Elgin Courier’s 3 things to know

1. The area’s last two undefeated teams fell Friday as St. Charles East lost to Neuqua Valley 54-28 and Dundee-Crown was blanked by Cary-Grove 34-0. None of the local squads qualify as state-ranked juggernauts, but there still will be plenty of intrigue over the next few weeks as teams try to punch their tickets to the playoffs.

2. St. Charles North senior Evan Kurtz ran for four touchdowns in Friday’s 49-0 win over Elgin, giving him 11 in the past three games after scoring four against Plainfield Central and three against St. Charles East. With the help of a stout offensive line, Kurtz is the area’s top scorer and ranks among the leading rushers with 615 yards on 89 carries.

3. Westminster is still in search of its first varsity win, but last week’s 40-27 loss to Hiawatha offered further proof they are getting closer to accomplishing the feat. The Warriors trailed only 14-13 at halftime and gained 324 yards of total offense, including 166 receiving yards for freshman tight end Scotty Graziano. A few more tough tests loom the next few weeks, but circle a Week 8 home game against Christian Liberty as the day the Warriors finally might break through if they still haven’t earned a victory.