Encouraging news for Lake Zurich QB Till

Usually, it's not breaking news when a high school football player simply participates in practice.

But the fact that Lake Zurich quarterback Zach Till was cleared to practice on Wednesday was headline material around that community.

Till, who scored 4 touchdowns and rolled up 253 all-purpose yards in last week's first-round playoff victory over Geneva, was a question mark as of Tuesday. He left the Geneva game on a golf cart after badly injuring his left ankle late in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Till was optimistic and thought he had simply suffered a minor sprain. But rumors began to circulate that he had in fact broken his ankle.

"He didn't break it," Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said happily on Wednesday. "(Doctors) think he did something to his foot, maybe chipped a bone in there or something. But they gave him clearance to practice today and if he feels good, he's cleared to play."

The 8-2 Bears, seed eighth in Class 7A, will take on top-seeded and undefeated Glenbard West in second-round action at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Glen Ellyn.

"Zach is ready to get back out there, so we'll see what he can do," Stortz said. "But we will prepare for both scenarios, if he can play and if he can't."

If Till, a 5-foot-11 senior who is dangerous both as a runner and a passer, isn't able to start against Glenbard West, Lake Zurich has two options. Either 6-foot-4 senior Steven Kuhn or sophomore Matt Moon could get the call. Both have ducked behind center this season, and both would likely play on Saturday.

But Kuhn, who started the first two games of the season when Till was nursing an injury to his other ankle, would likely get most of the reps against Glenbard West.

"I know both of them (Kuhn and Moon) will be ready to do their job and fill whatever role we ask," Stortz said. "But we don't know much yet. A lot is just going to depend on how well Zach is able to move around the next few days at practice."