Lake Zurich Bears Keep Rolling

After a couple of close contests, the fifth-ranked Lake Zurich Bears football team proved that they have what it takes to win big this season with a 36-0 blowout over North Chicago.

The Bears scored 30 points in the first half of the Sept. 10 game, and by the middle of the second quarter, coach Bryan Stortz began switching out his offensive starters with second and third stringers.

Star running back Jacob Brinlee ran for one touchdown in the first quarter and caught another in the second before taking a bow for the evening, finishing with a total of 50 yards. Brandon Markert, John Murlaz and Mike Shield also had rushing touchdowns for Lake Zurich.

"It was great to get off to a fast start, it's nice to have that under our belt because now we know we can score early," Brinlee said. "I'd rather have stayed on the field and kept playing, but it was good to get the other guys some experience."

The Warrior's offense never got untracked against Lake Zurich's stout defense. Star linebacker J.J. Raffelson  was responsible for two of the team's four sacks.

On one play, he pursued North Chicago's quarterback Abel Williams from the 15-yard line into the end zone for a safety.

The Bears racked up a fat total of five turnovers, including three fumbles and two interceptions.

"Our unit has really held strong all season," Raffelson said. "We really had a great effort on all four downs and a really great all-around game."

The Bears know that they can't get too cocky, however, as North Chicago, with an 0-3 record, will not stack up as one of their toughest opponents when they look back on the season.

While there's no crime in indulging in a little jubilation, the team knows that the harder-fought victories against Fremd on Aug. 27 and Cary-Grove on Sept. 2 are more realistic outcomes for the balance of the season—the Bears schedule includes four teams that won at least eight games last year.

"We have a tough schedule," Stortz said. "We have to get ready to play every week. We'll be challenged, but that'll help us if  we can get into the playoffs."

The season got off to an auspicious start with the Bear's victory over Fremd in the season opener.

With his team down 10-0 with 7:46 left to play, Stortz brazenly called for a counter pass. Mitch Dudek, who is not considered one of the team's marquee players, caught a 36-yard strike from quarterback Zach Till, and three running plays later, the Bears were in for the score. The 55-yard drive took just 27 seconds off the clock.

The Bears got the ball back on their own 26-yard line with 2:25 left to play and quickly moved the ball 74 yards on a drive that took eight plays, culminating with a four-yard quarterback sweep by Till that gave them a 13-10 lead.

On Fremd's next possession, Tim Sayre intercepted an errant pass by the Viking's quarterback Richard Conciadki and ran it back into the end zone to seal the victory.

In the second game of the season, a 10-3 win against Cary-Grove, the Bears were deadlocked in a 3-3 tie late in the fourth quarter that highlighted both team's stingy defense.

With 1:08 left to play, Stortz once again demonstrated grace under pressure by calling for a play called "the gun." Running far to the outside, then coming to a complete stop at Cary-Grove's eight-yard line, Brinlee ran it in for the touchdown in dramatic fashion to break the tie.

"If the offensive line blocks it well, the holes are huge" said Brinlee of the gutsy call. "So the coaches were looking for me to break one and go, and I did."

It was another clinic by coach Stortz in playing an aggressive, hard-nosed brand of football, and it paid off.

But there was also some sloppiness on the field in the form of turnovers and penalties that coach Stortz addressed.

"We have been fortunate to get two wins making mistakes," he said. "We need to make sure the kids learn that those mistakes are not acceptable." 

Based on the following week's shellacking of North Chicago, it appears that his team is, in fact, learning.