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Sports

Ela Soccer Club Boys Team Wins It All In Milwaukee Tournament

Lake Zurich Bears Linebacker/Wide Receiver Jack Lynn Commits to Minnesota.

Congratulations to the U13 Boys Ela Elite soccer team, who won the championship game at the FC Milwaukee Tournament the weekend of Aug. 13-14. The team defeated the Croatian Eagles White 2-0 to claim the tourney’s top spot. The U13 squad earned the right to play in the championship after blanking KM United in a 9-0 blowout. Ela’s top goal scorers in the tournament included Jordan Fleita of Lake Zurich, Connor Jackson of Kildeer, Trey Kelly of Barrington and Brendan Klett of Deer Park. The victory was especially sweet because this was actually the first year that an Ela squad qualified as an Elite team at the U13 age level. The team includes a total of 18 boys playing 11 v 11. Coached by Ela Soccer Club trainer Nour Bensaoud, the team will participate in the YSSL league this fall.

Lake Zurich Bears linebacker/wide receiver Jack Lynn, has committed to play football at Minnesota next year. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Lynn announced his intentions several weeks ago. He figures to be one of the top defensive players on the Bears this year, similar to where the now-departed J.J. Raffelson was a year ago regarding his play-busting and tackling ability. Lynn’s physical attributes are comparable to Raffelson’s; he has size, power and quickness, as well as an unfailing sense of knowing where to be once a play starts. Lynn mulled over offers from a number of other schools, including Ball State, Illinois State, Northern and Western Illinois, where Raffelson will be playing this fall. Lynn cited that his father is a big Minnesota fan as a factor in his decision-making process. Minnesota has a new coach this year, Jerry Kill, the former head coach at Northern. Kill takes over a team that has had back-to-back losing seasons, including a 3-9 record last year. Lynn, who has been on the varsity squad since he was a sophomore, was part of a Bears team that played in the Class 7A championship game last year, losing to Wheaton Warrenville South, 28-17. The team also played in the semifinals in 2009. At this point in his high school career, Lynn is a versatile two-way player; last season, he also led the Bears with 12 receptions as a starting wide receiver. But it’s his defensive prowess that had a raft of colleges and universities knocking on his door; with his senior year in front of him, Lynn already ranks 15th all-time on the Bears for tackles. Last year, he had 63, including a season-high 11 against Libertyville. Lynn is also highly touted by Bears coach Bryan Stortz for his work ethic and approach to the game.  

Two other former prep football players have signed with pro teams. Scott Tolzien, who played against while a star quarterback at Fremd and later at University of Wisconsin, signed as a free agent several weeks ago with the San Diego Chargers. Tolzien signed immediately after the player’s lockout ended. Following a distinguished career at Fremd, Tolzien was the starting quarterback at Wisconsin his junior and senior years. He completed 68 percent of his passes with 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions while taking the Badgers to the Rose Bowl last year. He also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top senior quarterback in college football.

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Also, offensive tackle Chris Riley, who played on the line against Lake Zurich while at Warren Township High School and then college football at Illinois State, agreed to a contract a few weeks ago with the Cincinnati Bengals. An undrafted free agent, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Riley is being shifted to the guard position with the Bengals. The Wadsworth native started 27 consecutive games on the offensive line for Illinois State from 2008-10, including 11 games at right tackle in 2010. Riley was a two-way starting lineman for Warren during his senior year in 2005.

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