Scouting Vernon Hills: Cougars adding a 5-wide wrinkle
When Bill Bellecomo took over as the head football coach at Vernon Hills in 2013, he knew exactly what kind of offense to run ... and who to consult about it.
"In 2000, I saw this really good game between Joliet Catholic and Riverside-Brookfield and Joliet Catholic was such a giant then but Riverside-Brookfield hung right there with them and ended up losing 49-45. It was one of the best high school games I've ever seen," Bellecomo said. "I really liked what Riverside-Brookfield did on offense. They were running the 5-wide back when pretty much no one ran it.
"I was so intrigued by it and so I got to know their coach, Otto Zeman. He's kind of the father of the 5-wide offense here in Illinois."
Zeman, now 71, is no longer at Riverside-Brookfield. But he's still running his 5-wide. At Vernon Hills. Bellecomo got Zeman to join his staff this year and he is excited to see what Zeman can do to the Cougars' offense.
Vernon Hills has been running the 5-wide, but Zeman has his own style to it that comes with his personal touch.
"When I took over and I asked Otto about what it would take to compete at a higher level, he said we would have to run something that schools our size weren't used to, something like the 5-wide," Bellecomo said. "We've run a version of the 5-wide but not everything in Otto's package. He's been able to add a lot to our playbook."
Bellecomo has also been impressed with how much Zeman has been able to help starting quarterback Derek Jarrell.
"Otto has coached seven all-state quarterbacks over the years," Bellecomo said. "He really knows how to help quarterbacks and I think he's been working with Derek a lot on the little things. Derek has been doing really well with Otto."
Jarrell, a senior, will have a big, trusty target in 6-foot-4 receiver Mekhi McCarthy, who caught 37 passes for more than 430 yards last season. Also, freshman receiver Kamrin Martin, who went downstate in the sprints in junior high, has turned heads with his speed.
At running back, Jake Morris is back for his third year on varsity. He started every game in 2016 as a sophomore during the Cougars' run to the Class 5A state championship game.
Jarrell was also on that state championship game team as was lineman Max Xu, who missed nearly all of last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. He is healthy now and will be a key piece to the puzzle on the line.
Jack Peterson, who stepped in for Xu last year and gained valuable experience, is also back on the line, at center.
"One of our biggest goals this year is to stay healthy up front," Bellecomo said. "We lost Max in Week 2 last year, then we kept losing linemen and we didn't have the same crew up front until week 5 or 6. We are really emphasizing being healthy up front. The good thing is that we have more depth there this year, too."
More good news is that Vernon Hills returns 11 starters, which will balance out the youth of six to seven sophomores getting major minutes if not starting slots.
The Cougars, who bring back linebacker Brad Gothelf and safety Gio Zullo on defense, are hoping that veteran experience will help get them back on track. After the success of 2016, Vernon Hills went 2-7 last year.
"I think last year we talked a little too much about 2016," Bellecomo said. "We just need to think about every practice and take it day by day, week by week. That will help us reach our goal of getting back to the playoffs."