Lake County: NLCC Week 1 Preview

Football is back! And my first stop will be the Northern Lake County Conference as we preview the week 1 matchups that are set to kick off tonight. Will Antioch reign supreme over the NLCC and remain at the top spot? Can Round Lake turn it around with the under-the-radar talent they have on their squad? Will North Chicago get back to their winning ways of the past? The answers to these questions are only a few hours away. <hr /> <strong>Grant @ North Chicago</strong> <em>Previous meeting: Grant 13, North Chicago 12.</em> North Chicago vs. Grant has always been a grind-it-out, fight-to-finish type of matchup— and I don’t think it’ll be any different this season. Taking over as North Chicago’s QB1 is Zion-Benton transfer <strong>Kyndel Mcknight</strong>, who has done a great job of picking up the new offense, according to head coach Wilton Hill. McKnight and his legs will be an integral part of the Warhawks’ offensive attack as they integrate the option back into the offense; it also helps that they’re returning 4 starters from their o-line. Hard-hitting senior LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20334" first="Travis" last="Turner"]</strong> will lead the defense along with <strong>William Hanna Jr.</strong> and versatile ATH<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="23149" first="Jamar" last="Mays"]</strong> who was just seen dropping thirty about a week ago for the Warhawks basketball team. <strong>Jon Bolton</strong> is a player to keep an eye on for the Grant Bulldogs. Bolton is a natural-born playmaker who’s a creative runner with excellent speed and vision—it could be along day for Coach Hill’s defense if they can’t contain the senior standout. Another player to keep an eye on is C/O ’22 quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65709" first="Chris" last="Perez"]</strong>. He’s the #15 ranked QB in the state for his class and has proved his value at multiple showcases throughout this extended offseason. Providing protection for [player_tooltip player_id="65709" first="Chris" last="Perez"] is senior center <em><strong>Anthony Karow</strong></em>, a preseason all-lake county selection who looks to make the most of his 6-game senior season. <em>Final score prediction: Grant 13, North Chicago 21</em> &nbsp; <strong>Antioch @ Grayslake Centra</strong>l <em>Previous meeting: Antioch 33, Grayslake Central 0</em> One of the most improved quarterbacks in this conference is Grayslake Central’s <strong>Darryl Overstreet Jr. </strong>He’s shown he can compete with the best at multiple showcases this offseason and even made the all-tourney team at the Top Gun Chicago 7v7 tourney—let’s hope he can carry that momentum into this spring season. <strong>Kurt Heerdegen</strong> and <strong>Jonathan Trudeau</strong> are two other preseason all-lake county selections who will play a huge role in any success this team has this spring. Heerdegen is a 6’4" ATH who lines up as a TE, WR, and RB, and Trudeau is by far one of the best lineman in Lake County. Senior RB <strong>Colin O’Malley</strong> will look to fill the void left by [player_tooltip player_id="20874" first="Maurice" last="Edwards"] after he transferred to 8A powerhouse Warren this offseason. The Sequoits are as complete of a team as they come and are still considered the best team in the NLCC. This team is led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20215" first="Athan" last="Kaliakmanis"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20253" first="Dino" last="Kaliakmanis"]</strong>, twin brothers who both have committed to play Big Ten ball at Minnesota. Senior Safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35745" first="Jayden" last="Marquis"]</strong> tore up the showcase circuit this offseason and is the eyes and ears of a defense who surrendered only 54 points back in 2019. Up and coming C/O ’23 ATH <strong>Joey Neumann</strong> competed with the Midwest Boom this offseason and has the potential to be one of the most sought-out prospects in the NLCC for the next few years. This Antioch team is loaded from a talent perspective. Grayslake Central must get off to a good start if they want to take down the defending conference champs. <em>Final Score Prediction: Antioch 34, Grayslake Central 14</em> &nbsp; <strong>Lakes @</strong> <strong>Wauconda</strong> <em>Previous Meeting: Lakes 33, Wauconda 7</em> Lakes has their sights set on being the top team in the conference after a disappointing first-round playoff exit in 2019. This team is led by senior receiver and St. Ambrose commit <strong>Branden Nava</strong>. He’s a playmaking possession receiver with the ability to get behind a defense in an instant; I can expect a heavy dose of Nava in Friday’s conference showdown. Another player worth noting is junior RB <strong>Mark Hunte</strong>r; if there’s anyone primed for a breakout season— it’s him. He’s a productive all-around back who’s a deceptively hard runner for his size. All eyes will be on Wauconda’s senior quarterback <strong>Nick Bulgarelli</strong>. The dynamic dual-threat can hurt you with his legs and when he decides to let it rip, he’s got two of the most consistent receivers in the NLCC to throw it to. <strong>Javerius McGuinn</strong> and <strong>J.J. Jacobo </strong>could very well be the best receiver tandem in the NLCC, and if they expect to beat Lakes tonight, these two must contribute in a major way. Lakes is coming off eleven straight winning seasons and are expected to get off to a good start this season, but Wauconda is talented enough to come out of week 1 as the victor. <em>Final Score Prediction: Lakes 27, Wauconda 24</em> &nbsp; <strong>Round Lake @ Grayslake North</strong> <em>Previous meeting: Round Lake 12, Grayslake North 43</em> I think Round Lake is going to surprise a lot of people this season. Although they only accumulated one win in 2019, this team no without a doubt has the talent to cause any team problems. Senior <strong>Isaiah Nixon</strong> is a do-it-all ATH who can line up just about anywhere on offense and can be a constant headache for the opposing coordinator. His partner in crime, <strong>Jamerial Brown</strong> is versatile RB who’s just as effective running it out the backfield as he is beating a DB deep. 6’0" senior WR <strong>Phillip Robinson</strong> is another prospect who I think can have a breakout season as he provides a big target for QB Isaiah Nixon. Cory Atwell takes over the helm in his first year coaching the Grayslake North Knights. Coach Atwell will unfortunately will be without his senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65092" first="Nick" last="Fish"]</strong> who was lost for the season due to injury. Expect senior scat-back <strong>Christian Johnson</strong> to carry the load for the Knights on offense while junior tackle <strong>Josh Heery </strong>steadies the o-line. They’ll be led by senior ATH <strong>Dimitri Cannon, </strong>who could emerge as one of the conference's top players on defense. <em>Final Score Prediction: Round Lake 24, Grayslake North 31</em>