Hersey QB Jake Nawrot doesn’t want you to overlook his receivers

Hersey senior quarterback Jake Nawrot is the face of the 10-0 Huskies, and rightfully so.

The four-star Kentucky-commit gunslinger is ranked by Rivals as the No. 5 senior quarterback in the country. He threw for more than 2,200 yards and 31 touchdowns without an interception in the regular season, even while sitting out most second halves as Hersey stormed through the Mid-Suburban League to capture the No. 2 seed in the Class 7A playoffs.

His right arm drew Kentucky head coach Will Stein and Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles to Roland R. Goins Stadium last Friday night for Hersey's playoff opener against Yorkville.

Yet Nawrot wants fans — and college coaches — to know that Hersey’s dream season would not be possible without his wide receivers.

“They’re my brothers, I love them and I want them to succeed just as much as me,” Nawrot said. “I’m proud of the work they put in, and I want people to notice as well.”

Hersey’s blue-chip quarterback has put his money where his mouth is, pitching his wide receivers in his conversations with college coaches and bringing them along on his visits whenever possible.

Nawrot brought five teammates with him to Kentucky during Hersey’s opening-round bye week, including wide receivers Josh Riggs and Jaxon Saint Paul. Last spring he invited Riggs, now a senior, to join him during his visit to Kansas State, and both Riggs and Saint Paul joined their quarterback to tour Northwestern’s facilities in Evanston.

“He told the coaches about me,” Riggs said. “He was like, ‘This is my stud receiver.’ And I just went along for the ride.”

Per Riggs’ X account, he received his first Division I offer from Valparaiso on Oct. 26.

Saint Paul, a junior who transferred to Hersey from Stevenson last spring, has received a boatload of Power Four attention, recently adding Penn State to a 14-school offer list that includes Northwestern, Illinois, UCLA and Texas A&M.

“Jake has definitely helped me a lot in terms of recruiting,” Saint Paul said. “Him bringing me to Kentucky was definitely good to just be out there and talk to the coaches.”

Saint Paul described a “special bond” between him, Nawrot and his fellow Hersey wide receivers.

“All of them just accepted me and messaged me on my first day, saying, ‘If you need anything, just let me know, I’m here for you,” Saint Paul said.

Nawrot hopes he can use his experience to help his teammates through their own recruiting processes. He described the lead-up to his commitment to Kentucky as the “most stressful time in my life.”

“I tell them to just enjoy it now while it lasts, in terms of just being able to play football and not think about it,” Nawrot said.

Led by Riggs and Saint Paul, the Huskies wideouts have been a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators through Hersey’s first 10 games.

Hersey coach Tom Nelson lights up as he details how the Huskies’ plethora of pass catchers has enabled his staff to run a spread offense that he characterizes as “unique” at the high school level.

“A lot of high school teams have one or two guys. I think all our wide receivers are viable at all times,” he said. “It’s a problem, having to defend all 53.5 yards of width and (all 100 yards) vertically.”

In its hotly anticipated regular-season finale against 8-0 Prospect, three Huskies wideouts surpassed 60 yards, including Riggs, who gashed the Knights to the tune of six catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns.

It was junior Dom Wentink’s time to shine in Hersey’s playoff opener against Yorkville as he brought in nine catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Three other Huskies wideouts racked up 50 yards or more, including Saint Paul, who snagged three of Nawrot’s four touchdown passes in the 49-7 blowout victory.

Hersey will need to rely on its wide receiver depth to get past Glenbard West in the Class 7A second round on Saturday night.

The Hilltoppers recently got a boost to their secondary, as star senior Bryce Ellens returned from a broken collarbone to help Glenbard West blank Moline 56-0 in its playoff opener on Saturday afternoon. Nelson said he anticipates the game will be a “chess match,” citing the Hilltoppers’ “physicality.”

Nawrot said he and his wide receivers are ready for the challenge.

“I can throw to anybody,” Nawrot said. “We’ve got a lot of explosive guys who can make plays, and I trust all of them.”