. Those projections fall comfortably on the laughable-to-accurate range, though this weekend could change that assessment.

Let's start with "What Went Wrong":

Team: Neuqua Valley (4-5)
Staffer: Paul LaTour
Prediction: 6 wins
The quote: "(A) return to the playoffs should be in the offing for Neuqua."
The bright side: LaTour now has a new nugget for historical reference, such as: "The last time the Wildcats were eliminated from playoff consideration in a presidential election year after a game that ended with a combined final score less than the integer 21 was 2008."

Team: Benet (2-7)
Staffer: Sean Fuchs
Prediction: 5 wins
The quote: "With five teams on the schedule that won eight or more games last year, including Class 6A state champion Joliet Catholic, the Redwings will do well to get those five victories."
The bright side: Fuchs no longer covers Benet and has taken his demented sense of humor to Bolingbrook. Here's how he led a recent column on The Brook: "Going undefeated in the regular season is a great accomplishment. It also means nothing."

And continue with "What Might Go Wrong":

Check in around 7:15 p.m. for real-time updates from Memorial Stadium.

Once he was done holding court/getting his ankles taped in the Naperville Central training room, senior H-back Antwon Harris talked X's and O's before Thursday's practice and explained his role in the spread offense.

The key for Harris Friday night will be beating Glenbard North's cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage. Beyond individual assignments, as a team Central is feeling confident. Harris believes the Redhawks are better prepared after absorbing losses in consecutive weeks to two of the state's best teams.

"Wheaton South, (they) whooped us, everybody knows but that wasn't (our) best," Harris said. "We just had a bad game...That game just pretty much taught us a lesson, (that) we have to come in (from) the get-go.

"If we play a good team like that, (you) got to come in firing right off the bat, cause that's what they did. They came in, scored the first three drives, 21-0 just like that.

"It just taught us a lesson (to) come in prepared for a game. Then that (Naperville) North game just taught us another lesson. (We) only put up 14 points on the board but we were moving the ball against them so we just need to put the ball in the end zone more."

Elsewhere Paul LaTour breaks down the other area matchups with these capsules.

In The Beacon News Jim Owczarski looks ahead to the postseason.

Check back Friday night for the Live Blog from Memorial Stadium.

Naperville Central defensive lineman Mike Kraft (ankle) has been practicing for Glenbard North this week but will be a game-time decision Friday night, according to Redhawks coach Mike Stine.

His presence would help Central (5-2) slow an offense averaging more than 216 rushing yards per game. Tyler Doll has run for 1,029 yards and 15 touchdowns for a Glenbard North (4-3) team headlined by Northwestern recruit Evan Watkins. The senior is completing only 48 percent of his passes and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is 7:4. But the dual-threat quarterback is also averaging more than six yards per carry and has five rushing touchdowns.

A win would cement a playoff berth for either team - Glenbard North might have the toughest schedule in the state.

Last season Central hung on for a wild 35-28 win in Carol Stream, and the Panthers, then a 4-4 bubble team, responded a week later by clinching a postseason bid that took them all the way to the Class 8A final.

.