Naperville North: August 2008 Archives

The back issues that plagued Naperville North graduate Chris Brown during training camp this fall have landed the Houston Texans running back on injured reserve.

The Texans put Brown on IR on Saturday afternoon (via profootballtalk.com), making the final roster move needed to get down to the mandatory 53 players. This means Chris Brown, who signed a free-agent deal with Houston this spring, will not play this season.

Brown, 27, has battled back problems all through training camp. It became the latest issue in what has been an injury-plagued career for Brown. He averaged 10 appearances a season over five years with the Titans.

So Brown will collect a check and try to get healthy. It's better than getting cut, like fellow North grad Glenn Earl, but it's still a bum deal for Brown.

Naperville North graduate Glenn Earl was cut on Friday. The safety was one of 21 players the Houston Texans let go as they try to get down to their 53-man roster.

This is what Houston Chronicle blogger Lance Zierlein wrote about Earl after the Notre Dame product was sent packing.

Earl didn't have a bad camp and should catch on with another team, but he was a victim of being on a roster with nothing but the same type of box safeties that he is. Earl is physical and has okay instincts so he'll catch on somewhere.

Earl was one of three Naperville products on the Texans roster along with running back Chris Brown (Naperville North) and tight end Owen Daniels (Naperville Central). There was some thought that Brown would be a roster victim because of his balky back. Brown isn't safe yet as the Texans have one more cut to make.

For now, sophomore Matt LaCosse is the starting quarterback at Naperville North.

LaCosse won the job when senior Matt Manade injured his left knee about a week ago. LaCosse edged out junior Trevor Hall (an Oswego East transfer) for the start in Friday's season-opening win over Neuqua Valley.

"We really think Matt (LaCosse) has a good future, but Matt Manade's our quarterback," North coach Larry McKeon said afterward. "And when Matt Manade comes back -- as soon as he's willing and ready -- he's back at the helm."

LaCosse helped lead North to a 41-19 victory over the Wildcats by completing 6 of 12 passes for 149 yards. He also rushed for a score.

McKeon praised his young signal-caller after the game but also spelled out why Manade will be valuable upon his return.

"Matt Manade's a really good player," McKeon said. "You feel confident using your whole playbook when you have your senior quarterback back there, you don't feel as confident when you have your sophomore quarterback back there."

The Huskies begin their title defense tonight and we'll be there blogging live on site. Look for us around 7 p.m.

Football Fever roams in all places and, in between lunch and dinner today, the blog spied on (not really) Naperville North juniors Arnas Gintautas and James OShaugnessy at Panera Bread.

If this were about Brett Favre, I suppose we'd have to report what they ate. But since it's not, we'll just tell you that OShaugnessy sported a pretty sweet Mohawk. (That's not OShaugnessy pictured; that's Mr. T for all you youngsters).

Gintautas, a linebacker, OShaugnessy, a transfer wideout from Marmion, face Neuqua Valley in both teams' season opener in a couple of hours tonight.

Within about two weeks of breaking his leg in the state championship game last year, Naperville North running back Nick Mlady was jogging on a treadmill.

To be fair, it was weight-altered jogging on a treadmill contraption (or something like that), but the point remains the same. Mlady's injury could have been much worse, like to his knee for example (as some people presumed), but it wasn't.

Now Mlady's back in more than enough time to do some damage during his senior year.

"It probably looked worse than it really was," Mlady said.

Mlady, who rushed for nearly 1,300 yards last year, never had to endure doubts of losing his chance at a college scholarship or a state-championship encore season. Instead, he went to physical therapy every day to remove the swelling and got right back on the horse.

"It wasn't too bad," Mlady said. "It was a clean break (of the fibula) all the way through. It stayed aligned so I didn't have to have surgery."

And now, because of rehab, he feels stronger than ever.

With the first season opener just four days away, we at Football Fever see no better time to start placing your bets (so to speak) on a couple of season openers:

Naperville North vs. Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central at Waubonsie Valley on Aug. 29.

Let's get right to it. Who will win and why? Ready, type...

most1320 posted these videos on Thursday night, showing Naperville North's 42-41 loss in triple overtime at Wheaton Warrenville South. The only loss of North's state championship season gave the DVC title to the eventual 7A state runner-up.

I'm curious about the timing, but more curious about the poster, "most1320."

The videos were posted with the tags "Conroy WWSHS Football MSU." The Conroy part could be outgoing senior Dan Conroy, the kicker who booted the 41-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 20-13 with 5:43 to play. Note the score. 20-13...most1320.

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe a graduating kicker is talking smack on the internets.

Who's Jake Baratz you ask? Good question...

Baratz is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior offensive lineman for Naperville North, the defending Class 8A state champs. He was a part-time starter last year and missed four and a half games because of injury.

Even so, he must have assembled enough game tape to lure not only Arizona into a scholarship offer but also Northern Illinois and Miami of Ohio. He finally verbally committed to Arizona on Tuesday night and reported it to edgytim.com on Wednesday, a week before the first day of practice.

In an email to The Sun on Thursday, North coach Larry McKeon said, "He has great potential as an offensive lineman."