Fox Valley All-Area captain Reinke thrives despite extra attention, opening opportunities for teammates to shine

St. Charles North head football coach Rob Pomazak doesn’t mince words when describing senior wide receiver Keaton Reinke.

“Keaton is the best high school football player I’ve coached in 25 years from the standpoint of his ability to take over a game,” said Pomazak.

After missing the middle portion of his sophomore season with a broken collarbone two years ago, Reinke became the North Stars’ go-to receiver during his junior and senior campaigns.

As a junior, Reinke earned IHSFCA Class 7A all-state honorable mention honors while breaking every single-season school record with 80 receptions for 1,218 yards and 18 total touchdowns (1 passing, 1 kickoff return).

This past season, Reinke played a huge role as the North Stars captured the DuKane Conference championship (tied for first place with Batavia), catching 51 passes for 819 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 16 yards per reception.

Despite missing a pair of games due to illness, the athletic 6-foot-4, 205-pounder helped lead St. Charles North to a 10-2 record and 7A state quarterfinal berth, while earning IHSFCA 7A all-state accolades.

“During his high school career, he finished with 2,000-plus all-purpose yards and scored 30 touchdowns,” said Pomazak. “He had 170-180 receptions. There is no comparison in our school. He’s a game changer.”

For his efforts, Reinke has been named the 2025 Daily Herald Fox All-Area football captain.

Entering the season, Reinke realized he was not going to be a secret weapon, especially within the DuKane Conference.

“That was part of the learning process for him,” said Pomazak. “He put up some monster numbers his junior year, so our opponents were going to defend him differently. They were going to account for him on the field.

“Keaton is such a selfless kid. It showed with his perimeter blocking. That allowed our other wide receivers and running backs to prosper. When teams lightened the box, our running backs – Carsen Durante and Tommy Vendl - took advantage. When teams doubled Keaton, our receivers – Braden Harms, EJ Mondesir, and Christopher Akpede – took advantage.”

Reinke, who also started as a kickoff and punt returner, even lined up at quarterback out of the Wildcat formation this season.

The reason was simple – get the ball in the hands of your best player.

“I faced a lot of double teams and safety help this season,” said Reinke. “I wanted my teammates to make the most of their opportunities. My mindset was that we needed to win whatever way possible.”

After catching passes from Ethan Plumb his first 2-plus varsity seasons, Reinke learned to thrive with senior transfer JT Padron this past fall.

“We built that connection over the summer,” said Reinke.

As a freshman, Reinke moved up to varsity for the North Stars’ deep postseason run that included a state quarterfinal appearance.

“It seems like it was yesterday,” he said. “The Friday nights were the coolest thing for me – you know everyone. Playing with your friends for your school and community. We received awesome support.”

Among his strengths as a receiver are his speed, sure hands, and route running.

“I love the go ball,” said Reinke. “I’ll go get it.”

With his smooth qualities, Reinke can make things look easy.

“I like to call him a thoroughbred,” said the coach. “He moves well in breaks and out of the blocks, his catching radius is large, and his kinetic awareness is second to none.

“He made some catches that you don’t usually see on Friday nights.”

Despite the North Stars’ 42-18 season-ending quarterfinal loss to Brother Rice, Reinke went out with a bang, catching a 9-yard touchdown pass during the last minute of what would be his final high school contest.

“It was a surreal moment,” he said. “I was going through all types of emotions.”

Reinke, who also excels for the North Stars on the baseball diamond as a pitcher armed with a 90-plus mph fastball and wide-ranging centerfielder, will head to Northwestern on a football scholarship next fall.

“It was a very difficult decision, but the coaching staff (at Northwestern) made it easy,” he said. “I spent a lot of time thinking about it. The education I’ll receive is the biggest thing.”

The Wildcats will open the newly constructed Ryan Field in 2026.

“I’m all for it,” said Reinke. “It will be fun.”

Pomazak expects big things from Reinke at the next level.

“It’s the culmination of his hard work,” the coach said of Reinke’s offer from Northwestern. “He’s excited to take the next step – and he’ll do well.

“Being nearby, I’ll try to take advantage of it and have our guys watch him practice. It’ll be interesting to see how they utilize him. With his length and shoulders width, I could see him playing inside or outside.”

Reinke called his most memorable moments this season winning conference and rallying late to beat Batavia, 43-42 – “it was the way we did it – we never gave up.”

“It was awesome to play for Coach Pomazak, Coach (Brian) Flynn, and Coach (Keith) Snyder,” he added. “Coach ‘Pom’ did a lot for me, teaching discipline, grit, and as a man. And I loved playing with my teammates.”