Schmit: Who had the area’s top prep football performances in Week 6?
Every week is solid when we honor the top prep football performances.
Last Friday, however, was a real doozy.
Rivalry week in the DuKane Conference lived up to expectations, especially in Batavia, where a half-dozen players could’ve made this list. Up in Lake County, there were another half-dozen worthy candidates.
And what the heck happened at Marmion?
Let’s not waste any more time. Who had the area’s top prep football performances in Week 6?
5. Logan Coyle, WR-DB, Lake Zurich
After starting the season 0-2, the Bears won their fourth straight game with a rapidly maturing group. Coyle, one of nine sophomore contributors, led the way in a 15-9 come-from-behind victory over Mundelein in the North Suburban Conference.
With Lake Zurich trailing 9-7 in the final minute, Coyle hauled in a 25-yard catch from Joey Wessman on fourth-and-17 to set up a game-winning touchdown run by the quarterback. Coyle, filling in for an injured teammate, had five catches for 85 yards.
On the ensuing possession, Coyle iced the win with his second interception of the game.
4. Brock Williams, Athlete, Libertyville
Who knows what position to list Williams at these days? Let’s just say he’s an “athlete.”
Ranked by Rivals as one of the nation’s top tight ends in the Class of 2027, the University of Texas commit accounted for all four touchdowns in Libertyville’s 28-0 North Suburban win over Stevenson.
At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Williams showed he can do it all, including when he returned a kick 90 yards for a touchdown on Friday to help the Wildcats extend a slim 7-0 lead at the start of the second half.
Williams scored twice on direct snaps inside the five-yard line. He then capped the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 34-yard touchdown run. He also forced a fumble on a strip sack.
3. Ryan Loria, WR-DB, Marmion
How did Marmion pull this off? The Cadets rallied from a two-touchdown fourth-quarter deficit to beat Benet 26-20 in the Chicago Catholic League Purple.
The score was knotted at 20 in the waning seconds when Loria snared an interception and raced 65 yards for a pick-six touchdown as time expired.
The third-year starting senior had two catches for 20 yards on offense and four tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break up in addition to the interception on defense.
2. Luke Sickmeir, WR-DB, Wauconda
The Bulldogs stayed unbeaten with another Northern Lake County blowout victory, beating Round Lake 69-6.
Sickmeir had six catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, but he saved his best play for defense. The senior became just the second Illinois high school player since 2015 to grab four interceptions in a game.
The defensive effort places him in a tie for 10th on the IHSA’s all-time list for interceptions in a game.
1. Nelson Wendell, RB-LB, Geneva
Geneva quarterback Ben Peterson and Batavia counterpart Michael Vander Luitgaren put up huge numbers in the highest-scoring game in the history of the rivalry, but Wendell was the difference-maker in the Vikings’ 56-49 victory.
The senior had 27 carries for 301 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest play, though, came on a screen pass from Peterson. Wendell took the toss and scampered 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 left to put Geneva ahead to stay.
Wendell also had seven total tackles on defense.