Football: New, promising era begins for Libertyville

The numbers are staggering.

4,453 total yards.

61 touchdowns.

That's what Libertyville must replace with the loss of Riley Lees, its do-everything quarterback over the last two years who is now on the roster at Northwestern.

Those were the numbers that Lees put up in 2015 alone.

Lees, one of the best all-around football players to grace Lake County in years, led Libertyville to a 13-1 record and the Class 7A state championship game last season.

"Last year was great and Riley did a lot, but the thing we're talking about with our guys now is that it's their turn to step up to the plate," Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. "They have to believe that it's up to them."

The Wildcats have four starters back on both sides of the ball who know what it takes to make a deep playoff run.

Linemen Tyler Jost (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) and Charlie Schmidt (6-foot-5, 270 pounds) are both Division I caliber players who will anchor the offense. Jost has already committed to Iowa State and Schmidt is getting interest from Iowa State and Northwestern among others.

"They have experience and they are such physical kids. Physically dominant," Jones said of Jost and Schmidt. "It pushes the other guys when they see how Tyler and Charlie push through drills."

Along with Jost and Schmidt, Brandon Rule and Jason Tse also return on offense. Rule is a wide receiver who made big plays in the playoffs and Tse is a strong, physical running back who is tough to bring down.

Meanwhile, two players, Jack Ruskell and Alex Stanulis, have been battling all summer to fill the shoes of Lees. Stanulis was the sophomore quarterback last year while Ruskell was the back-up.

Stanulis led the sophomore team to a 5-4 record and Ruskell became a second coach on the field while prepping under Lees.

"Jack is a really good leader," Jones said. "He does a nice job of communicating with his receivers and running the offense and he's a very good passer."

The defense will be led by returning starter Ryan O'Malley, a lineman who already has offers from Buffalo and Army.

Also back on the line is Skyler Blacker.

"Ryan is going to play a big role in leading our defense," Jones said. "If he and Skyler can control the interior, it's going to be difficult to move the ball on us."

Also returning on defense are linebacker Wes Klepac and safety Brian McAuliffe.

"It's nice to have the experience back that we do and we have a lot of good balance and athleticism," Jones said. "But it's important for these guys to remember that they need to go out and make their own fate. They can't say, 'Well, this happened last year, so we can do that again this year.' It's a new year."