Lake Zurich puts it all together
Lake Zurich's 47-7 home win over Zion-Benton Friday night featured much of what has become vintage Lake Zurich football.
The Bears ran wild behind a solid offensive line of Mike Schnur, Steve Garcia, Colin Lennon, Gus Coon and Mark Herman. Junior tailback Jacob Brinlee led the way with 126 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries - all in the first half.
But for coach Bryan Stortz, this game was all about showing off Lake Zurich's ability to pass.
"We've established that we've been able to run the ball, but we wanted to show that we can pass," he said. "Good teams do both, and we need to continue doing both."
Senior quarterback Peter Rantis and receivers Justin Russell, Aaron Lewandowski and Tim Bavester put on a display that should get the attention of Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski - whose Wildcats host Lake Zurich on Thursday night - and the rest of the North Suburban Lake.
"Pete has worked his tail off all year long," Bavester said. "I think he's showing that he's one of the top quarterbacks in this league."
Rantis ran a Lake Zurich offense that rolled up 472 yards of total offense - just 56 yards shy of the school's top performance of this decade. The Bears (2-1, 1-0 NSC Lake) would have likely gained more yards had it not been for an early fourth quarter touchdown run by Jonathan Mularz that invoked a running clock and gave the Bears only a handful more offensive plays.
Rantis' contributed 34 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on eight carries, a number made more impressive when considering two carries went for minus-17 yards on quarterback sacks. He also was 9-for-14 for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. His first touchdown strike was to Bavester, a former next-door neighbor who broke free on a post pattern for a 35-yard score to put Lake Zurich up 14-0.
His second touchdown pass came with 9:15 left in the third quarter when he hit Russell on a quick slant resulting in a 19-yard connection.
Russell wound up with four catches for 36 yards, and Bavester two catches for 40 yards. Rantis has some chemistry with the two, having played backyard football since they were young neighbors.
"Justin, Tim and I - we're best friends," Rantis said. "We're always on the same page."
The Bears got on the board in their initial possession, methodically driving 75 yards on eight rushing plays. It was highlighted by a 19-yard option run by Rantis that made it first-and-goal at the Zion-Benton 1. On the next play, Rantis punched it in. After forcing a three-and-out, the Bears embarked on their second drive, which featured some passing, including the 35-yard touchdown pass.
"We got the run established first, and then it was easy to get the pass," Rantis said. "The receivers got open, and the O-line gave me time. It was easy for me."
Rantis at least made it look easy.
"Throughout the offseason, Pete grew and grew," Stortz said. "I think he has his best football in front of him, but I'm not sure if he realizes it."
Zion-Benton (0-3, 0-1 NSC Lake) were led by Jaevuan Moton, who had 44 yards on nine carries and also caught a 32-yard touchdown pass to pull the Zee-Bees within a touchdown. After the Zee-Bees touchdown, the Zion-Benton defense stopped Lake Zurich on a fourth-and-1 and got the ball on the Bears' 36-yard line. But Brian Poulter intercepted an Eric Pasiewicz pass at the 21-yard-line to end the threat, and the Bears, led by Brinlee, drove 79 yards on 14 plays to make it 21-7.