Team previews

Lake Forest Scouts

Coach: Chuck Spagnoli

Last year’s record: 9-3 5-2

Worth noting: The Scouts finished third in the loop last year and turned in a 9-3 year with a state quarterfinal appearance to its credit. League coaches have the Scouts in the mix again this season. Both of Libertyville’s losses were to Lake Forest last year (including the playoffs). Stevenson lost to Libertyville in conference, while Lake Forest lost to Lake Zurich and Stevenson.

Lake Zurich Bears

Coach: Ron Planz

Last year’s record: 4-5, 4-3 (tie 4th North Suburban)

Top returning players: Chris Chang (6-1, 185, sr., WR-LB), Reid Pfeifer (6-0, 180, sr., QB), Evan Peterson (5-10, 170, sr., DB-WR), Bryce Erkman (5-10, 180, sr., DB), Brock Rubicz (6-0, 190, jr., LB), Arturo Zarinana (6-0, 215, jr., LB), Ollie Goodman (6-3, 260, sr., OL-DL)

Key newcomers: Gavin Shondy (6-1, 210, sr., TE-LB), Danny Hope (5-10, 190, sr., RB-LB), Cooper Gwizdala (6-3, 270, sr., DL), Collin Feczko (6-3, 190, sr., WR), Jackson Lewandowski (6-4, 215, soph., TE-DL), Rocco Dicanio (5-11, 200, soph., DL), Ethan Elliott (5-10, 175, sr., WR-DB)

Worth noting: Chang (40 tackles, three interceptions) earned his second all-NSC first-team selection a year ago and has interest from Ivy, Pioneer and Patriot league schools, as well as Wash University in St. Louis, Planz noted. Planz said cohesion and work ethic are two big strengths. “This group has really come together through the offseason,” he said. “They work extremely hard but also have fun playing the game.” Poise and consistency are the orders of the day on offense. “With a returning starter at quarterback, the offense has been very efficient,” Planz said. “We have executed our scheme at a high level overall and I hope that is a good sign for us heading into the season.”

Lake Zurich will be quick on defense. “The defense has a lot of team speed,” Planz said. “All summer they have flown around and have been physical at the point of attack.” Arnieri, Planz explained, is an extremely athletic defensive lineman (6-3, 200) “who could be a huge difference-maker for us,” he said. Griglione spent some time on the offensive line last year, “but had a great offseason and has been one of our most consistent offensive linemen throughout the summer,” Planz said. Feczko “is a big (6-3, 190), fast and athletic wide receiver who has the potential to have a very special season,” Planz said. In an always tough North Suburban, Planz said Stevenson, Libertyville, Warren and Lake Forest are teams to keep an eye on. Pfeifer passed for 426 yards and four scores in six games last season.

Libertyville Wildcats

Coach: Tim Budge

Last year’s record: 9-2, 6-1 (North Suburban co-champions)

Top returning players: Myles Batesky (6-4, 300, sr.), Erich Walldorf (6-2, 200, sr.), Brock Williams (6-5, 220, jr.), Dylan Doughty (6-0, 185, sr.), Bode Rohrbach (6-4, 200, sr.), Matt Liu (5-9, 160, sr.), Jack Treutelaar (6-0, 205, sr.), Kaden Butt (6-2, 225, jr.), Carson Holmes (5-11, 220, sr.), Sawyer Kopala (6-4, 275, sr.)

Key newcomers: Nick Ori (6-4, 205, sr.), Nick Farmakis (5-8, 145, sr.), Trevor Wallace (5-11, 180, sr.), Lucas Murphy (6-1, 180, sr.)

Worth noting: Budge takes over for Mike Jones and was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2024. Budge started his coaching career at Antioch in 1999 and then came to Libertyville where he coached the freshman football from 2000-2008 and was head sophomore coach from 2009-2011. Batesky (committed to Harvard) and Walldorf are returning all-North Suburban Conference players. Batesky is a 3-year offensive line starter, who will anchor the line and play some defensive line as well. Williams has received college offers from numerous Power Four schools and is rated as one of the top tight ends in the Class of 2027. Treutelaar has a lot of interest from schools as a long snapper and is one of the top-rated at that position, while Kopala and Waldrof are talking to schools as well, and Butt and Jacob Syc are drawing early interest as well, Budge noted.

“We return some experienced linemen and skill players from last year’s team,” Budge said. “We should have a well-balanced offense, team speed on defense and a strong kicking game. We also have some great leaders on the team.”

