LZ Bears Look to Run Their Winning Streak To Four Against Libertyville

Overheard after : “Now the real season begins.” With the exception of a painful 10-7 loss to Grant in the second week of the season, the Bears have been dominant in their four wins this season. They opened the season on the road with a , and after their , they . In week four, before their big win last week over the Mustangs. In their four wins, has outscored their opponents 137-24.

Tonight, the team travels to NSC Lake Division rivals Libertyville (3-2/1-1), who have played well at times this year but remain inconsistent. The Wildcats started the season with a dramatic 23-20 overtime win over Barrington that was won when quarterback Hutch Herchenbach plowed straight up the middle on a quarterback sneak from Barrington’s 1-yard line. Herchenbach just made it into the end zone for the score; it was so close that tackle Brandon Stanfel didn’t realize he had scored. It was a game that the Broncos should have won going away, but their 12 penalties for 104 yards allowed Libertyville to hang around.

In their 24-0 shutout over Urban Prep Charter the next week, Libertyville got off to a slow start before finally taking a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Austin Williams. Brian Swift’s 65-yard touchdown run gave the Wildcats a 10-0 halftime advantage.

On the team’s best drive of the game in the third quarter, Herchenbach connected with Williams for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and the team scored again early in the fourth quarter to complete their scoring. Libertyville’s defense did a solid job of containing Urban Prep’s offense to just 97 yards. The Wildcats' running back, the aptly named Brian Swift, had a big game, rushing for 178 yards on 20 carries.

Libertyville was unable to maintain their momentum in their third game of the season, as they were shut out 24-0 by Antioch. Sequoits running back Dan Arden carried the ball 32 times for 179 yards against the Wildcats, due in large part to the path that 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior Austin Vogel cleared for him all night. The team’s gigantic offensive lineman, who didn’t start playing football until last year, held a good portion of the Wildcats' d-line at bay for the entire game. It was the first win by Antioch in Libertyville since 1983 and the first time that the Wildcats were shut out since a 14-0 loss to Providence in 1990.

Libertyville had no problems with host Mundelein in their fourth game, winning 28-7 to spoil the Mustangs’ homecoming game. The Wildcats started Jack Deichl at quarterback, his first start as a member of the varsity team. Deichl passed for 167 yards and threw a touchdown in three quarters before Herchenbach finished the game. Swift gained 91 yards on 15 carries before leaving the game late in the third quarter with an injury.

Last week in a conference game against Stevenson, the Wildcats were shut out for the second time in three games, 13-0. They amassed just 132 yards on offense against a stout Patriots defense, something that Lake Zurich no doubt noticed.

It’s been and up-and-down roller coaster ride of a season so far for the Wildcats, who have had their problems when playing competitive teams this year. While their defense has looked good at times, it’s been sporadic. The key to their offense is Swift, but against the Patriots, he was held to just 34 yards on seven carries.

The Bears should match up well against Libertyville, and if they can contain Swift, as Stevenson did, they will be going a long way toward neutralizing Libertyville’s offense. Lake Zurich’s swarming defense should provide plenty of trouble for whichever quarterback that coach Randy Kuceyeski decides to use.

Friday Night Flashback: When host , it was indeed a memorable game. Besides their dominating 44-22 win over the Wildcats, Jacob Brinlee put on a rushing clinic for the Bears, setting a new school record with 280 yards on 14 carries, with an astounding 20 yards-per-carry average. Amazingly, Mike Shield also broke the triple-digit mark, rushing for 114 yards on 16 carries. The two combined for an unbelievable 394 yards on the ground.