Iannotti delivers with eye-popping precision

Precision is usually a product of good decisions.

It's why incompletions have been so infrequent as Schaumburg senior quarterback Anthony Iannotti has played the percentages at a single-season rate among the best in state football history.

But the 6-foot-5 Iannotti also views his 72 percent passing accuracy in a similar way to a high-percentage shooting basketball big man who gets most of his looks right around the basket.

"Our offensive schemes are set up to where we always have someone open," Iannotti said. "Usually I'm throwing to wide-open guys and my receivers do a great job of getting off guys and getting themselves open.

"And obviously my line has given me a lot of time."

It still takes someone to deliver the ball to the right places to make an offense roll.

Iannotti hasn't just dinked his way to 162 completions in 225 attempts and a tie for fourth for single-season passing accuracy, according to IHSA records.

He also has put up the most prolific single-season numbers in Schaumburg history for passing yards (2,105) and touchdowns (22) going into Saturday's 5 p.m. Class 8A second-round playoff visit by Warren.

Not bad at a school that produced NFL quarterbacks Paul Justin and Kurt Kittner, who played only 31/2 games under center his senior year because of an injury.

All-area picks Cody Logsdon, Julian Tucker, Steve Kolodziej, Kyle Hughes, Tom Cerasani Jr., and Russ Zonca are also part of the Saxons' rich quarterbacking tradition that now includes Iannotti.

"He's made himself into a very good quarterback," said Schaumburg offensive coordinator Mark Steger.

"It's not like he's just sitting back there and chucking it around," said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling. "He really works at improving himself."

While Iannotti has played quarterback since he was 8, last year he threw a pair of touchdowns in limited action as he spent most of his time as one of Logsdon's top receivers with 4 touchdown catches.

However, what may have been unexpected to many around the Mid-Suburban League wasn't to Iannotti.

"I expected it only because of the players I had around me," Iannotti said. "I give all the credit to them. Without them none of this would have happened."

Josh Spandiary emerged as one of the area's top receivers with 63 catches to lead a solid corps with Eric Hauser, Jesse Disandro and Diante Hackler.

Everyone returned upfront in Mike Scolire, Bill Abruzzo, John Mejia, Craig Cruz and Mario Echavaria, who was lost late in the season to injury but has been replaced nicely by junior Richard Barnes.

Add in the emergence of sophomore Shepard Little to rush for 1,293 yards and it's made for a potent mix.

And Iannotti answered any questions about following stellar quarterbacks in Tucker and Logsdon. Iannotti can also tuck it and go for 656 yards and 5 touchdowns.

"As a pure thrower he's more skilled than Cody or Julian," Stilling said. "The biggest thing to me in terms of shoes to fill was toughness.

"The biggest indication of the way he's grown up is the way he responded Week 9 (31-10 loss to Palatine) to Week 10 (20-16 first-round upset at Glenbrook South).

"It's not that he wasn't (tough) - but you look at the two kids who preceded him and say, 'Wow, they're tough as heck.' Anthony has really turned into a good leader."

And a good example to follow by doing whatever necessary to maximize his abilities.

Iannotti worked on his throwing motion in the off-season with his brother and sophomore team quarterback Mark. A higher release point resulted in more velocity and consistency.

"He was real conscientious about making changes," Steger said.

And Iannotti has always been that way about studying the game. Steger said Iannotti's 30 minutes to an hour of nightly film study is more than anyone on the team.

"Coming up in SAA (Schaumburg Athletic Association) my dad (Tony) filmed every game and after every game we always watched it," Iannotti said and then smiled. "He's always been hard on me like coach Steger."

Iannotti also hits the books hard and scored a 35 on his ACT. He's had Ivy League interest from Penn, Princeton and Columbia and hopes to study law or engineering.

Steger and Stilling believe Iannotti is a college quarterback with his size and ability. Even if he wasn't necessarily born to the position since his dad played defensive end and tight end at Hoffman Estates and Forest View and his grandfather was a college center and long snapper at Georgia and Wisconsin.

"I don't know where quarterback came from," Iannotti smiled.

It's pretty accurate to say it's been a perfect place for him.