CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football Week 6 - Vernon Hills vs. Lakes

LAKE VILLA – After an 8-1 regular season ended with a first-round playoff exit last year, Lakes has been focused on erasing that memory and pushing forward this season.
So far, so good, for the Eagles.
Lakes (4-1, 2-0) won its first four games before hanging tough against top-ranked Stevenson in a 21-3 loss last week. The Eagles return to North Suburban Prairie play Thursday at 7 p.m. against Vernon Hills, a game that will be shown on CN100, The Comcast Network, at Noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, and at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 6. You can also find the game anytime with Xfinity On Demand.
“Our team is playing well thus far,” Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. “We returned 16 starters from last year and the experience of our senior class has really helped us to keep our focus this year.”
Lakes once again thrives in the run game, a staple of Mertens’ teams in the 10 years the Eagles have had a varsity program. Devyn Cedzidlo leads the way with 419 yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Jordan Mercure has 242 yards and two scores and receiver Jake Balliu is averaging over 11 yards per carry, with 334 yards and three touchdowns on only 29 carries.
Mercure keeps teams honest in the passing game, going 46-of-74 for 570 yards and 10 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Balliu is the team’s leading receiver by far with 29 catches for 342 yards and six scores.
“Lakes doesn’t have many weaknesses,” Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said. “They are solid in all three phases of the game. They have great team speed. This game will be a challenge for us. Luke has done a great job building a program that is consistently good from year to year.”
Vernon Hills (3-2, 2-1) is hoping to get back to the playoffs after a three-year absence. The Cougars were regular postseason participants in the decade prior, reaching the postseason in nine out of 10 years before this drought. They went 3-6 in Bellecomo’s first season at the helm last year.
The Cougars’ offense goes as quarterback Connor McNamara goes. A dual threat, McNamara is off to a big start this season. Through the air, McNamara is 83-for-129 for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns. All three of his interceptions came in the season opener against DeKalb.
“The key for us is to give Connor some time to read through his progressions,” Bellecomo said.
McNamara is also the team’s leading rusher with 208 yards and seven touchdowns on 55 carries. McNamara has the distinction of having a six-touchdown game passing and a five-touchdown game rushing this season, both coming in the past two weeks.
His main target is Kiwanne Durant, who has 28 catches for 361 yards and three scores.
“Playing Vernon Hills will present a unique challenge, having to defend a highly efficient pass game,” Mertens said. “Typically, our team is used to defending the run. Having to completely shift our mentality in order to defend their sophisticated offense is going to be tough, especially on such a short week. Through the years, we have always had great battles with Vernon Hills, and I anticipate the same type of struggles this Thursday.”
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent

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