What to watch for during the 2010 season

Updated: March 28, 2011 10:34AM

High school football practices kick off all around the state today.

With the opening night of the season only 17 days away, here are seven questions to ponder going into the 2010 campaign:1. Can South Elgin and St. Edward sustain their success?

The Storm and Green Wave both enjoyed breakthrough seasons in 2009. Now they'll try to carry that success into 2010.

South Elgin finished 7-3 last year, reaching the playoffs for the first time in program history. Meanwhile, St. Edward went 6-4 and advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2003.

The Storm returns several talented starters this fall, including senior quarterback John Menken, who earned All-Upstate Eight Conference honors last season. All signs point to South Elgin competing for the UEC Valley Division title and reaching the playoffs once again.

The Green Wave welcomes back senior quarterback Ben Lehman, who led the area in passing yards last year. St. Edward faces one of the area's toughest schedules and has a few holes to fill after losing some key players from last year to graduation, but it appears coach Mike Rolando's team might be able to secure back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time in program history.

2. How will St. Charles North fare without Bergren?

Quarterback Jake Bergren helped lead the North Stars to the Class 7A state quarterfinals as a junior last season, but North likely won't have his services until late September this year.

That's because Bergren recently underwent surgery after breaking his left (throwing) hand in a summer baseball game last month. North coach Mark Gould said the prognosis calls for Bergren to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Senior Matt Shiltz was in the running for the starting quarterback job last year and will likely be called upon to carry the load until Bergren is cleared to return. If he and his teammates can navigate a tough three-game stretch to start the season that includes games at South Elgin and McHenry and a home date with Neuqua Valley, North should have no trouble returning to the playoffs for the ninth straight year.

3. Will Bartlett be able to bounce back?

The Hawks are back at the drawing board after finishing 3-6 and having their streak of nine straight playoff appearances snapped last year. The outcome was especially tough to swallow considering Bartlett went 12-1 and reached the Class 8A state semifinals in 2008.

Junior A.J. Bilyeu is back for his second season as Bartlett's starting quarterback, but a return to the postseason is definitely in question as the Hawks face a tough schedule as they move into the UEC Valley this season.

4. How will the area's three new coaches fare?

There will be a few new faces on the sidelines this year as Matt Gehrig takes over as Huntley's coach, Bill Mitz takes the reins as the coach at Jacobs and Mike Scianna steps in as Larkin's new coach.

Gehrig is no stranger to the area after spending the past two years coaching Larkin. He now brings his hard-nosed approach to the Fox Valley Conference, and don't be surprised if a Red Raiders team that returns several key players thrives under its new field general.

Mitz arrives at Jacobs hoping to inject some life into a program that has reached the postseason only once in the past five years and compiled a 4-14 record the past two seasons. If his impressive body of work over the last 28 years as Stevenson's coach is any indication, Mitz could have the Golden Eagles back in playoff contention this fall.

Scianna likely faces the toughest task of the new coaches as he tries to guide the Royals to their first playoff appearance since 2006. Larkin lost several key contributors from the team that went 5-4 last year, and matching that win total could be difficult despite the return of junior quarterback Kyle Newquist. With that said, Scianna is familiar with his charges after serving as an assistant to Gehrig the past two years.5. Can Dundee-Crown, Elgin and Streamwood end their long playoff droughts?

Success on the gridiron has been hard to come by lately for the Chargers, Maroons and Sabres.

Streamwood hasn't reached the postseason since 2002 but does welcome back junior quarterback Dalton Lundeen, who showed some promise last year before breaking his collarbone in the fourth game of the season. Considering that the Sabres have finished no better than 1-8 every year since 2003, simply notching a few victories in 2010 will be a step in the right direction.

Elgin enters the season hoping to secure its first trip to the playoffs since 2001. Talented playmaker Jordan Dean is back for his senior season after scoring 13 touchdowns last year, but the Maroons will likely need a few good breaks to go their way in order to land a spot in the postseason.

D-C is in the midst of the area's longest playoff drought, having not reached the postseason since 1994. Senior quarterback Tanner Kotlan is one of several players returning to a high-flying offense that piled up lots of yards last year, but the Chargers won't sniff the five-win mark if they don't improve defensively after allowing an area-worst 41.4 points per game in 2009.

6. Will Hampshire, Burlington Central be factors in the BNC East?

The 2009 season marked a departure from the norm as neither the Whip-Purs nor Rockets seriously challenged for the Big Northern Conference East Division title.

Hampshire has a little extra incentive to try and rebound from its lackluster 4-5 record last year because this marks the Whips' final season in the BNC East before departing for the Fox Valley Conference in 2011. Leaving the league on a high note would be a fitting way for the longtime BNC titan to exit.

Meanwhile, Central is simply trying to find some traction after failing to reach the postseason in each of the past two years. Quarterback Tim Maroder and tailback Tre Llanes are both back for their senior seasons as the Rockets try to avoid their first three-year playoff drought in a decade.

7. Which QB will finish as the area's top passer?

Only so much stock can be put in statistics, but one interesting race to watch will be among the area passing leaders in what is shaping up to be a banner year for local quarterbacks.

Seven of the area's top eight quarterbacks in terms of passing yardage are back this year, including the top six on that list.

Lehman led the area with 1,417 passing yards in 2009, but Menken wasn't far behind with 1,404. Those two figure to pile up the yards once again, but Bergren, Kotlan, Bilyeu and Genoa-Kingston's Craig Billington also return after throwing for at least 800 yards last season.

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