NBCSportsChicago.com preps reporter "Edgy" Tim O’Halloran spotlights 100 high school football teams in 100 days. The first 75 team profiles will focus on teams making strides across Chicagoland and elsewhere in the state. Starting Aug. 5, we’ll unveil the @NBCSPrepsTop 25 Power Rankings, leading up to kickoff on Friday, Aug. 30.
School: Wheaton North
Head coach: Joe Wardynski
How they fared in 2018: 4-5 (3-4 DuKane Conference). Wheaton North failed to qualify for the IHSA state football playoff field.
2019 regular season schedule:
Aug. 30 @ Downers Grove North
Sept. 6 vs Lake Forest
Sept. 13 vs St. Charles North
Sept. 20 vs Lake Park
Sept. 27 @ Glenbard North
Oct. 4 @ Wheaton South
Oct. 11 vs Geneva
Oct. 18 @ St. Charles East
Oct. 25 @ Batavia
[MORE: 56 Days to Kickoff - Glenbard North]
Biggest storyline: Can the Falcons get over the 4-5 hump and into the IHSA state playoff field this fall?
Names to watch this season: Northwestern-bound LB Xander Mueller (Sr.), QB Nathan Love (Sr.) and WR/S Christian Halstead (Sr.)
Biggest holes to fill: The Falcons offense was one of the lowest scoring units in the DuKane. They will need to reload in a few key spots this summer.
EDGY's Early Take: The Falcons came up just short last season in making the state playoff field. All five losses were within two possessions and they lost to Batavia in a do-or-die Week 9. Look for coach Wardynski's crew to rely on an experienced group of seniors along with an up-and-coming underclassmen group to challenge every opponent in the DuKane Conference. The Falcons have finished with a 4-5 record in four of the last five seasons. With so much parity across the board in the DuKane, the Falcons will be in a must-win mode starting in Week 1 at Downers Grove North.