NBC Sports Chicago will have cameras covering the biggest high school football games across Chicagoland on the Week Three edition of High School Lites, Friday at 11:00 p.m. Can Antioch continue to be a must-see team in Chicago's northern suburbs and beat conference rival Grayslake North? Can Huntley beat two-time defending Class 6A state champion Prairie Ridge? Could the best overall game this week be Rolling Meadows at Highland Park? It's a must-win game for both teams in the annual Battle of Naperville between the Huskies and the Redhawks? And can Maine South stay on a roll and take care of business as a tough Barrington team comes to Park Ridge?
Kenwood at Lindblom, 6:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Kenwood (2-0) is off to a great start this season with wins against Fenwick and Lincoln Park. Broncos coach Sinque Turner features standout WR/DB/KR Mark Aitken (NIU), QB Denzel Stephens and RB/LB Gregory Kemp. Lindblom (0-2), under the leadership of head coach Jonathon Sanchez, will look to get in the win column. The Eagles are looking to get their offense in gear after scoring just 13 points over the last two weeks.
EDGY's Pick: Kenwood 31 Lindblom 6
Grayslake North at Antioch, 7:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Grayslake North (0-2) could easily be 2-0 this season but various mistakes, penalties and turnovers have spelled doom so far for the Knights. Their head coach, Sam Baker, boasts plenty of talent on the roster. It includes senior QB Austin Martineau and RB Jordan Curtis. Antioch (2-0) has (so far) lived up to the early preseason expectations. Sophomore QB Athan Kaliakmanis has been strong with the the run and the pass. Senior OL/DL Xavier Sanchez is another name to watch for coach Brian Glashagel's Antioch Sequoits. Can Grayslake North limit the mistakes and turnovers this week?
EDGY's Pick: Antioch 28 Grayslake North 21
Dundee-Crown at Jacobs, 7:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Dundee-Crown (2-0), off to their best start in four years, has been a nice early-season surprise. The Chargers have gotten big performances from senior QB Joshua Raby, senior RB Ricky Ibarra and junior RB Malik Dunner. Jacobs (1-1) is coming off a rough 42-7 loss to Huntley. The Golden Eagles also lost highly sought-after senior OT Joacheim Price to an injury. Look for Jacobs to rely on QB Anthony Wilson. Can Dundee-Crown's defense slow down the Jacobs passing game? And can they run the football consistently against the Golden Eagles' defense?
EDGY's Pick: Dundee-Crown 27 Jacobs 24
Huntley (2-0) at (23) Prairie Ridge, 7:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Coach Matt Zimzolak has Huntley (2-0) off to a good start. QB Chris Raffin and RB Ryder Havens have played well. The Red Raiders defense forced several turnovers in Huntley's 42-7 win over Jacobs. Coach Chris Schremp's Prairie Ridge Wolves (2-0) have the option offense clicking. Keep an eye on senior RB Jackson Wills, junior RB Blake Brown along with junior QB Connor Lydon. Can the Huntley defense find the football and contain the Wolves option offense? Can the Wolves defense slow down a balanced Red Raiders offense?
EDGY's Pick: Prairie Ridge 28 Huntley 27 OT
Rolling Meadows at Highland Park, 7:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Rolling Meadows (2-0) has been piling up the points so far this season. Senior RB Tim Szylak is coming off a 277-yard rushing performance in a big Week Two 56-28 win over Palatine. Senior QB Arek Kleniuk has also been playing well for the Mustangs. Highland Park (2-0) is also coming off two impressive wins. Giants first-year head coach David Lindquist will keep relying on senior RB/LB Tommy Motzko (South Dakota State). Can Rolling Meadows slow down Motzko and company? Can the Highland Park defense get the football back from the Mustangs offense?
EDGY's Pick: Rolling Meadows 30 Highland Park 20
Naperville North at (25) Naperville Central, 7:30 p.m.
