Bears' Air and Ground Attack Strike a Nice Balance in 28-0 Win Over Lakes

After winning an end-to-end no-doubter against Fremd in their first game of the season, the Bears started off slowly in their next two contests, against Cary-Grove and Grant respectively. They resumed coming out strong and fast in , driving the ball 83 yards on their first possession on eight running plays to take a 7-0 lead. After Lakes (3-1) went three-and-out on its first series, (3-1) came right back with an 11-play scoring drive after starting at their own 15-yard line. The drive featured runs of 25 yards and 19 yards by Zach Till, the second putting the Bears on the Eagles' 1-yard line. Till also connected with John Orlando for a 14-yard completion on the fourth play of the drive, his first pass attempt of the game. Mike Rantis also had a 14-yard run.

The Bears defense pressured Lakes quarterback Chris Hoffman the entire game, and Hoffman was never able to get into a rhythm with his running backs or receivers. Nonetheless, he finished a respectable 10-for-13 and 103 yards. The biggest shutdown that Lake Zurich perpetrated was against Lakes’ running game. Direll Clark, a big, strong, 6-foot-1, 210-pound running back carried the ball 12 times for -4 yards. Clark looked very impressive for the Eagles in their three previous games. But that’s also because Lakes hasn’t been playing teams from the tough 7A conference that Lake Zurich resides in. Being 3-1 in the Fox Valley 5A conference is a lot different than owning that record in the Bears' 7A.

Kudos to John Orlando for setting a new school receiving yardage record. Orlando’s 135 yards broke Jacob Brinlee’s record of 118 yards, set in 2008 against Warren. Zach Till’s 169 passing yards was the third-highest total in Bears history, which always has been distinguished by the running game on offense. The rushing tandem of Mike Shield (16 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns) and Zach Till (17 carries for 102 yards) was too much for Lakes to handle. Offensive coordinator Brett Pearlman is doing an excellent job of beefing up Lake Zurich's air attack while maintaining a multipronged ground attack.

Carmel Catholic, which features several Lake Zurich players, is also off to a 3-1 start, and they roughed up Marian Catholic 44-20 Friday night in an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Mundelein. Speaking of a running game, the Corsairs collected 324 yards of offense against the Spartans, and every last yard was on the ground.

Corsairs running back Jordan Kos (20 carries, 123 yards) scored his team’s first two touchdowns on runs of 5 and 14 yards. Mike Panico was the team’s rushing leader with 150 yards on 16 carries. He scored two touchdowns as well, from 3 and 16 yards out. Matt Maher also scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run. Quarterback Brian Brennan (eight carries, 50 yards) had the team’s other touchdown on a 14-yard jaunt into the end zone. Brennan attempted just two passes, and both were incomplete. The Corsairs' Matt Ryan added to the point total with a 30-yard field goal.

The Corsairs travel to the University of Dubuque in Iowa next week, where they’ll play Wayzata in a nonconference game. Wayzata is considered one of Minnesota’s best teams this season.

Seniors Mel Wilson and Michelle Carlson are the two veterans on Lake Zurich’s girls varsity tennis team this year, giving a squad with a bunch of newcomers some much-needed stability. Last year, Wilson played at No. 2 doubles on the varsity team, and has picked up this season where she left off, consistently executing some of the best volleys on the team, according to coach Aaron Rogers. Wilson has emerged as the team’s No. 1 doubles player this season. The trick is finding a partner for her that can also compete at her level. Carlson has been back and forth between singles and doubles, which given her versatility is a good fit. Freshmen Emily Leahy and Gabi Bendfeldt have proven themselves solid, talented players who are adjusting remarkably well to the potentially intimidating varsity learning curve.

In recent tournament results, Lake Zurich finished seventh in the Buffalo Grove Invitational Sept. 10 with 15 points. The No. 2 doubles team of Carlson and Leahy took fourth, while the No. 4 doubles pair of Megan Ewan and Lauryn Schaal placed third, defeating Maine South 6-2, 6-0. Libertyville edged Buffalo Grove 46-41 for the championship in the eight-team event. Senior Sarah Paulson paced the Wildcats by finishing as the No. 1 singles champ. Freshman teammate Halle Roach was the champ at No. 2 singles.