Football: Offense evolution spreads to Lake Zurich

For more than a decade, Lake Zurich has run some version of the option and Wing-T offense.

Not anymore.

The Bears are now a spread team, officially joining the long list of high school teams around the country that have signed on to run the kind of pass-oriented offense that has become so popular at the college and professional levels.

Change can be tough, but the timing seems to make sense for Lake Zurich, which is looking to rebound from a 4-5 record in 2015 and its first playoff miss in 13 years.

"I'm sure it can be tough sometimes for coaches to make such a big change and go away from something you're used to. But it really wasn't too hard for me," said longtime Lake Zurich coach Dave Proffitt. "You kind of just swallow your ego, swallow your pride because you want to put your kids in the best position possible to be successful.

"Times change. Defenses have gotten more in tune with how to defend (run-oriented) offenses. They load up on you inside. I think you really need to be diverse offensively to be successful now. Plus, our personnel just seems more geared to be successful with a spread. We're fast, which is good for a spread, and we don't have a lot of depth on the offensive line, which you need (for option or Wing-T).

"So why try to fit a square peg into a round hole."

New quarterback Evan Lewandowski will be given the keys to the spread castle, which will be overseen by new offensive coordinator Tony Wolanski, who comes to Lake Zurich from Conant. Lewandowski was the quarterback on the sophomore team the last two years.

"He's tall, he's 6-foot-3 and he throws the ball well," Proffitt said of Lewandowski, a junior. "Having no varsity experience will be a challenge for him, especially as a quarterback. But I think he'll do well at maintaining his composure."

Taking the edge off in the backfield for Lewandowski will be Kyle Roth, one of the best returning running backs in the area.

"Kyle is a year older with more experience," Proffitt said. "And he's a little stronger, quicker and faster. He's a very emotional kid and will be a leader for us."

"We still want to be able to run the ball with him."

Roth is one of only three returning starters on offense, with the others being wide receiver Alex Miller and lineman Eric Brown.

Defensively, the Bears are much more experienced with eight starters back, including linebackers Jack Sanborn, Ryan McGeever and Derrick Juarez. Miller will go both ways and also play safety, his second year in that spot.

"One of our problems last year was that we couldn't get off the field on third down. We gave up too many first downs on third down, too many big plays," Proffitt said. "It was our Achilles heel. I'd say our opponents' conversion rate was like 45 percent, maybe 50 percent. If you're going to be successful, that really needs to be at 20 or 25 percent.

"We need to have more discipline and concentration and better effort on defense this season."

With a new offense and a re-commitment to the tough defense that the program is known for, the Bears are hoping to start a new playoff streak.

"We don't really talk about last year with the boys," Proffitt said. "But I'm sure it has some effect on them. Their attitude and work ethic has been outstanding."