Cort's now in session

If Jay Cutler carves an All-Pro niche as the Bears' quarterback, running back Matt Forte must play as big a role as judge or jury. If senior Colin Webb continues to spin his web as Wilmington's quarterback, senior wingback Cort Scheel should be in session.

Last year, the now 5-foot-10, 171-pound Scheel produced exactly 1,000 yards of all-purpose offense for the 11-1 Wildcats -- rushing for 733 yards and 6 touchdowns on 90 carries and adding 267 yards and 5 more scores on only 15 receptions.

Meanwhile, Webb operated under center for offensive coordinator Barry Southall with the precision of a surgeon, slicing opponents to the tune of 1,242 passing yards and 14 TDs on 67-of-118 accuracy. And like Forte for Cutler, Scheel's ability to catch the football is a boon.

Because while Scheel will be a running back first for Wilmington, Southall, Webb and Co. understand the importance of integrating their No. 3.

He is always an athlete.

"Cort makes our offense go," Webb said. "When he's breaking off big runs, we're usually having big games. But he's also a guy that we look to throw the ball to. When we run the ball well, it sets up the play-action pass, and Cort's a guy who makes the big plays."

With Scheel complementing Webb in the backfield as that big-play threat, Wilmington wants to accentuate its upward spiral in 2009. The Wildcats earned the Herald News' No. 1 ranking among 1A-4A schools with 16 points and five first-place votes.

Under program-building coach Jeff Reents, Wilmington has accrued 13 straight state playoff appearances, including a second-place Class 3A finish in 2003. Touting the skill-set sheen of a Scheel, these Wildcats have been working to polish their championship appeal.

"Our coaches do a great job of getting us ready each and every week," Scheel said. "The coaches will make sure we do that -- work hard -- and we take it one game at a time. Our first game is Manteno, we're just looking to beat them, and then hopefully run the table."

OFFENSE IS the glamour job, defense the lunch-pail duty. As a sophomore, Webb was brought up to the varsity to be Southall's quarterback. Reents, who also serves as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator, promoted Scheel a few games later and started him at cornerback.

A year ago, Scheel contributed 52 tackles on 25 solos with 3 interceptions for a Wildcat defense that allowed a mere 13 touchdowns and 7.3 points per game, the best in

scoring defense among Joliet-area teams. It proved Reents' initial thoughts about Scheel.

He is always there.

"Cort has been the corner that I can depend on," Reents said, speaking as a coordinator and then as the head coach. "And as a running back, he has it all. He has the hands to catch the ball out of the backfield, he can run the ball, and he's also our long snapper, our punt returner and our kick returner.

"You only come along those guys every so often in your career. And for 3A football in particular, he's a very special kid."

Special kids in 7A or 8A football rarely play both ways, with the platoon system in place for the majority of teams. Specialization takes precedence over being special. In 3A, however, Scheel can seal off a tackle and rush for a touchdown within the course of two or three plays.

"I love not coming off the field," Scheel said. "It's a special privilege to play on both sides of the ball, and I don't really have a favorite. Defense is more about reaction and flying to the ball and offense is more cerebral, but they're equally as fun. I just like going all-out."

"He's one of those kids who's a very hard worker and you never hear anything out of him," Southall said. "If you tell him to run two laps, three laps, four laps, 50 laps, he doesn't say a word. He does his job. He never complains about getting carries or yards. He just works very hard at what he does."

A bevy of backs with the graduated John VanDuyne (83 carries, 812 yards, 6 TDs), Scheel and current seniors Jeremy Bailey (68 carries, 468 yards, 13 TDs) and Zack McWilliams (53 carries, 385 yards, 2 TDs) boosted Webb last year. VanDuyne primarily had the target on his uniform.

"It doesn't matter if you're in the shadows or if you're in the spotlight," Scheel said. "You have to perform and you have to give 100 percent. I'm ready for it. Last year, teams keyed on Johnny and Colin and that allowed me to make big plays, and I'm looking forward to another great year this year, too."

DOUBLE-WING. It is the offense of choice for several elite Joliet-area football programs, from Lincoln-Way East to Joliet Catholic to Wilmington. Plainfield Central (8-2) switched back to the double-wing from the spread last year with resounding rushing success.

Known as more of a bruising running back in college at St. Francis, Southall took to the offense like a hunter aiming for ducks on a pond. Where the double-wing leaps to the next level: having a heady, accurate quarterback like Webb and a swift wingback like Scheel as a main passing-game weapon.

"It has to be a 1-2 punch," Southall said. "It's hard if you're one-dimensional, but Cort is probably the fastest kid on our team, he has deceptive speed and a natural ability to run the ball. It makes a big difference to have him because we can run it or throw it to him and be equally effective."

"We're at our best when we can run it and come back on the next play with a play-action pass," Webb said. "The defense ends up guessing, they don't really know what's going on, and at that point, we've got them on their heels. We're a run-dominant offense, but if we can throw it out there to Cort ..."

Good times.

Even better for the Wildcats' coaching staff is Scheel's knowledge of the double-wing.

"Cort is a smart kid," Reents said. "He understands the blocking schemes, and he understands when he gets the ball, where he has to hit the hole. But that athletic ability that Cort has -- you can't coach it all. He has athletic ability that sets him apart."

The size stereotype sets Scheel away from the Big Tens and Pac-10s of the world. Case Western Reserve, Knox and a variety of NCAA Division III schools have shown interest. Regardless, his sense of this senior season at Wilmington goes beyond the personal.

Forget about numbers.

"I don't care," Scheel said about rushing for 1,000 yards. "The only thing that matters to me is the 'W'. Nobody cares about their stats at Wilmington. Here, it's a team game, and we're looking for the win."