SCOUTING ILLINOIS PREP FOOTBALL -- WEEK 2

St. Ignatius (1-0) vs. No. 1 Mt. Carmel (1-0)

When: 4 p.m. today, Gately Stadium.

Breaking it down: The Caravan fired on all cylinders in last Saturday's romp over Curie at Soldier Field. The offensive line really came through as Mt. Carmel led 35-0 after one quarter. It opened up some big holes for QB Jordan Lynch and RBs Byron Stanford and Denzel Thompson. Defensively, the Caravan shut the Condors down and looks for another big game this week against the Wolfpack. Mt. Carmel then opens Catholic League Blue play at Providence and St. Rita, but the Caravan never look ahead. St. Ignatius shut out Whitney Young 15-0 as LB Bryan Onuselogu a big interception to help first-year coach Michael Maloney get his first win. Again, the Caravan will use ball control, but Lynch can throw and has two good receivers in K.J. Picard and Brent Butler. The defense, led by DE Brett Capjak, DL Anthony Battle, DB Dan Coci, LBs Jeremy Johnson and Dimitrius Carr will pressure the Wolfpack and make it hard for them to move the ball.

-- Mike Nieto

Marian Catholic (0-1) vs. Bloom Twp. (1-0)

When: 6 p.m. today, Sarff Field.

Breaking it down: DeAngelo Blatcher staked an early claim to the best-area-quarterback designation with a masterful performance versus Shepard last Friday. Not only did Blatcher ambush the Astros with 281 rushing yards and three TD runs, he also threw for almost 150 yards and connected twice with Danon Cameron for scores. Blatcher's one-man-gang routine led to 48 points for the Blazing Trojans and a 22-point victory. However, the going likely will be tougher against the Spartans, who gave Homewood-Flossmoor all it could handle before the Vikings escaped with an 18-13 win. Marian's defense surrendered just one net rushing yard to H-F in the first half, and the latter never pieced together the kind of sustained drive that proved so demoralizing to playoff foes last fall. The Spartans' offense, however, needs to show a bit more spark, particularly through the air -- which could be tough to do if QB Evan Watson isn't at 100 percent. Watson injured his knee in the fourth quarter at

H-F and was on the sidelines for Marian's final possession.

-- Ken Karrson

Kankakee (0-1) at T.F. South (1-0)

When: 7 p.m. today.

Breaking it down: Rebels QB Josh Titus was an unknown coming into the season, but he sure introduced himself -- and rather rudely, in fact -- to Rich Central last Friday. After landing the game's first blow, the Olympians got roughed up by Titus and the T.F. South offense, which racked up 46 points. Titus was the ringleader as he completed 11-of-16 passes for 183 yards and, most notably, five touchdowns. Ryan Mizgate caught three of Titus' scoring tosses and added another TD on a run, and Rob Gafford rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown. At least for one week, those question marks attached to an inexperienced offensive unit were turned into exclamation points. The Kays, meanwhile, endured heartbreak in their opener as they lost to Bradley-Bourbonnais on a field goal with three seconds remaining. Playing well in defeat for Kankakee were QB Charles Smith and WR Julian Bogan, who had five catches for 93 yards and supplied both of the Kays' TDs.

-- Ken Karrson

No. 2 Thornton (1-0) at Lockport (1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. today.

Breaking it down: Wow, what a difference a year makes. In 2007, Hillcrest beat the Wildcats and started Thornton on its way to a stunningly subpar campaign. In last Saturday's rematch, Thornton posted a 34-7 win over a Hawks squad returning 14 starters. Reportedly, some Hillcrest players engaged in a little pregame chatter, but there wasn't much left to say after Darren Jones and Co. finished their work. Thornton's senior QB guided an attack that amassed 484 total yards by throwing for 325 of those. Jones completed 14-of-26 passes and hooked up twice each with Jamal Gray (37 and 23 yards) and Quinton Richmond (32 and 23 yards) for scores. Thornton's defense was solid, too, as it limited the Hawks to 128 total yards. Lockport was a 20-14 winner over Plainfield North in Week 1, scoring the deciding TD with under three minutes to play. The Porters' "D" forced five turnovers and WR Brendan Murphy (five catches, 65 yards) keyed a respectable aerial game.

-- Ken Karrson

Rock Island (1-0) at Crete-Monee (0-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. today.

Breaking it down: The Warriors will be without senior LB and team leader Jason Braschler, who injured his knee in last week's 7-0 loss at Crystal Lake South, as they face the Class 6A No. 1 Rocks. The defense played well as it stopped a few late drives and FS Greg Barksdale had a strip late in the fourth quarter. QB Lexus Jackson grew up quickly and will face a tough Rocks defense. The Warriors need to get a ground game going. This is a big game for Crete as it hosts No. 3 Thornton next week, then plays Bloom Twp. Rock Island shut out Marshall 41-0. Crete will be playing two Western Big Six schools a year starting in 2009. QB Ben Sparkman ran for two TDs and threw for another last week. LB Andrew Palm had an interception in the win.

-- Mike Nieto

T.F. North (1-0) at Thornwood (0-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Breaking it down: The Meteors opened the season with a shutout of Bowman Academy, and it was the program's first shutout since the Meteors beat Bloom Twp. 14-0 in '06. QB Jeremiah Barnes threw for four TDs and Katrell Sykes scored three TDs. Thornwood is coming off a 40-0 loss to Andrew. The Thunderbirds will be pumped for their home opener. North's defense, led by LB Prince Wright, DL Jamarcus Higgenbottom and LB Chris Williams, will be facing a tougher offense this week, but the unit is ready to face the challenge. The Meteors know not to look ahead to District 215 rival T.F. South, but they would like to get another win and get some momentum going. A win for Thornwood might get the ship on course as the Thunderbirds haven't won since beating Aurora East in Week 6 last year. Thornwood is trying to snap a four-game losing streak dating back to last season.

-- Mike Nieto