EDGY's Take: The annual Battle of Naperville will have both teams playing each other twice this season, compliments of the newly-realigned DuPage Valley Conference. Naperville North (0-2) has played two strong teams to start the season and has been slow out of the gates in both of them. Coach Sean Drendel's Huskies found some second half success (vs. Simeon, at Batavia) behind QB Cliff Vickers. Can he keep that momentum going for four quarters on Friday? Naperville Central (0-2) has also played two tough early games. Senior QB Payton Thorne (Western Michigan) has been strong this season for the Mike Stine's Redhawks. Can either team's defense show up and play strong for four quarters?
EDGY's Pick: Naperville Central 28 Naperville North 21
Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, 7:30 p.m.
EDGY's Take: The annual War of 204 is always a great one. This year also represents the first of two regular season games between the Wildcats and the Warriors. Neuqua Valley (1-1) will look to establish the running game with RB Will Chevalier and RB Armani Moreno while mixing in the play-action passing game behind junior QB Mark Gronowski. Waubonsie Valley (2-0) and veteran head coach Paul Murphy feature a balanced offense behind RB Bryce Logan and QB Jack Drow leading the Warriors attack. Can either team's defense slow down the opposition's running game? Expect an always-hard hitting and very physical game here. The team that can hold onto the football wins.
EDGY's Pick: Neuqua Valley 21 Waubonsie Valley 20
(14) Barrington at (6) Maine South, 7:30 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Barrington (2-0) and head coach Joe Sanchez have, once again, developed a quality quarterback. Broncos junior Tommy Fitzpatrick has been clutch so far this season. Also for Barrington: keep an eye on senior RB Michael Curran. Coach Dave Inserra's Maine South Hawks (2-0) have an interesting story under center. Inserra's son, senior QB Bobby Inserra, has guided the offense. And the defense, as expected, has been vital in their two victories. Keep an eye on junior DL/OL Peter Skoronski, senior LB Jimmy Bartell and senior LB Luke Preston. Can the Barrington defense slow down the Hawks spread offense? Can the Maine South defense contain Barrington QB Tommy Fitzpatrick?
EDGY's Pick: Maine South 38 Barrington 31
Hoffman Estates at Glenbrook North, 7:30 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Hoffman Estates (2-0), coached by Tim Heyse, is off to a good start. The team has relied on a quick and athletic defense along with strong starts from QB Kyle Krogstad and RB Isaiah Cooper. Coach Bob Pieper's Glenbrook North Spartans (2-0) are off to a strong start. Over two games, sophomore QB Dylan Buckner has impressed. Keep an eye on his top target, senior WR Ben Kieffer. Can Glenbrook North's offense continue to click against the Hoffman Estates defense?
EDGY's Pick: Hoffman Estates 26 Glenbrook North 24
Lake Park at (4) Batavia, 7:30 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Lake Park (1-1) was able to get a nice bounce-back win last week, a 30-0 victory over Metea Valley. The Lancers got big games from junior QB Dylan Curry and senior RB David Hardwick. Batavia (2-0) was able to find more offense in last week's 41-24 win over Naperville North as junior RB Trey Urwiler ran for 189 of the Bulldogs 301 yards gained on the ground. Can the Lake Park defense slow down the Batavia running game? Can the Batavia defense force the Lake Park offense into limited possessions?
EDGY's Pick: Batavia 35 Lake Park 21
Viewers' Choice Game: Oak Forest at TF South, 7:00 p.m.
EDGY's Take: Oak Forest (0-2) is off to a rough start thus far this season. The Bengals are in search of some offense, having scored just seven points in two games. They're coming off a rough 49-0 shutout loss to Niles Notre Dame. TF South (2-0) is undefeated but hasn't played a game since Week One after getting awarded a forfeit win over Julian last Friday. The Rebels will look towards QB Kamron Clayton and junior LB Michael Smith to carry the load. Can the Oak Forest offense get things into a higher gear this week? Will TF South be rested or rusty this week?
EDGY's Pick: TF South 21 Oak Forest 12