Budge said the Wildcats’ offense should have a well-balanced run game with experienced linemen and backs, as well as a strong passing game with returning skill players. Libertyville has four returning starters in the front seven “with great experience,” Budge noted. Walldorf and Treutelaar are three-year starters, who will help at linebacker and in other areas (Walldorf at running back and Treutelaar with his long-snapping abilities). Kopala is another leader on the Libertyville defensive line. In terms of the conference: “Our conference is always tough and we should be very competitive in it,” Budge said. “The excellence in our conference always prepares us well for the postseason.”

Mundelein Mustangs

Coach: Johnny Cowhey

Last year’s record: 4-5, 2-5 (6th North Suburban)

Top returning players: Drew Berek (5-10, 280, sr., OL-DL), Cutler Wyss (6-5, 315, sr., OL), Marco Toledano (6-0, 255, sr., OL-DL), Logan Young (6-3, 185, sr., QB), Frankie Lesniak (5-11, 165, sr., LB), Trevor Carman (5-6, 152, sr., WR), Will Pasquier (6-0, 225, jr., DL), Cameron Earing (6-0, 175, jr., WR-DB), RJ Echtenacher (6-2, 215, sr., OL)

Key newcomers: Aubre Booker (5-6, 160, sr., RB), Will Cunliffe (5-11, 175, sr., DB), Brandon Werner (5-11, 160, sr., DB-WR), Ollie Van De Motter (5-10, 195, sr., LB), Chris Roi (6-1, 195, jr., LB-TE), Michael Ciaccio (6-0, 185, sr., TE)

Worth nothing: Berek is a returning all-NSC player and is drawing plenty of Division III college interest, Cowhey noted. Wyss has offers from Southern Illinois and Eastern Illinois thus far. “Our strength this year will be our line on both sides of the ball,” noted Cowhey, who added a lot of guys will rotate through on both sides of the bar. “We have a lot of experience returning. They put up outstanding numbers in the weight room and they also had a really strong summer on the field. I am excited to rely on them a lot this year.”

Cowhey, in his second season as Mundelein head coach, likes being in year two of the offensive system. “We added more layers to the offense to give us more answers against multiple fronts,” he explained. “We are excited to keep building the offense from the line to the backfield.” Cowhey said Mundelein’s front seven on defense will be another strength. “The defense is looking to build on a strong season from last year,” he said. “We are excited about our front seven because they tackle well and look to win the battle.” Cowhey noted Booker, the team’s starting tailback, had an outstanding summer. “He is prepped to have a breakout season,” he said. Werner is a two-way starter, “who made a huge leap from his junior year to his senior year,” Cowhey said.

Cowhey calls the North Suburban one of the best conferences in the state. “There are so many good opponents for us,” he said. “Warren has one of the top running backs in the country and looks to build on its last 7-8 years of strong football success. Libertyville had an outstanding season and looks to build on that with one of the top tight end recruits in the country. Stevenson has been building toward this season the past few years with several 3-year starters looking to make an impact. Lake Forest and Lake Zurich are always some of the best-coached and -prepared teams and have had consistent success for years. We look forward to challenging these perennial playoff teams to try and make the playoffs for Mundelein.”

Stevenson Patriots

Coach: Brent Becker

Last year’s record: 10-2, 6-1 (North Suburban co-champions)

Top returning players: Anthony Adams (5-11, 255, sr., OL-DL), Caden An (5-9, 165, sr., PK), Abai Atabekov (6-1, 175, sr., WR-DB), Zach Becker (6-4, 210, sr., TE-DE), Frank Concialdi (6-2, 180, sr., WR-DB), John Concialdi (6-2, 175, sr., WR-DB), Aidan Crawley (5-11, 180, sr., QB-DB), Braedon O’Hara (6-1, 205, sr., RB-LB), Caden Schultz (5-9, 185, sr., RB-LB), Sunny Tsuri (6-1, 265, sr., OL-DL), D’Angelo Washington (5-9, 190, sr., RB-LB)

Key newcomers: Andy Buyandelger (6-1, 230, sr., OL-DL), Aiden Elliot (5-7, 160, sr., RB-LB), Cuyler Hart (6-4, 210, sr., OL-DL), Leo Lauren (6-0, 210, sr., TE-DL), Hayden Hudleston (6-1, 180, jr., RB-LB), Isaiah Yun (5-10, 170, jr., WR-DB), Connor Kenning (6-3, 220, jr., WR-DL), Brayden Roth (6-0, 240, jr., OL-DL), Dylan Fawcett (5-10, 170, jr., WR-DB)

Worth noting: The Patriots made it to the Class 8A state quarterfinals (10th team in program history to do so) and shared the NSC title with Libertyville and have plenty of firepower returning (10 college recruiting prospects listed in the team’s season preview guide).

