New cast for Lake Zurich

In saying hello to its first state championship in football last year, Lake Zurich also said goodbye to its entire offense.

The Bears rode the backs of 11 seniors to victory in the Class 7A game in Champaign, and now that they've all moved on, the challenge for Lake Zurich is to defend that title with all new faces.

Even the defense, which returns five starters, will also feature a majority of newcomers.

"We have a lot of new people, but we also have a lot of good players coming up," said Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz, who guided the Bears to a 13-1 record and won a state title in his first year as head coach. "I think this group has a solid core. With the right leadership, and if the newcomers step up, I think we'll be very competitive."

The leadership will likely come from the defense, particularly the line. John Brewer is a three-year varsity lineman and will be joined by fellow returners Tony Pecho and Franko Nava.

Linebacker Wade Self and cornerback Tanner Witt also return to the defense.

Witt will pull double duty, starting at quarterback as well.

It will be quite a feat for Witt, who was cooped up in a hospital bed just months ago.

Over the spring and summer he was recovering from surgery to fix a rare condition in his arm. A vein in Witt's shoulder was constricted to the point that blood clots were forming. A doctor in St. Louis reconfigured his wiring and he missed the majority of baseball season and then was restricted to no contact during football summer camp.

But Stortz says that Witt, the team's back-up last season, is completely healthy now and ready to go.

"We'd like to not have to play him both ways," Stortz said. "But he's too good not to, and he's progressed so well that he can do it.

"Tanner's biggest strength is his athleticism and his ability to comprehend the schemes that we're trying to implement."

Lake Zurich's run-oriented offense will feature a logjam in the backfield. The Bears may be inexperienced back there, but they will be talented and deep.

Stortz says that Devian Ruiz, Tommy Flaherty, Kyle Williams and Andrew Maloney, a frequently used backup last year, will all get plenty of reps.

"Our backs aren't quite as big as they've been in the past, but they're definitely just as athletic and just as fast," said Stortz, citing the speed of Maloney and Williams in particular. "We'll run the ball a lot again."

But what the Bears won't do this year is make constant comparisons to last year's special team.

"We want to give this team its own identity," Stortz said. "The thing we do talk about is where this program came from and where it is now. The kids understand there is a tradition now and while you can't rely on tradition to win, it can give you certain expectations.

"This group knows they need to start at square one, but they also have expectations."