Niles North Football is Fired Up

Hot and humid isn't exactly ideal football weather, but it didn't stop Chicagoland high school teams – or opposing scouts – from getting ready for next weekend's season openers.

Niles North held its annual preseason scrimmage Saturday in preparation for Friday night's matchup against Elk Grove, which is ranked 17th in ESPN Chicago's Top 20 among Illinois high school football teams.

The Vikings have 16 returning players, including senior All-Conference and All-Area linebacker George Neuhaus. He and his teammates are looking to improve on their 2009 record of 3-6 overall and 1-4 against such Central Suburban North Conference rivals as Highland Park.

But the Purple and White has sustained some key losses from its ranks: Mike Granato at the quarterback position; Johnny Walker and Chad Brown at the defensive back and running back positions; as well as Andre Merlos and Tom Ehrlich at the offensive and defensive lineman  positions.

Despite those losses, the team is looking to shake up its playbook. The scrimmage featured a number of big offensive plays, including two touchdown passes from the team's new quarterback Bo Bradarich.

Coach Scott Smith brought in Illinois High School Association referees not only to call penalties, but to explain the rule changes that have occurred since last season. Among the notable new rules were harsher penalties for horse-collar tackles and minor ones in the substitution process.

Skokie Patch caught up with Smith and four of Niles North's senior captains -- Danny Khouri, defensive back; George Neuhaus, center and linebacker; Rej Hoxha, defensive end and offensive tackle; and Frank Warda, tight end and linebacker -- after the scrimmage to get their take on the upcoming season:

How would you describe last season?

Danny Khouri: "We had high expectations [in 2009] coming into the season and hyped it up too much. We didn't live up to what we were supposed to be. We were a better football team than what we performed. When the game came, we just choked."

Coach Smith: "What we found was that teams started doing a little bit more than what we prepared for. What we saw on tape and then what they did against us in the past, they ended up changing and we had to adjust on the fly, but didn't do a good job of making those changes. Even today, there were three teams watching our scrimmage. We were in a lot of games, but it was a disappointment."

What are the strengths of this team?

George Neuhaus: "Strengths, our defense is going to be pretty solid. It's a big thing that we're all seniors. This is a group that won [the] conference two years ago as sophomores and we have pretty much that same group back plus a few guys. We have chemistry."

Smith: "They [the players] have a lot of fire in their bellies. They're hungry. This is the best overall group talent-wise across the board that we've had. The cohesiveness of the senior group and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win is their biggest strength."

Weaknesses?

Smith: "Numbers is the only issue. If we get a couple of key kids banged up or injured, it could make for a long year. The only thing I'm concerned with is a lot of people playing both ways. It's just being able to handle hot days like this and the weather."

Talk about being a senior and playing your last season at Niles North.

Rej Hoxha: "It means a lot. We want to change things here at Niles North. Last year we were supposed to be the team that got to the playoffs, but we couldn't do it. So we want this year to be our year and we just want to win conference and see where it goes from there."

What do you think will be the toughest game on your schedule?

All four captains: "Elk Grove and GBS [Glenbrook South]."

Describe this team in a sentence or a couple words.

Frank Warda: "We all want to win."

Talk about your schedule early in the season, specifically having three away games to start.

Smith: "It is a tough start. Our conference, the north division, is tough no matter what. We feel like out of those four games we start with, we need to win two or three of those. Starting three games out on the road is tough, but we'll make do. Elk Grove is a damn good football team. Their ranked in the state, but how nice would it be for us to go in and shock them. That would send a message around the conference."