Washington, Crawley, Becker, Frank Concialdi and An were all-NSC first-team picks, while Schultz and Adams were honorable mention selections. Stevenson averaged 357 yards of offense last year and posted 30 points a game. Crawley passed for 2,222 yards and 21 scores, while rushing for 409 yards and five touchdowns. Becker caught 22 passes for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns. Stevenson’s defense allowed only 15.1 points per game (tops in the conference) with Washington racking up 92 total tackles and nine tackles for loss. Schultz had 85 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks. Adams, also back, had 65 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback sacks. An has kicked for Stevenson since his freshman year. Last season, he was 8-for-8 on field-goal attempts, which included a game-winner in Week 9 against Lake Zurich as time expired. He also connected on 45 of 47 extra points and had nearly 60% of his kickoffs go for touchbacks.

Warren Blue Devils

Coach: Bryan McNulty

Last year’s record: 7-5, 4-3 (tie 4th North Suburban)

Top returning players: Aaron Stewart (5-8, 185, sr., RB), Jordan Ellis (6-5, 280, sr., OL), Vic Drake (6-0, 285, sr., OL), Simon Castillo (5-9, 175, sr., WR), X’Zavion Montgomery (5-8, 175, sr., WR), CJ Janczewski (6-5, 245, sr., DL), Chris Augustus (6-3, 230, sr., DL), Royce Lopez (5-10, 185, sr., LB), Jackson Wiklund (5-11, 180, sr., LB), Javon Brisker (6-2 205, sr., LB), Chris McBride (6-1, 190, sr., DB), Zion Vines-Peterson (5-8, 180, sr., DB)

Key newcomers: Reed Dangel (6-2, 195, jr., QB), Mason Durst (5-9, 180, sr., DB), Michale Lingensfelser (6-1, 235, sr., DL), Demariay Duncan (5-9, 150, jr., DB), Kareem Sowe (6-0, 260, sr., OL), Corvell Hodges (5-7, 155, sr., WR), Immanuel Gahima (6-4, 265, jr., OL), Zech Yancey (6-0, 170, jr., WR), Kentrell Lear (6-3, 230, jr., TE), Braylan McMillon (5-10, 220, jr., FB), Grant Haack (5-9, 165, soph., DB), Johnny Randolph (5-8, 155, soph., DB), Kaden Millbrooks (6-4, 280, soph., DL)

Worth noting: Stewart led the state in rushing with 2,475 yards in 12 games. He’s headed to Illinois to play football and wrestle. Stewart and Ellis (North Dakota commit) were all-NSC picks. McBride is committed to Western Illinois, while Janczewski (D-II, NAIA), Drake (D-III) and Augustus (D-III) also have college offers.

“The year’s team is very fast and strong,” McNulty said. “We also have really good depth at almost every position.” McNulty likes Warren’s ability to run the football “with a few surprises in there,” he said.

Defensively, McNulty noted the Blue Devils have a lot of kids who can run and have length. “Although we did not play to our standards, we had a lot of young kids who got a lot of quality snaps,” he said. McNulty said Lopez, a linebacker, has been under the radar, “but seems poised to have an outstanding season as a 3-year starter,” he said.

Wideout-defensive back Castillo is a team leader “and an outstanding person,” McNulty added. “He is a team leader.” McBride also is a three-year starter who brings more quickness and length.

On the conference race front, McNulty said Lake Forest, Stevenson and Libertyville are teams to watch. “As it sits right now, Lake Forest, Stevenson and Libertyville have to be the favorites,” he said. “All three teams beat us last year, so until further notice, we will be chasing them. Lake Zurich may not have had the year they wanted last year, but is always tough with coach Planz. I think Mundelein will be a sleeper. Waukegan is better and Zion can beat you any given week.”

Steve Soucie’s predicted finish

(* - projected playoff qualifier)

1. Warren*
2. Stevenson*
3. Libertyville*
4. Lake Forest*
5. Lake Zurich*
6. Mundelein
7. Waukegan
8. Zion-Benton

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250819/prep-football/counting-down-to-2025-kickoff-scouting-the-north-suburban-conference/