Arthur holds court again
Junior QB continues to emerge as Griffins advance with easy win over Indians
Junior quarterback Chase Arthur admitted he has some big shoes to fill for Lincoln-Way East.
And he’s trying to fill them a little quicker than he thought.
After senior quarterback Brennan Stolarek suffered a leg injury Oct. 15 against Lockport, Arthur was called into duty to take over under center for the Griffins.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “Yes, it’s big shoes to fill, but I’m living it.”
The 6-foot, 167-pound Arthur was living large Saturday night, leading Lincoln-Way East to a 35-7 victory over host Minooka in a Class 8A second-round playoff game.
Three games into his tenure, Arthur feels more comfortable running the show for the defending 8A state champion Griffins. He also has considerable familial support: Among those in the crowd watching him were his older brothers Ryan, Jake and Cade.
Ryan was a three-year starting quarterback at Lincoln-Way North who went on to play at Washington in St. Louis. Jake came to East when North closed, played quarterback for the Griffins as a senior and was on Illinois Wesleyan’s roster.
Cade, who played defense for the Griffins, is a student at Illinois State.
So those big shoes to fill? That includes Stolarek and Arthur’s older brothers.
“They are helping me along the way,” Chase said. “They are there for me. They are calling me after every practice (and) they are at every game.”
Arthur threw for 95 yards Saturday, including a 43-yarder to Central Michigan recruit Jack Tremblay, as the Griffins (9-2) advanced to the quarterfinals against top-seeded Loyola (11-0).
After his starting debut, a 21-18 squeaker over Bradley-Bourbonnais to close out the regular season, Arthur completed 10 of 16 passes for 103 yards in a 23-6 victory over Oswego East in the first round of the playoffs.
Arthur completed 6 of 9 passes in the ouster of Minooka (6-5)
“It’s been a challenge,” he said, “but it’s been fun. Everyone has been supportive.”
Among the players in Arthur’s corner is senior running back Trey Johnson, who ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries against the Indians.
“He getting used to it,” Johnson said of Arthur. “It’s all working out pretty good right now.”
It was a follow-up performance for Johnson, who had 196 yards on 38 carries in the first-round win.
“I was a little tired after that game,” he said. “But I’ll do whatever takes to win.”
Minooka, which earned the 25th seed out of 32 teams, pulled off a shocker on the road to open the playoffs with a 16-13 victory over eighth-seeded York.
Trevor Hudak — who scored a touchdown, kicked a field goal and nabbed two interceptions against York, including one with 56 seconds left — caught nine passes for 126 yards and a TD versus East.
The Griffins, though, also picked up rushing TDs from James Kwiecinski and Petey Olaleye. Kwiecinski scored on a 25-yard run and Olaleye on a 65-yard run.
Lincoln-Way East closed the postgame meeting yelling, “Beat Loyola.” Johnson feels the Griffins are in the mindset to do that.
“We have a different mood and aura at practice and that’s changing us, for sure,” he said. “We’re ready to go.”
Veteran coach Rob Zvonar knows his developing team will be underdogs in the quarterfinals, but he’s happy the Griffins have advanced this far.
“We started 16 non-seniors,” he said of Saturday’s lineup. “We know we’re getting a lot of experience for our young kids. It’s a really youthful group to be in the quarters, so we feel good about that.
“It’s a tall task ahead, but these guys are fighting as hard as they can.”