Sept. 27--Conant adopted the spread offense in 2008 because the triple option no longer suited its personnel.
Bill Modelski planned to adapt to his roster again this fall, but the Conant coach kept it under his hat, safely tucked away during the Cougars' 4-0 start.
In the first of consecutive games against undefeated Mid-Suburban League West rivals, Conant unleashed a power running attack on Friday night and rode it to a 26-17 victory against Fremd.
Jake Jakubosky and quarterback Kyle Bradley combined to rush for 292 yards on 51 carries by replacing two receivers with tight ends.
"Two tight ends was something not anyone has seen from us in a long time," Modelski said. "I don't want to make it sound like some stroke of genius. It was unexpected. We didn't really need it the first four games."
Barrington, the defending MSL West champ, will now be prepared if the new look makes another appearance when the 5-0 teams meet Friday in Barrington.
Fremd was still the ideal opponent to pull it out against, Modelski figured, because the surprise might not have thrown off Barrington.
"Barrington runs two tight ends," Modelski said. "They practice against it. It's not a big deal for them."
A home game against Barrington with first place on the line is a big deal for Conant.
The Cougars have not won a conference title since a three-way tie for first place with Barrington and Palatine in 2003. Much of Conant's senior-laden lineup was on the field in last year's 42-7 loss to Barrington.
"They were pretty doggone good last year, and they look good again," Modelski said. "We're actually watching film on them right now."
Celtic reprise: Providence is starting to look like Providence again, as last year's Class 7A champs won their second straight and had a season-high point total in their 28-0 victory against St. Rita.
It was the second strong performance in a row for junior quarterback Jared Drake, who began the season as the backup and made his first start in the Celtics' 13-0 loss to No. 3 Mount Carmel in Week 3.
At 2-3 with No. 2 Loyola coming to New Lenox on Friday, the Celtics might have to win their final three regular-season games to qualify for a chance to defend its postseason title.
With or without workhorse running back Richie Warfield, who missed the last three games with a strained knee, the Celtics should have the manpower to beat two smaller schools, Bishop McNamara and Lake Forest Academy.
If so, Week 8 at Brother Rice would be make-or-break for the Celtics. Brother Rice is 3-1 but did not look as good the last two weeks as it did in the first two.
River meets Valley: Batavia and Naperville Central re-asserted themselves as the favorites in the Upstate Eight River and DuPage Valley Conference, respectively, on Friday night.
They'll hook up next Friday in a rare Week 6 showdown of conference leaders.
Both leagues have an odd number of teams, so somebody has to play a nonconference game every week.
The leagues would make for natural partners in a mega-conference which would address scheduling difficulties, though that appears unlikely considering three schools left each conference for the other in recent years.
Instead, they came together for a series of nonconference games in an agreement that is set to expire after this season.
Batavia-Naperville Central, both recent state champions, looks like the highlight.
Batavia won its 29th straight conference game on Friday by beating St. Charles North 48-28. Batavia's longtime rival, Geneva, is also undefeated, but Geneva needed a touchdown in the final seconds to beat North 42-41 last week.
Naperville Central continued to dominate defensively in its 20-8 victory against Wheaton Warrenville South. The Redhawks (4-1, 4-1) have allowed 49 points this season.
They're a half-game ahead of Neuqua Valley and Wheaton North but have what looks like the friendliest remaining conference schedule of the three.
Gaining steam in Carol Stream: Glenbard North put itself in an early hole with a 13-12 loss to Naperville Central and a 14-7 loss to Waubonsie Valley in the first two weeks, but the Panthers might have been the best team in the DVC since.
Typically conservative on offense like most of the DVC, Glenbard North topped 40 for the second straight week while beating Naperville North 46-6 on Friday night.
It was the third straight impressive showing by the Panthers offense. They beat Glenbard East 41-17 last week and Wheaton South 28-6 in Week 3.
A DVC team has topped 30 points in a game just one other time all season: Neuqua Valley's 38-14 victory against Metea Valley on opening night.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
