Be like Michael
St. Rita’s Michael Gaughan is a symbol of how good this football season can be.
As far as upsets go, Week 1 of the high school football season didn’t produce many surprises.
Look no further than the Daily Southtown Preseason Top 10. It pretty much stayed true to form.
St. Rita, which gave Loyola all it could handle during a 7-3 loss, and No. 9 Providence, which fell to No. 4 Brother Rice, were the only teams in the poll to get tagged with a loss.
There were some interesting individual and team performances, however.
Here are my five takeaways:
Gaughan shines
St. Rita and Loyola boast a fair share of Division I commits and recruits.
They were all on display during the Ramblers’ 7-3 win Friday.
From my perspective in the visitor’s bleachers, however, the best player on the field wasn’t among the big-time names.
In fact, he won’t be playing college football.
St. Rita linebacker Michael Gaughan, who will play lacrosse at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, seemingly was in on every tackle.
Officially, he finished with 13.
Late in the third quarter, the 6-foot, 215-pound senior also snagged an interception at the Mustangs’ 2-yard line to preserve a 3-0 lead.
It was a dominant performance.
“Michael is our leader on defense,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska. “He had a great game.”
Gaughan confirmed he doesn’t want to think about this being his last season of football.
“Football is my first love,” he said. “It’s going to be tough to give it up. I’m trying to enjoy every second out here.”
King for a day
It’s unlikely Tinley Park junior Evan King will play quarterback in college. It’s also possible he could play baseball at the next level.
But Friday night, King looked like a franchise quarterback for the Titans in a 32-12 win over T.F. North.
The 6-4 King rushed for 144 yards and four touchdowns and completed 7 of 10 passes for 135 yards and a TD.
While most project King as a tight end in college, he’s going to be allowed to develop at quarterback for Tinley Park. It’s where the team needs him.
Once the football season ends, King will grab his baseball glove and toe the rubber for the Titans.
His time to shine
With Dominick Jones entrenched as the starter for three seasons, Homewood-Flossmoor quarterback Alexander Pratt waited for his turn to direct the offense.
Pratt’s patience was rewarded on Friday during a 41-14 victory over Lockport. The 6-4 Pratt completed 19 of 24 passes for 217 yards and three TDs. That’s quite a debut.
“Alexander has a strong arm,” H-F coach Craig Buzea said. “He can throw the ball to just about anywhere on the field. He’s waited for this opportunity and he’s going to make the most of it.”
The rich get richer
There’s no denying Lincoln
Way East has built much of its success around developing remarkable talent on defense.
That said, the Griffins have been awfully good at producing superb running backs.
This year, it’s senior Jamal Johnson taking control.
Johnson rushed for 223 yards and two TDs during a 42-14 win over Bolingbrook. On the first play from scrimmage, Johnson ran 70 yards for a TD.
It’s not as if Johnson is an unknown. He’s been up since the playoffs as a sophomore.
When starter Devon Williams suffered an injury in a first-round playoff game last season, Johnson gave fans a glimpse of what was to come during a march to the Class 8A state championship.
And now he takes center stage.
Watch out
I expected Shepard to give Lemont a tough time.
Didn’t happen.
The Indians rolled to a 41-7 win.
Lemont returns only five starters on defense, including Eastern Illinois commit Albert Pontrelli at linebacker, and three on offense. The Indians boast a ton of young talent, though, that obviously was ready to hit the ground running at the varsity level.
All of a sudden, Friday’s game at Hillcrest could be real interesting. I covered last season’s battle between the South Suburban Blue rivals when Hillcrest running back Mar’Keise Irving produced an unforgettable performance.
Irving, a Minnesota recruit, rushed for 302 yards and two TDs during a 32-26 win.
I know Lemont hasn’t forgotten.