A showdown like this one is often decided by the game’s biggest playmaker.
For No. 5 Buffalo Grove, that would be quarterback/free safety/punt returner Tommy Zbikowski, who has accounted for 916 all-purpose yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception.
For No. 6 Prospect, it’s quarterback Jared Dall, who has passed for 725 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 364 yards and one TD.
“I don’t look at it as a battle of quarterbacks,” Dall said of the Mid-Suburban East opener Friday night in Mt. Prospect featuring 4-0 teams. “It’s not like we’re all each team has. Whoever gets the job done as a team is going to win.”
Zbikowski also believes in the team concept, with a slight wrinkle.
“I think I can be the difference Friday night,” he said. “Prospect will look for me to run the option. It could come down to a big play with me running the ball, pitching it to Dan Bolger or passing it to Scott Harrington.
“Playing safety wears me down a little, but I want to be on the field as much as I can. This will be the first passing team we’ve played, and I know Dall has put up some pretty good numbers.”
Twice last season Prospect prevented Zbikowski from being the difference-maker. The Knights edged Buffalo Grove 6-0 in the regular season and 21-12 in the Class 7A quarterfinals en route to a state championship.
Round 3 is expected to draw a crowd of close to 8,000 to Prospect’s field.
“Zbikowski is just a great football player,” Prospect coach Brent Pearlman said. “It seems like he makes a game-breaking play every week.
“We played some very good defense against him last year, and he still broke free for a couple of long runs.”
Prospect will spread the field with receivers Nick Iovino, Brian Bell, George Whitten and Ryan Holajn. Iovino has caught 19 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, and Bell has 11 catches for 278 yards–25.3 yards per catch–and five touchdowns.
Once a defense is properly loosened up, the Knights unleash running back Bryon Gattas, who has rushed for 435 yards and five touchdowns.
Led by linebackers Eric Andino, Phil Prorok and Matt Erienbaugh, end Scott Klein and 6-foot, 300-pound tackle Darrell Reed, Buffalo Grove’s defense has yielded only two touchdowns in four games. Opponents have averaged only 60.5 yards passing per game.
“We knew our defense would be leading the way,” Buffalo Grove coach Rich Roberts said. “Most of our 13 returning starters came from the defense.”
After Prospect missed the playoffs from 1987 through ’99, most people figured last year’s state title would be a one-hit wonder. Now, with the Knights’ 4-0 start, there’s talk of a repeat.
“There’s not a whole lot of difference between this year’s team and last year’s,” Pearlman said. “These kids are building a football tradition with an incredible work ethic and the way they play with a lot of courage.”
