CSNChicago.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. 1, we’ll unveil the @CSNPreps Top 25 Power Rankings, leading up to kickoff on Friday, Aug. 26. You can view Edgy Tim's other football previews here.
School: Lakes Community Eagles
Head coach: Luke Mertens
Assistant coaches: Ray Gialo, Chris Hoeller, Andrew Tubek, Jason Ellerman, Joey Crowell, Josh Coon, Lorenzo Gomez, Kevin Shifley, Greg Lyons, Kyle McClaren
How they fared in 2015: 6-4 (6-0) North Suburban Prairie Conference. Lakes made the 6A state playoff field and lost to Lake Forest in opening round action.
Biggest storyline in 2016: Can the Eagles continue its winning ways in a new conference (NLCC) home starting this fall?
Names to watch this season: RB/DB Cameron Ruiz; QB/RB Brandon Khan
Biggest holes to fill: The Eagles will welcome back just one starter on each side of the line.
EDGY's Early Take: Lakes under Mertens has been a consistent winner and should be considered the favorite in the new NLCC race and a state playoff caliber team again this coming season.