Grayslake Central looking ahead to brighter days

It didn't spiral past Auntie Em or a flying cow while on its vertical course, but a lineman chute landed on top of Grayslake Central's field house when that tornado touched down this month.

The stadium's visiting bleachers went airborne too - "blown away," football coach Jason Schaal said.

Talk about weathering a storm again.

As if finishing 0-9 (0-6 in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division) last year wasn't rough enough, the Rams and the entire Grayslake community faced real-life adversity following the Aug. 2 tornado that swirled through town and other parts of central Lake County.

What's done is done, however. The Rams have moved forward and head into Year 2 under Schaal focused on what they hope are sunny days ahead.

"We have a lot of passion and we're ready to play," said senior middle linebacker Richard Novrouzov, the Rams' only returning all-conference player. "I just want to win some games. I don't want to lose anymore."

After three levels (varsity, JV, freshman) went a combined 0-27 last year, and with low numbers throughout the program, Grayslake Central will field only two teams (varsity, sophomore).

"We have a chip on our shoulder," senior quarterback Luke Shepherd said. "We don't want to repeat that (0-9 record), at all. Everybody here just wants to win. Everybody's playing for the team, not for themselves."

The Rams have made other changes, too. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Shepherd, who has a scholarship offer from St. Cloud State in Minnesota, Schaal said, is back to lead an offense that has been tweaked to better fit its personnel.

"We cut down on a lot of our play calls," Schaal said. "We shortened some things, some of our verbiage."

The tweaks, the Rams anticipate, will help Shepherd thrive.

"We talked to Luke about what makes him feel most comfortable," Schaal said. "We're seeing more success from him. We're pretty happy with all of his development and looking forward to a solid season from him."

The Rams ran a spread last year, and this year will try to run some no-huddle. They scored only 89 points last season.

"(The offense) is a lot more up-tempo this year," Shepherd said. "We're going to try to pick up the speed a little bit and tire out the defense.

"It's a lot easier to learn for everybody. I think it's already helping get our offense a lot more fluid than last year."

The strong-armed Shepherd has the frame of a tight end or linebacker. He can throw the ball far or take off with it.

"We're going to try to take advantage of Luke's size," Schaal said. "If things break down, we have a 250-pound quarterback running downfield."

Schaal calls junior Mikey Andrews (6-0, 200) a "bowling-ball" type of running back. Andrews rushed for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 17-16, Week-6 loss to Danville last year.

"I think he can do great things," Schaal said. "If we can give him a split second, he's going to burst through the hole. He's not afraid to put his shoulders down and go into somebody."

Senior Noah Comerford returns at wide receiver and has "increased speed," Schaal said. The offensive line includes big junior Zack Cashmore (6-5, 285), who became a starter in midseason last season.

"When we run conditioning, he has to run with our skill kids, and he stays with them," Schaal said of Cashmore. "He's going to be an excellent ballplayer here, and he's continuing to improve and develop."

The Rams will be led defensively by Novrouzov (5-10, 225), who can also run the ball.

Spencer Pulford is a senior outside linebacker who played a lot last season. The secondary includes senior Ryan Mikes and junior John Corridon.

Schaal will try to find snaps for newcomer Sam Nozicka, who might play offense, defense or both. A catcher on the baseball team, Nozicka provides the Rams another good athlete and leader, Schaal said.

The Rams are playing their final season in the FVC.

"I'll say this, as I always say it: Five wins is a lot easier to set as a goal than to win the conference, especially when you (play) Jacobs, Prairie Ridge and (Grayslake) North," Schaal said. "Our schedule is pretty challenging."