Lorenzini, cast and all, breaks Antioch rushing record
Antioch senior fullback Steve Lorenzini proved sure-handed, even in a season when his left hand was casted for most of it.
Lorenzini became Antioch's all-time leading rusher Friday night in the Sequoits' regular-season finale against Round Lake, while also surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.
He rushed 19 times for 143 yards, and Josh Guadarrama gained 107 yards and scored 2 touchdowns on 8 carries, as Antioch won 20-14.
Lorenzini finished the season with 1,059 rushing yards in nine games, after piling up 1,133 yards last season in 13 contests, as he helped Antioch reach the Class 6A state semifinals.
"If he were 6-2 and 250 pounds, he'd be a big-time player," said Sequoits coach Brian Glashagel.
In his three-year varsity career, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound Lorenzini rushed 513 times for 3,035 yards. Cameron White set the Sequoits' all-time rushing mark last year with just fewer than 3,000 yards.
In 31 career games, Lorenzini fumbled - amazingly - just twice.
Glashagel noted Lorenzini never missed a practice.
"He's a freak," Glashagel said. "In all my years, I haven't coached a kid like him."
Mind you, Lorenzini played all but Antioch's final two games of this year with a cast on his left hand after breaking it in Antioch's preseason scrimmage.
"He didn't want to go to the ER because he was afraid the doctor was going to tell him he couldn't play," Glashagel said.
Despite their win over Round Lake, which gave them a winning record at 5-4 and made them playoff-eligible, the Sequoits did not earn an at-large postseason berth.
Antioch will seek its third straight winning season under Glashagel next year. The returning group should include several starters on both sides of the ball, including running backs Guadarrama and Vinnie Holm, quarterback Tom Sears and wide receiver Brett Prather.
Kent, Wauconda finish strong: Despite nearly upsetting eventual North Suburban Prairie Division champion Vernon Hills in Week 7 and then putting up back-to-back 41-point efforts in wins over North Chicago and Lakes, Wauconda missed the playoffs.
The Bulldogs finished a win shy of being playoff-eligible, as they went 4-5 under first-year head coach Dave Mills. Half of their victories came against playoff teams Orr Academy (6-3 record) and Lakes (5-4).
"I'm going to be watching the playoffs, but it's really a bummer that we didn't make it," quarterback Brian Kent said. "We really thought we could this year. We just came up a little short."
Kent is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior whose arm strength and athleticism figure to allow him to play college football. He was a big reason for Wauconda's improvement as the season progressed.
Against Lakes, he threw for 243 yards (13-of-23 passing) and 2 touchdowns. And, despite Wauconda's muddy field, he rushed for 115 yards and 3 TDs on runs of 1, 25 and 62 yards.
"Brian has really started to figure out how to run our offense," Mills said.
Classy move: Leading 41-12 late in the fourth quarter Friday night, Wauconda got the football at the Lakes 6-yard line after a poor snap on a punt attempt.
With 2:53 still on the clock, Wauconda coach Dave Mills opted not to give the ball to one of his backups or a senior playing his last game in an attempt to score 1 final touchdown.
Instead, Mills had quarterback Brian Kent take 4 knees, thus handing the ball back to Lakes on downs with 47 seconds left.
"Too many years I've been on the other side of 70-0 or whatever," explained Mills, refusing to run up the score unnecessarily. "It doesn't do anybody any good."
Kass' case: Wauconda senior wide receiver John Kass went out with a bang.
Playing his final high school football game, the 6-foot, 170-pounder enjoyed his best game of the season against Lakes in the teams' regular-season finale Friday night. Kass caught 3 passes for 101 yards, including a touchdown on a 40-yard strike down the sideline from quarterback Brian Kent.
Kass' first catch resulted in a 48-yard gain down to the Lakes 1.
"We were giving him a hard time, going 'Where have you been all year, buddy?' " coach Dave Mills said with a smile. "Johnny was hurt for a little bit (this season). He's always kind of been our No. 3 receiver. (Friday) was his night."