A state champion in baseball, Libertyville’s Kaden Butt makes winning plays on football field against Warren

Libertyville’s Kaden Butt is having a stellar few months as an athlete.

The winning pitcher in the Class 4A Libertyville sectional championship game against Warren during the Wildcats’ run to a second straight state title in June, Butt has turned his attention to his favorite sport, determined to make an impact there too.

“I love football,” Butt said as he stood a short fly ball’s distance from Libertyville’s pitching mound. “It’s my passion. Last year’s baseball team, we brought it, and that was incredible.

“We’re here in Libertyville to win, whatever the sport.”

Butt, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior linebacker/running back, certainly played to win during the Wildcats’ North Suburban Conference game against the Blue Devils on Friday and Saturday, making plays all over the field on both sides of the ball — and, yes, on both days.

In a game that was suspended due to lightning at halftime on Friday night and was completed Saturday morning, Butt caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jackson Yarc on the first play from scrimmage and didn’t stop as the Wildcats won 21-6.

“We’ve schemed that play up quite a bit and seen that it’s open,” Butt said. “It’s a wheel route on the back side, and I’m kind of the last resort. We had a little trouble in the backfield, but Yarc got the ball to me.

“When it’s open, it’s open, and I was there. I have burners, too, so I can run.”

Indeed, Butt also returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown, and his sack late in the fourth quarter helped the Wildcats (1-2, 1-0) keep Warren (0-3, 0-1) winless.

“I love making plays in whatever way I can, but making big ones are fun too,” he said.

After senior running back Aiden Weaver’s big play, an 80-yard touchdown scamper that put the Wildcats ahead 14-6 midway through the second quarter, Butt and the bend-but-don’t-break defense made all the difference.

The Blue Devils were held scoreless on five drives into Libertyville’s half of the field, including four inside the 10-yard line, and put points on the board only on senior quarterback Xavier Vinson’s 23-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Pearce Estrada.

Seniors on Libertyville’s defensive line rose to the occasion. Jacob Syc’s hole-filling effort stifled a drive in the second quarter, and Aleks Nikolich recovered a fumble on the 8-yard line to stop a 15-play drive at the beginning of the third quarter.

In fact, the only Warren drive that didn’t cross the 50-yard line ended on Butt’s pick-six with just under two minutes left in the second quarter.

“I have a great D-line in front of me,” Butt said. “They got the ball tipped, and the ball managed to get right in my hands. I had the speed to take it back for six.

“We’re just pushing every single minute, every single day. Even if we have to come back the next day, we want to win.”

Syc got his hand on that pass, and he wasn’t surprised to see the ball end up in Butt’s possession.

“His anticipation is crazy,” Syc said. “He sees everything before it happens and plays boundary to boundary.

“He models himself after (Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker) Luke Kuechly. He’s everywhere.”

Butt is even omnipresent in Libertyville’s plans to attack opponents.

“He’s a guy who defensively is like another coach,” Libertyville coach Tim Budge said. “I ask his opinion on things all the time. I ask him what he thinks in situations, and I trust him.

“He’s one of the key cogs on our team who makes everything go — one of our stalwarts.”

Butt, who is also asked to spy the quarterback when an opposing offense is in a spread formation, particularly enjoys one element of football that isn’t part of baseball.

“I love physicality, and I love to hit people, so that helps,” he said. “I haven’t really ever hit anyone on the baseball field yet.

“I’m all about mentality. You have to stay focused, stay locked in. Look at what’s in front of you, not behind you, and keep working.”

Butt will be back on the mound in the spring as Libertyville cranks up its quest for a three-peat. But his play on the football field will likely determine his future in sports.

Butt has offers to play football at Western Illinois and Minnesota State and will continue to assess his options as the season continues.

“I’ve had my mind set on football for a while now,” he said. “I’ve loved it since I was a little kid. Playing football in college, that’s the goal, that’s the vision.

“For now, we have to win our season out with a bunch more wins, and we’ll see what comes from that.”