New Faces In New Places Key For Kits

Evanston’s football team will have plenty of new faces in places this fall under second-year head coach Miles Osei.

Graduation wiped out almost the entire group of starters in the offensive and defensive lines, and the Wildkits will be counting on an infusion of talent from the junior varsity squad as they try to improve on last year’s 3-6 won-loss record.

Opportunity is knocking and Osei is believes the growth curve of those inexperienced hopefuls will determine whether ETHS can challenge for a spot in the newly expanded Illinois High School Association state playoffs.

In fact, he’s aiming a lot higher than that.

“Last year, even at 3-6, we probably would have been a playoff team,” Osei said. “But this year, this team has bigger aspirations and bigger goals. You can’t just be satisfied just to MAKE the playoffs. We’re trying to paint a picture where we do something in the playoffs. I think these guys are all hungry to do something that hasn’t been done since 2003 (the program’s last postseason win). They want to be a part of winning multiple playoff games.

“It’s Year 2 and I think we’ve progressed as a program. The kids know it and sense it, and so do the coaches. That’s great --- but there’s still plenty of room to grow. We’re running a marathon and right now we’re in Mile 1. We still have 25 miles to go.

“This year in the off-season there was definitely more of a buy-in and an understanding of what their minimum obligations were. They understand what it really takes to have a successful season, the work it takes to get that done.”

The Wildkits open Friday at Chicago Phillips in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Rockne Stadium. The home opener is set for August 28^th versus Palatine. After that, the rest of the slate features all Central Suburban League schools, including games against North division foes Maine East and Highland Park.

It’s probably not the toughest schedule ETHS has ever faced. But trying to escape the maze of three straight consecutive 3-6 seasons still won’t be easy until the first-time varsity starters can adjust to another level of play.

Evanston returns only one starter in the offensive line in 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior tackle Mekhi Collins. Lining up alongside him Friday will be senior Darren Whitehead (5-8, 205) at the other tackle, senior Kalgen Shye (5-8, 225) and junior Jyquan Crowder (6-1, 240) at the guard spots, and senior Charlie Ward (6-1, 210) at center.

Collins has emerged as a legitimate Division 1 prospect and will also earn snaps on the defensive front along with rising sophomore Levi Maman (6-3, 225) junior Antonio Patrick (6-2, 2-10), senior Josh Olivier (6-3, 250) and junior Kerry Desroier (6-1, 205).

“There are a lot of guys there who played a lot of snaps at the JV level and a shout out to the JV coaching staff because of the great job they’ve done preparing them,” said Osei. “Now, they just have to catch up to the speed of the game on the varsity level.

“Every college coach who’s been out here asks themselves how did we not know about Collins (he does have an offer from Western Illinois University)? Mekhi is giving us a way better effort this year and he’s learning how to fight for himself, and for his teammates. He knows it’s his senior year and that he’s got to ‘go’ now.

“If he can continue to be consistent, and finish plays to the whistle with a full effort, he’ll have a great year.”

Collins isn’t the only one on the radar of Division I programs who are keeping an eye on the Wildkits. Evanston will be deep at both the running back and wide receiver positions and there are a handful of candidates who could emerge as impact players at both the high school and collegiate levels.

Senior defensive back/receiver Justin Johnson (6-1, 185) has already committed to the University of Illinois and figures to graduate early from ETHS in order to join the Illini for next spring’s practices.

Often when a player commits to a college, coaches tend to keep them just on the side of the football that’s definitely in their future. But Osei plans to utilize Johnson’s speed (a two-time state track finalist) and skill set on both offense and defense.

Johnson caught 20 passes last year for 201 yards and a touchdown, but was limited by poor quarterback play and an injury and didn’t get targeted much over the second half of the season. He actually played several snaps at quarterback in the “Wildcat” formation, too.

“Justin is a problem solver for us on defense. There’s a lot he can do for us out there, and teams will have to run away from him and throw away from him this year,” Osei pointed out.

“He’s used to playing full time on both sides and he really wants to compete. We’ll move him around a lot because of his unique talents and challenge him a little more to have a better understanding of our offense.”

At running back, senior Sean Hopson (5-8, 170 pounds) is the returning starter but will share carries with promising juniors Nate Osayande (5-10, 195) and Lewis Scott (5-9, 180), two speedy challengers who also competed for the ETHS state championship track team.

Hopson just missed out on a 1,000 yard season last year despite Evanston’s offensive woes that produced just a total of 17 touchdowns in 9 games. Hopson carried 155 times for 917 yards and 3 TDs and could improve on those numbers this fall.

That was the most yards gained by an Evanston running back since Ben Easington rushed for 1,147 back in 2016.

“Sean is an explosive kid and he’s a really good running back,” praised Osei. “He’s one of the most humble kids in the program, and he really cares.

“Osayande looks incredible. He’s big and he’s strong and has a big body. He’s also going to start at safety for us.”

The ETHS coach also raved about the receiver corps that includes senior Aiden Payne (6-2, 170), Johnson, senior tight end Colin Byrnes (6-3, 215), junior Kamryn Farlow (6-3, 180), junior Andrew Roseman (5-11, 160), senior Amari Watson (5-10, 165), senior Sir McKinney (5-8, 155) and junior Jayden Lowers (5-11, 185).

“No. 1 through No. 8, they can all really play. We can put any of them in there and we won’t skip a beat. They could all start at other schools,” Osei said.

At quarterback, junior T.J. Gant (6-2, 225) will pull the trigger on an offense that never could get started last fall because none of the three quarterbacks employed by Osei could handle simple shotgun snaps without fumbling.

Gant was part of that problem and now hopes to be part of the solution. He earned the keys to the offense with his off-season performance and showed great decision making at the annual Central Suburban League 7-on-7 passing competition held at Maine West.

He led the Wildkits to victories over Dundee Crown (7-0), Riverside-Brookfield (21-7), Maine West (35-21) and Mundelein (21-0) and his 13-to-2 TD pass-to-interception ratio was especially noteworthy for someone who never played the position before he entered high school.

“T.J. has worked extremely hard,” said Osei. “But in no way has he arrived yet. He understands the offense better and has developed a chemistry with the receivers. Last year he was a sophomore on the varsity and I think he was a little hesitant when it came to navigating the culture. Now he’s more comfortable.

“T.J. had a lot of snaps this summer and he’s still learning the ins and outs of leadership. I think he has a bunch of potential. When we challenged (potential) quarterbacks in the off-season, he was the one most willing to put in the work. We’re just scratching the surface of his talent.”

Besides Johnson in the backfield, the only other returning Kit starter on defense is senior linebacker Avery Whortenberry (5-11, 210). He’ll supply the leadership for likely starters junior Nigel Frazier (5-9, 160), senior Daniel Law (5-11, 195) and junior Michael Hatchett (6-0, 195), with Farlow, Scott and senior Knox Wator (6-1, 195) adding depth at linebacker.

Johnson’s opposite at defensive back will be either McKinney, Watson or senior Josh Gleyzer (5-8, 150), with Osayande and junior Kit Bevan (5-11, 175) manning the safety slots.