Tubek cleans up with Lakes

With as much rain as we've had over the fall, nearly every high school football team in Lake County experienced a "Mud Bowl" at least once this season.

Lakes hosted a muddy mess three weeks ago against Antioch -not that running back Andrew Tubek got the memo about conditions being less than ideal.

While many players were slipping and sliding and having no luck with their traction, Tubek was carrying on like it was business as usual.

He guided the Eagles to a victory over their archrival by rolling up 239 yards on 25 attempts. He also scored 3 touchdowns.

Said Antioch coach Brian Glashagel after the game: "We made (Tubek) look like an all-conference player in just one game. That kid was really tough on us, tough to bring down. We haven't had anybody run on us like that in (muddy) conditions."

The 5-foot-6, 145-pound Tubek, who says he's always been the "little guy," credits his short legs.

"The mud benefited me," Tubek said. "A lot of people were slipping all over the place and my quick, short strides made it a lot easier for me to move around."

Here's the thing, though: Tubek's quick, short strides work well during perfect conditions, too. And everything in between.

Tubek has turned a perceived disadvantage in football - lack of size - into a big, gigantic, humongous, enormous strength. In just his first year of playing running back on the varsity, he's piled up 1,221 yards on just 150 carries. That means he's gaining an average of 8 yards every time he touches the ball.

He's also scored 14 touchdowns and is a huge threat on kickoff and punt returns.

Ask Lakes coach Luke Mertens to list some of the biggest reasons his team earned just its second playoff berth in school history and one of the first things out of his mouth is -

"Andrew Tubek," said Mertens, whose No. 15 Eagles (6-4) host seventh-seeded Woodstock on Saturday (7 p.m.) in Class 5A second round playoff action. "He's having a huge season and he's a big reason we're having the success we're having as a team.

"You know, other teams probably look at him and they're like, 'Oh, Lakes just has that little guy.' They probably think they're going to come in and destroy him, take him down. Then they never even get the opportunity."

Well, it is difficult to hit what you can't catch.

Ironically, just like his height, Tubek's 40 times aren't off the charts. He's at 4.6 seconds, not slow, but not lightning fast either.

It's when Tubek moves from the track to the football field that he really impresses.

"I think 40 times are over-rated," Tubek said. "The 40 is all about how you start. On the field, when you're having to get around guys and make cuts in and out, speed is something totally different."

Even the camera, which is supposed to never lie, sometimes does with Tubek.

"If you watch Andrew on film, you'd be convinced he was a 4.5 (40) guy," Mertens said. "When he's running in the open field, he can create separation between him and the guy who's chasing him very quickly. It's amazing. There really is such a thing as game speed."

Combine Tubek's "game speed" with his small and sometimes hard to see frame, and he becomes all the more elusive.

"It's like by the time you see him, it's too late," Mertens said. "It's tough to find him behind the big linemen and then he's just coming at you out of nowhere."

Tubek sort of came out of nowhere this season.

He was used as a slot receiver last year, running short routes and occasionally taking hand offs on sweeping runs to the outside.

"When coach told me that he wanted to make me the running back, I was excited," Tubek said. "It would mean that I would get the ball a lot more coming out of the backfield."

Mertens felt more touches for Tubek were warranted.

He liked Tubek's big-play ability. And he especially liked his potential for being a diamond in the rough like, say, Garrett Wolfe, who rode his undersized, 5-foot-7 frame from Holy Cross to Northern Illinois and then all the way to the Chicago Bears, crushing all the doubters along the way.

"When I was at St. Pat's, I coached against Garrett Wolfe when he was at Holy Cross and you know what, Andrew is kind of proving what Garrett did-that if you're good, you're good, no matter what size you are," Mertens said. "The other thing is that football has turned into a game of speed at all levels, not just the pros and Andrew has that speed on the field, just like (Garrett Wolfe) where it's really hard to get a good shot at him.

"I was watching a Ball State game and they have a little running back who is like 5-foot-6, maybe 150 pounds. He was also really good because he was fast and hard to see. Seeing that just added to my motivation for making Andrew a running back this year. I figured there was no reason Andrew couldn't do that, too."

Mertens is trying to keep that same outlook for recruiting. He says that Tubek isn't drawing a lot of serious interest yet, but he believes he will.

"I find it impossible to believe that people will watch his tape and not be interested," Mertens said. "They're going to see that there's something there."

In fact, when recruiters take a closer look, they'll see that Tubek packs much more than just speed into his small frame.

Tubek is nearly a straight-A student and Mertens says that he's one of the nicest and most respectful kids in school, the kind of guy he says he'd be happy to see his own daughter one day bring home.

"I just try to be courteous and carry myself well," Tubek said. "I'm not a real vocal guy. I just try to get stuff done the right way and lead by example."

Tubek would also love to be the next big example of how good things truly can come in small packages. Even on the football field.

"I love to watch Bears games and watch Garrett Wolfe," Tubek said. "When I watch him, I think anything's possible."

pbabcock@dailyherald.com